Baby allegedly left at shebeen as parents drank, mother arrested

Police have arrested a 34-year-old woman on suspicion of leaving her four-month-old baby alone for hours at a shebeen in Mariental while she and the baby's father were allegedly drinking, police said in a weekend crime report.

The baby's father had not been arrested as of the report's release. Police were contacted to confirm whether the father Faced possible arrest and why only the mother had been taken into custody, but no response had been received by the time of going to print.

Police said the alleged incident took place between Thursday and Friday at a shebeen, where the parents reportedly began arguing after drinking and left the child behind for hours without food or care.

A member of the public found the baby and took him to gender-based violence protection offices on Friday, police said.

The couple have two children together, both of whom have been placed in a shelter for their safety while the investigation continues, police said.