Founder of Project Life SA, Milly Hertz with co-volunteer Cathrine Maphosa leading the march against governments proposal to make baby savers illegal.
Image: Jandyn Anthony
The Baby Saver box at the Phoenix Child and Family Welfare Society has saved infants from reckless abandonment, not by receiving babies directly, but by prompting desperate mothers to reach out for help. It is a success story that has thrust the local organisation into the centre of a growing national campaign.
On Sunday afternoon, a large crowd dressed in black marched along the Umhlanga promenade, calling for the legalisation of Baby Saver boxes. They also challenged the legislation that currently deems them illegal. The Phoenix Child and Family Welfare Society was among the groups participating in the march.
The protest came as the Department of Social Development pushes for an amendment to the Children’s Act that would outlaw the boxes outright.
“Because of the box, we get numerous calls from people who feel that they are in that crisis situation of abandoning their baby,” said Aroona Chetty, director of the Phoenix Child and Family Welfare Society.
“They call our offices to enquire about the Baby Box. We put them through to a social worker who is able to counsel them. We walk the journey with the mother to a point where the baby is not abandoned but rather placed in proper care. In some happy endings, the mother keeps her baby.”
There are currently five Baby Saver sites in KwaZulu‑Natal and more than 40 across South Africa. The boxes are containers installed on the premises of organisations where mothers can anonymously drop off their newborns. When an infant is placed inside, a sensor triggers a silent alarm, alerting staff who retrieve the baby. Medical care is then provided, and a social worker is contacted.
But under South African law, Baby Savers constitute a criminal offence in terms of the Children’s Act of 2005. In 2025, the Department of Social Development reaffirmed this stance and has since moved to make the boxes illegal with a proposed amendment.
Leading the Sunday march was Milly Hertz, founder of Project Life SA. She says around 3,500 babies are abandoned every year in South Africa.
“For every baby found alive, two are found dead,” Hertz said.
“Baby Savers offer a safe alternative to unsafe abandonment. Without them, many lives will be lost. The Baby Saver is a metal box designed to prevent unsafe abandonment. Instead of a mother leaving her baby in an unsafe place, the Baby Saver is a last resort where she can open the door, place her baby inside and walk away, no questions asked and no judgement whatsoever.”
Hertz passionately argued for legalisation. “We want Baby Savers to be legalised. Firstly, this mother chose love for her baby by not having an abortion, and now she is choosing mercy by putting her baby into the Baby Saver. If that option is taken away, she is forced to leave her baby in an unsafe place like a field, toilet or bin. Those babies die in the most horrible, painful ways, from hunger, thirst and cold. It is unthinkable that any innocent child should have to go through this.”
This week, Baby Savers South Africa is expected to challenge the Department of Social Development’s proposed amendment at the High Court in Pretoria. Advocates will argue that current laws criminalise desperate mothers, contributing to unsafe infant abandonment.
For the Phoenix Child and Family Welfare Society, the fight is personal. Their Baby Saver box has already proven its worth, not as a receptacle for abandonment, but as a lifeline that keeps families together, and their presence at the march underscored their commitment.