By Zavela Makwabe
When a 25-year-old mother-to-be walked through the doors of a police station, little did officer Sergeant Khayakazi Jodwana know that in less than six hours she would be holding a screaming infant in her arms.
Police officers at the New Brighton Police Station in Gqeberha helped to deliver a baby boy during load shedding in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The young mother from Plettenberg Bay had travelled over 280 km from Mdantsane. She was dropped off at the station’s doorstep once she realised that she was in labour, police said.
Officer Jodwana contacted the ambulance service, but it failed to pitch.
Slowly it began to dawn on the officers that it was up to them to deliver the baby safely.
When the baby was ready to come, the officers on shift rolled up their sleeves and collected blankets for the mother.
Jodwana stepped up, and with the help of a woman who happened to be at the station at the time, she delivered the baby.
Soon enough, the cries of the healthy baby boy were echoing through the halls of the station.
Officers literally ran to the nearest hospital to seek help, and when this attempt did not yield any results, they dispatched a police van to another hospital to fetch an ambulance.
“The umbilical cord was then cut and the mother and baby were taken to hospital for further treatment and care,” said the area police spokesperson, Colonel Priscilla Naidu.
In the spirit of the season’s goodwill, officers at the station collected money among themselves to donate to the new family.
“It is not every day that our police officers are faced with such situations. However, given the circumstances, they ensured a safe birth and managed to calm the frantic and frightened mother. They also made sure that she was comfortable and that the baby was kept warm while waiting for professional medical assistance,” said District Commissioner Brigadier Ronald Koll.
“The goodwill displayed by the members towards the civilian woman is commendable.”
Pictured above: Sergeant Khayakazi Jodwana with the new mother and the baby
Image source: SAPS
