Newborn dad’s desperate dash for baby formula ends in curfew arrest

Despite showing proof of the purchase of the formula milk, the man was arrested. Stock photo.
Image: Allan Swart/123RF

A father from Centurion was arrested for rushing to a nearby hospital during curfew hours to buy formula milk for his newborn baby.

His lawyer, Lily Rautenbach, told TimesLIVE on Tuesday that the man went to the pharmacy at Netcare Unitas Hospital at around 1am on Friday to buy formula milk for his two-day-old baby.

The baby was born on January 6. Both mom and baby were discharged from hospital on January 7, Rautenbach said.

“After the baby and mother were discharged from hospital, she was struggling to breastfeed the baby. The baby didn’t get enough nutrition and therefore the father had to rush to hospital to buy formula.”

Rautenbach said on his way home, police officers stopped the father about 500m from his residence.

Despite showing proof of the purchase of the formula milk, the man was arrested for failure to adhere to the curfew.

According to Rautenbach, the mother was forced to leave her two other children, who are in primary school, at home and walk with the newborn baby to the scene to fetch the milk and car keys.

She said the father was released later that day on warning. He is expected to appear in court soon.

Gauteng police spokesperson Brig Mathapelo Peters said the police viewed the allegations regarding the incident in a “very serious” light.

Peters said provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela has ordered an urgent internal investigation into the matter.

BY Iavan Pijoos

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