Madam Deputy Speaker, the IFP notes that more than 500 babies were abandoned in Cape Town over a period of 12 months. Welfare organisations in Cape Town agree that the number of abandonment cases is on the increase. We are expressing great concern over this ever- increasing phenomenon.
We are therefore urging government to urgently implement programmes that will assist would-be mothers with child rearing skills and provide information to pregnant women who cannot afford to raise a child with suitable alternatives as opposed to child abandonment. I thank you. [Applause.]