HE WAS found in a dustbin and died after one day of life, nameless and alone.
But he was given dignity and a final resting place.
And a name, Mhlengi Siyaqhuba, which means "the one who brings joy and progress".
The baby was given a dignified burial at a small ceremony at the Rondebult Cemetery in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng on Tuesday.
The lifeless body of the one-day old baby was found in a dustbin near a taxi rank in Germiston, Ekurhuleni by a municipal worker two weeks ago.
The little child was named by the City of Ekurhuleni Siyaqhuba service delivery acceleration team, which co-ordinated the funeral.
The municipality, a number of pastors and the Siyaqhuba team attended the funeral in pouring rain.
Ekurhuleni acting mayor Robert Mashego urged churches to play a role in restoring morality in the region.
Mashego said it was regrettable that the moral decay has eaten into society so severely that people can now dump innocent babies.
“We recently held a prayer for the entire nation.
“Now we need to bring this holy intervention to local communities,” he said.
Mashego said the city became involved in the burial because they believe the young soul deserved a decent end.
These sentiments were shared by Pastor Xola Nzo of the Change Bible Church, who presided at the funeral.
Nzo encouraged politicians and other community leaders to direct people back to church.
He said: “This is where we teach people morals.
“This is where we channel them to God’s way of life.
“Had all of us been encouraging our children and the rest of society to church, we would be telling a different story to the ones we read about every day.”
He made a call for churches to pray for the end of human cruelty, violence and abuse.
Meanwhile, cops are still investigating the matter as the identity of the person who dumped the baby is still unknown.
