Another child was found murdered in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, the fourth victim of violence against the minors in the same impoverished township, police confirmed on Monday.

The body of the child was found thrown in a stream by a man who was on his way to work on Monday morning, according to police.

Another passerby claimed he saw a woman dumping the body, wrapped in a plastic bag, in the early hours of the morning.

Police are looking for the child's mother who is suspected of the murder, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) said.

The murder was the latest in a series of crimes against children recently.

Last week, police discovered the body of a baby on the same stream, also wrapped in black plastic.

This followed the deaths of two girls, aged two and three, whose bodies were dumped in a public toilet in Diepsloot.

The two girls were found half naked and mutilated earlier this month. Police suspected that they were raped before being murdered.

Five suspects have been arrested for allegedly murdering the two girls.

South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world, with children and women often falling victim to criminals.

According to the statistics announced by Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa last year, the combined figures of all sexual offences, including rape and indecent assault, indicate an upward trend of 2. 1 percent in 2010/11 from 2009/2010.

Cases of murder of women increased by 5.6 percent and sexual offences against children increased by 2.6 percent during this period.

Figures from the Children's Institute at the University of Cape Town also showed that an average of three children are murdered daily in South Africa.