Gosiame Sithole, the South African woman who this month made headlines after claiming she had given birth to a world record-breaking of ten babies, fabricated the pregnancy story, as it has been revealed by the Gauteng Provincial government.
According to the government, no hospital in Gauteng Province has a record of decuplets being born. Also, medical tests show that Sithole had not even been pregnant recently.
Even though the statement did not elaborate on the reasons behind the fabrication of the story, it noted that Sithole is now being held under the mental health act for observation, and will be provided with support.
Meanwhile, legal action would be taken against the editor-in-chief of Pretoria News, Piet Rampedi, and Independent online (IOL). This is because, the media group which owns the Pretoria News that first reported the story, had stood by its reporting.
It went on to allege that Sithole delivered the children on 7th June 2021, at Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) in the capital, Pretoria, saying staff were not prepared for the delivery.
It also accused the hospital and the provincial health authorities of trying to cover up medical negligence.
According to the local government: “These allegations are false, unsubstantiated and only serve to tarnish the good reputation of Steve Biko Academic Hospital and the Gauteng Provincial Government”.
How the “fabricated” story came about
Sithole, who has six-year-old twins, and her partner Teboho Tsotetsi live in Thembisa, a township with many working-class residents in Gauteng Province near Johannesburg.
According to IOL, they attended the same church as Piet Rampedi, where he was introduced to them last year in December.
In May, it is alleged Piet Rampedi interviewed the couple who said they were expecting eight babies and they even went on to have a photoshoot which showed Sithole looking heavily pregnant.
Later, the ‘birth of a surprise 10 babies’ was announced by Pretoria News on 8th June 2021, quoting Mr. Tsotetsi as the source. Mr. Tsotetsi stated that he had received text messages from his partner, Sithole, telling him about it, adding that he was not allowed at the hospital because of coronavirus restrictions.
Rampedi also relied on the WhatsApp messages, and did not get confirmation from the hospital Sithole was alleged to have given birth and he went ahead to report it.
Their local mayor then confirmed the births but a government spokesman later said the politician only had the family’s word and no one had yet seen the babies.
Donations began flooding in for the couple and their reported babies, including 70,000 dollars from the chairman of IOL, Iqbal Survé.
But the story drew suspicion after Pretoria News initially failed to disclose the hospital where the babies were born and a series of hospitals in Gauteng came out to deny their involvement.
That notwithstanding, the couple seemed to fall out when Mr. Tsotetsi reported Sithole missing. He also asked people to stop donations a week later, accusing Sithole of wanting to benefit financially from the babies.
Piet Rampedi apologizes for reputational damage
Meanwhile, the editor of the news agency who first reported Sithole’s claims has now apologized for not checking or verifying Sithole’s claims before publishing.
According to reports, Piet Rampedi sent his staff an email where he noted that he knew the couple involved, and had no reason to doubt them.
“I used no investigative tool or checklist. They had no reason to lie to me about the pregnancy. For me, it was a story of celebration. Hence, I never demanded documentary proof of the pregnancy, such as scanners and clinic cards, for instance, as I would normally do with an investigative story. South. South
“However, judging by the sudden turn of events and the reaction from the government and our detractors, I was wrong”.
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