Johannesburg – The fairy tale surrounding the existence of 10 babies which are alleged to have been conceived by Thembisa woman Gosiame Sithole has come to a dramatic conclusion with the creators of the script forced to fall on their sword.
Medical practitioners at Thembisa hospital hammered the final nail in the coffin when on Monday after running various tests established that:
“Ms Sithole did not give birth to any babies in recent times. It has also been established that he was not pregnant in recent times.”
Sunday World newspaper reported on Sunday that the government will finally make an official announcement that Sithole was never pregnant as an attempt to put the matter to rest.
The story which was published by Pretoria News owned by Independent Media Group was filled with suspense and allegations of political manipulation.
When it first broke, it grabbed international headlines and later emerged that the existence of the “10 bundles of joy” was merely a figment of the imagination and a journalistic blunder.
Regardless of the backlash, the media group stood by its story, saying it was authentic, and even went to an extent of unleashing the services of private investigators to probe the ‘location’ of the babies which came to naught.
According to a statement released by the Gauteng provincial government, Sithole will undergo medical, social, and psychological evaluations to help her deal with the aftermath of the fiasco.
“Ms Sithole was admitted to Thembisa hospital on 18 June 2021, and various medical tests were conducted on her to determine her state of health. Initially, she was meant to be kept at the hospital for 72 hours, which lapsed on Tuesday 22 June. Upon completing their preliminary examination on Monday, her doctors recommended that he be kept at the hospital for further 7 days for further observation, in accordance with the Mental Healthcare Act,” read the statement.
The provincial government also announced that it has instructed a state attorney to institute legal action against Independent Media Group and Piet Rampedi, the journalist who authored the story.
Read more:
Editorial: Thembisa 10 saga has made fools of us all
SA government scrambles to locate “Tembisa 10”
Ekurhuleni mayor locates “Tembisa 10” family
Steve Biko Academic Hospital says ‘Thembisa 10’ mother was never admitted
Gosiame Tsotseti’s family confirms the 10 babies are doing well
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