A South African woman who claimed to have given birth to 10 babies is being held in a psychiatric facility after an inquiry found she wasn’t even pregnant.
Gosiame Sithole, 37, said she had given birth to decuplets earlier this month in Guateng – but no hospital in the province has any record of such an event.
Medical tests confirmed that Ms Sithole has not even been expecting children recently, the provincial government said.
She is now being held under the Mental Health Act and will be supported by medical professionals. The government has not explained the reasons behind the invention of the story.
Independent Online (IOL), the media group which owns the Pretoria News outlet that first reported the births, has doubled down on the story and still claim it is true.
They have accused local health authorities of lying to cover up medical negligence on behalf of staff at the Biko Academic Hospital who were allegedly unprepared for the delivery.
(Image: Newsflash)
“These allegations are false, unsubstantiated and only serve to tarnish the good reputation of Steve Biko Academic Hospital and the Gauteng Provincial Government,” the latest statement said.
Legal action would be taken against the editor-in-chief of Pretoria News, Piet Rampedi – Pretoria’s editor – and IOL, it said.
A leaked memo seen by News24 appears to suggest Rampedi has apologised to Pretoria for the “reputational damage” the bogus claims may have caused them.
(Image: Newsflash)
The story made global headlines – including in the Mirror – after it was reported that the massive brood had been born alongside an accompanying picture of Ms Sithole looking heavily pregnant.
The woman, who does have six-year-old twins, allegedly told her partner Teboho Tsotetsi she had given birth to a surprise 10 babies. He then spread the news which reached local government.
Their mayor in Guateng then confirmed the births, prompting other media outlets to report the story – but he only had the family’s word as evidence.
Donations began flooding in for the couple and their reported babies, dubbed the “Thembisa 10”, including 1m rand ($70,000; £50,000) from IOL chairman Iqbal Survé.
In the aftermath of the saga the couple seem to have had a bust-up, with Mr Tsotetsi reporting his partner missing and asking people to stop donations a week later.
Ms Sithole accused him of wanting to profit financially from the story. She was eventually hunted down by social workers and admitted to hospital last Friday, according to the provincial authorities.