Article by: Dumisane Dube
The Gauteng Provincial government says it will sue senior investigative journalist Piet Rampedi and the Independent Media Group following allegations that 37-year-old Gosiame Sithole gave birth to decuplets at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria.
The hospital says it has instructed the State Attorney to institute legal action.
This is after the media group reported on the miraculous delivery of 10 babies by Sithole. The publication reported that Sithole had given birth to seven boys and three girls at a Pretoria hospital, Gauteng.
The media group further slammed the provincial government, accusing them of gross negligence and a cover-up.
“These allegations are false, unsubstantiated and only serve to tarnish the good reputation of Steve Biko Academic Hospital and the Gauteng Provincial Government,” the provincial government says in a statement.
Gauteng government spokesperson Thabo Masebe says that after a thorough check, they found that no hospital in the province, both public and private, have any record of such a birth.
“Sithole was then admitted to the hospital on 18 June for what was meant to be 72 hours, but upon the completion of preliminary examinations, her doctors recommended that she be kept at the hospital for a further seven days in accordance with the Mental Healthcare Act,” said Masebe.
Masebe says according to reports by medical practitioners, it has been established that Ms Sithole did not give birth to any babies in recent times.
“It has also been established that she was not pregnant in recent times,” he added.
The government is demanding that the media group retract their statement and apologize.
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