Baby formula and nappies are killing me, says security guard on life with quadruplets

A security guard who was gifted with quadruplets has reached out for help and any sort of support in helping the four babies.

Sizwe Bhengu and his quadruplets are a topic of discussion on Twitter/X after his sister posted on social media pleading for help on his behalf.

Bhengu is a security guard and part-time taxi driver in Johannesburg but comes from Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal.

He said five months into his wife’s pregnancy, her stomach started to grow abnormally large. The two thought they may be expecting twins, he told TimesLIVE. 

“We went to the clinic and the nurses were amazed because this thing rarely happens. They said that it was four babies. I was even sent a scan photo but I still didn’t believe it. I only believed it when she gave birth on May 24,” he said.

Two boys and two girls were born at Queen Nandi Regional Hospital through a Caesarean section. The quadruplets remained in hospital care until the end of July, with the boys being discharged first while the girls went home a week later. 

Three months later, Bhengu said he is struggling to keep up with buying formula milk as his wife cannot breastfeed the infants all at once.

Right now, the babies and their mother are living in Nkandla with Sizwe’s mom who is helping with the children, he said.

“I spend almost R2,000 for four tins of infant formula since each tin costs about R450, depending on where I buy. The formula is killing me financially. Nappies are also killing me, I won’t lie. We always look out for sales and specials. As for clothes, we have enough now as my place of work donated clothes to the babies,” Bhengu said.

The department of social development suggests the family register their children for the child support grant to see if they qualify as there is no specific programme to assist those who have multiple births, spokesperson Lumka Oliphant said.

“There is no policy that makes provision for such special cases. It would be up to the different departments as to how they want to assist. If the parents qualify, they will be able to get a grant per child, but there is nothing special that they can get because they have quadruplets,” she said.

In the meantime, Bhengu said he was waiting for officials from the KZN department of health as they had promised to visit him live on radio last week.

He said a taxi-driver colleague of his had written to Ukhozi FM to seek assistance for Bhengu.

“I was told on Thursday that the department of health will be coming to visit us. We will wait for them. In the meantime, my sister decided to use social media to ask for help,” he said.

Meanwhile, the KZN department of health announced another birth of quadruplets, this time at RK Khan Hospital in Chatsworth on Friday.