Meet the KZN paramedics who helped deliver surprise triplets

When paramedics Stanley Zulu and Siboniso Khuzwayo went on shift on Saturday‚ they could never have expected to help deliver triplets.

But that is exactly what happened when‚ at about 1.20am on Saturday‚ the call came in. A pregnant woman in Port Shepstone‚ on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast‚ needed help. The pair responded‚ arriving about 10 minutes later.

"The call that we received was for a normal labour‚" said Zulu.

"When we got to where the mother had been waiting‚ we found that the 27-year-old had already given birth to her first baby. We got there just in time before the second baby came out‚ and immediately began helping her."

But the drama didn't end there.

"She was just as surprised as we were that she was having triplets because‚ all along‚ she was expecting twins. Khuzwayo inspected her further by feeling her stomach. That is when he realised that there was a third baby. We then helped her deliver again‚ and then about 5 minutes later‚ the placenta was delivered to signal that the process had ended‚" said Zulu.

Zulu‚ a KZN health department employee since 2015‚ said he and Khuzwayo teamed up well to ensure everything went well. Throughout the delivery‚ the paramedics' biggest concern was to keep the cold at bay‚ he said.

"Due to the extremely cold environment‚ we just wrapped them up… and made sure they were comfortable‚ and we transferred them to hospital‚" he said.

"If you work for Emergency Medical Services‚ you must expect the unexpected. You must always be vigilant and ready for whatever because anything can happen."

The mother of the babies‚ Sthandiwe Madlokovu‚ from the Mkholome area near Marburg‚ and the triplets were admitted to hospital‚ where they were given a clean bill of health. The babies have been named Owami‚ Okuhle and Olona.

Speaking via the health department‚ Madlokovu praised the two medics.

"I want them to know wherever they are that I am very grateful for the help that I received from them. May God bless them."

Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo congratulated the paramedics.

"Delivering a baby is not for the faint-hearted. It can be a complex process under the best of circumstances. To help someone who was expecting twins deliver triplets safely‚ outside a health facility‚ is extraordinary. We salute them‚" he said.

-TimesLIVE