My office met family of Pretoria 10, says mayor Mzwandile Masina

Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina confirmed on Wednesday that his office had met the family of the woman who gave birth to 10 children this week.

In a statement released on his Twitter account — which Masina confirmed to TimesLIVE was legitimate — the family confirmed the birth of the decuplets on Monday.

The tweet came not long after the Gauteng government said on Wednesday afternoon that it had contacted all private and public hospitals in the province but could find no record of the multiple birth.

In their statement, the family thanked Masina’s office for the “warm visit” and the support the City of Ekurhuleni was offering. Asked if he had met the family, Masina said: “It doesn’t have to be me personally. My office met the family today and the statement came out of that meeting.”

The family say they received a call from the hospital — which was not named — at about 11am on Monday informing them of the birth.

“We called back the number and got further confirmation from the mother, Gosiame Sithole, who was still in pain. She and the 10 bundles of joy are doing well and still in hospital,” the statement read.

The family said the children’s father, Teboho Tsotetsi, was invited by Independent Media, whose publication Pretoria News were the first to run the story about the births this week, to a meeting in Cape Town “as they have shown interest in supporting the family”.

The statement says the “very happy grandmother,”  Mama Margaret Tsotetsi, said the family was grateful for the help as they were “still trying to come into terms with our blessings while also figuring out the nature and level of support we will need to secure the immediate comfort and the future of the children”.

“The family also wish to thank the office of the mayor in the City of Ekurhuleni for the warm visit and message of support, and look forward to further engagement with the city in the best interests of the children.

“We welcome the beautiful ideas, including the suggested names, and we promise to keep you posted on their progress,” the statement reads.

TimesLIVE