Steve Biko Academic Hospital CEO says 'Thembisa 10' not admitted there

The CEO of Pretoria's Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Dr Mathabo Mathebula, said on Tuesday that the mother of the “Thembisa 10" and the babies were not admitted there. 

Speaking on radio 702, Mathebula said Gosiame Sithole had arrived at the hospital on Saturday and introduced herself as the woman who gave birth to the 10 babies. 

She told staff that the babies were delivered at the Louis Pasteur Hospital in Pretoria. The Pretoria News reported on Monday night that the father, Teboho Tsotetsi, told the publication that he was informed the babies were born at the city's Mediclinic Medforum Hospital.

“She’s not at the hospital as we speak. We don’t know the background ... on Saturday afternoon she appeared, being accompanied by security, [and said] she wants to go to the NIU (neonatal inpatient unit) because she wants to see her babies.

“She said she gave birth at Louis Pasteur and they told her they will transfer the babies to the hospital [Steve Biko]," Mathebula told 702.

Michael Sadiki, spokesperson for the Louis Pasteur Hospital, then told the radio station that they had no patient named Gosiame Sithole on their records and 10 babies were not delivered at the hospital. 

Mediclinic on Monday night said it had not treated the mother of the “Thembisa 10" babies.

“We can confirm that none of our facilities were involved in the obstetric care of this patient or her decuplets,” said spokesperson Tertia Kruger.

The Pretoria News story quoted Tsotetsi as saying Sithole told him that she was moved to the Steve Biko Academic Hospital on Friday, which appeared to contradict information from Gauteng health and provincial authorities, who said they could not trace her at any of their public or private facilities.

The health department referred TimesLIVE to the department of social development for comment, with the latter saying there was no update.

UPDATE JUNE 18: Social development minister Lindiwe Zulu said on Friday, June 18, that she is waiting for consolidated information before “going public” on the saga. Zulu told TimesLIVE she held a meeting with the provincial department of social development and the health department and “we have a few loose ends that needed to be sorted out” before briefing the public about what really happened. Both the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) and the provincial health department have said they are unable to verify the births of the decuplets.

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