‘Thembisa 10’ babies saga to play out in public on Wednesday

26 October 2021 - 07:34 By TimesLIVE
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A report is expected after the Thembisa 10 saga came under the microscope.
A report is expected after the Thembisa 10 saga came under the microscope.
Image: 123RF/sam74100

The drama of the “Thembisa 10" babies will once again play out in the public domain when Independent Media releases its investigation into its reporting on the saga.

In June this year, Pretoria News editor Piet Rampedi wrote the first article about the decuplets, but the story was quickly criticised and shot down from various quarters — including the national and Gauteng health departments — for being untrue.

In the wake of this, the media house said it would investigate its reporting into the matter. Now, on Wednesday, the report is ready to be made public — when, it says, the “truth will be revealed”.

In a piece published on IOL, Independent Media wrote that its reputation had “taken a beating over this story”.

“There’s no denying this. But, as it has done for over a century of integrity and breaking stories, when it is wrong, it admits and makes reparation.

“However, to determine the truth, and therefore whether reparation is required, investigations are needed. In this case, there have been several concurrent fact-finding missions — internally by the editor, the office of Independent Media’s press ombudsman, Independent Media’s investigation division, and an independent external investigation chaired by advocate Michael Donen.

“What they have discovered is nothing short of explosive,” the piece continued.

The media group's executive chair, Iqbal Surve, tweeted on Monday night that the investigation “reveals explosive information about the decuplets’ mother and her 10 babies”.

“The findings are going to surprise many and implicate powerful people,” he said.

TimesLIVE


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