The journalist seems to have backtracked on the story.
Pretoria News editor Piet Rampedi has announced he is now doing a “full investigation” that will seek to bring a conclusion to the mystery of the missing 10 Tembisa babies.
Government officials are not commenting on the story and they also seem puzzled by it.
Rampedi said he is asking the public to give him space and time to go through and figure the puzzle out.
Rampedi said he is now investigating the following
1.) The whereabouts of the babies
2.) Reason why the father is not having access to the babies
3.) The hospital in which the mom gave birth
4.) Was the mom herself denied access to her own babies
“I appeal to the public to afford us space and time to focus on this important, sensitive and critical investigation,” Rampedi wrote on Twitter Tuesday, adding he will not ask the family to share the photos “out of respect for privacy and culture”.
Two hospitals mentioned in Rampedi’s article (LINK – Rampedi’s article – https://www.iol.co.za/amp/pretoria-news/news/10-babies-father-teboho-tsotetsi-urges-public-to-halt-donations-until-gosiame-sithole-decuplets-return-home-ebff302a-33e5-4706-8087-fcb9a59f3036?__twitter_impression=true) – Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Mediclinic said it was untrue the babies were delivered at their hospitals.
A case of missing person has been opened with Tembisa cops to find the mother Gosiame Sithole, according to the father of the babies Teboho Tsotetsi.
Steve Biko Academic Hospital boss Dr Mathabo Mathebula told talk radio 702 on Tuesday 15 June 2021 that Sithole did arrive at the hospital on Saturday 12 June and told nurses that she was the mother of the 10 babies being reported in the media.
Mathebula said Sithole told them that she delivered the babies at the Louis Pasteur Hospital.
But Louis Pasteur Hospital spokesman Michael Sadiki told 702 that their records do not have a patient named ‘Gosiame Sithole’ and no woman delivered 10 babies there.
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 given birth at Louis Pasteur and they told her they will transfer the babies to the hospital [Steve Biko],” Mathebula told 702.
Rampedi broke the story last week, causing his boss Iqbal Survé to pledge R1 million towards the Sithole’s kids but it now seems that the newspaper has backtracked on the story, with Rampedi not answering calls from journalists around the world.
He wrote on Twitter that he will grant no journalist an interview, instead will investigate and come with a full answer to the mystery.
(edited by MLM)
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