The mystery of the Tembisa 10 resurfaced to divide opinion on social media, on Wednesday, when Independent Media chairperson Dr Iqbal Survé made startling claims following a private investigation.
‘Tembisa 10’ story takes another turn
Moliehi Maria Sithole, otherwise known as Gosiame Thamara was, at one point, tagged as a fraudster and manipulator for failing to turn up with the decuplets she allegedly gave birth to in June 2021.
However, according to Survé, an investigation led by Independent Media’s Press Ombudsman in collaboration with an external inquiry chaired by Advocate Michael Donan, revealed new details that prove the Tembisa 10 may actually exist and that the government could have played a sinister role in what’s being termed a grotesque cover-up.
Speaking at a press briefing, Survé described the trauma Sithole went through as an unimaginable horror that started out as a ‘feel-good’ story. According to information collected from the investigation that concluded in August 2021, it was determined that:
- Sithole was diagnosed as pregnant at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital with six babies, initially;
- the alleged decuplets mom was later re-examined at Sunninghill Hospital and found to be carrying 10 babies;
- Sithole allegedly gave birth to 10 babies, two of whom were stillborn.
Survé concluded the address by stating that, according to their investigation, Sithole’s story was not forged and that she did, in fact, give birth to 10 babies.
The media magnate indicated that, for reasons not yet known, there seems to have been a concerted effort to cover-up the remarkable blessing. Survé ended off his address by confirming that the next phase of the probe into the Tembisa 10 will involve looking at elements of possible human trafficking.
Has Piet Rampedi been vindicated?
Piet Rampedi, the journalist who broke this internationally renowned story, was forced into an apology after things took a turn for the worst in the twisted tale of the Tembisa 10.
In an email sent to Independent Media’s editor-in-chief Aneez Salie, the Pretoria News writer unreservedly apologised for placing the publication into disrepute but maintained that Sithole’s record-breaking pregnancy was real.
“Even though I stand by the fact that Sithole was pregnant, some aspects of the story could have been dealt with differently. Could I have handled the story much better? Definitely! Especially the verification process. Quite honestly, I never treated the decuplets story as an investigation at all. I used no investigative tool or checklist,” he wrote.
The last update on Sithole’s whereabouts came in July 2021 when it was reported that she was being held involuntarily at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital.
It’s believed Sithole and her husband Teboho Tsotetsi have taken the Gauteng Department of Social Development to court over gross misconduct in her treatment as a patient.