The news about South African resident Gosiame Sithole, who allegedly gave birth to ten children at a time, turned out to be a journalist's mistake. This is reported by the Daily Mail.
On June 8, 2021, the Pretoria News reported that Sithole gave birth to seven boys and three girls at one time. Later, the father of the children stated that he had not seen either the woman or the children after the date of birth. Doctors and representatives of social services were also unable to confirm the birth of ten children.
However, the woman in labor herself continued to insist that her story was true. After her partner was accused of lying and hiding children, the woman was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
Then the journalist and editor of the newspaper Pretoria News Piet Rampedi (Piet Rampedi) apologized for the spread of unverified information about the birth of ten children. According to the man, Sithole was indeed pregnant and gave birth, but exactly how many children are unknown.
“I have not asked her to document her pregnancy, such as ultrasound scans or patient records from the clinic, although this information is important for such investigations. It seemed to me that there was nothing to investigate, ”commented Rampedi.
The journalist reportedly lost his previous job because he was unable to provide evidence of the authenticity of the stories he published in the publication. Pretoria News executives decided to fire Rampedi, who claimed to be the victim of a cover-up at the hands of Sithole and her family. Later, the journalist admitted that he was “full of sorrow and regret” that he published unverified material.
Sithole is currently undergoing compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital. The woman's lawyer is seeking her release. The African woman continues to insist that she will never tell where her children are.
