The long-awaited report into various investigations into Pretoria News editor Piet Rampedi’s Tembisa 10 story has raised more questions than it delivered answers.
Far from admitting to publishing a fake story, Independent Media owner Iqbal Survé and his panel – comprising Advocate Michael Donan and gynaecologist Dr Mpho Pooe – doubled down on the story … and added “explosive” new elements.
The press conference held on Wednesday was billed ‘Decuplets Report – Explosive Findings’. It took close on three hours to reveal these findings, only for the assembled media in person and online to be told the “evidence” would be revealed in a 10-part documentary series.
To backtrack a bit: In June this year, the Pretoria News published an exclusive story by its editor, Piet Rampedi, about a Tembisa woman, Gosiame Sithole, who was expecting to give birth to decuplets. It was, said Survé on Wednesday, a “feel good” news story and NOT an investigation. Apparently this means normal journalistic checks and balances were not required.
But no evidence was found to confirm the existence of the record-breaking set of 10 babies. No hospitals had any records of the birth, which of course would be a complicated process including the need for specialist treatment for babies born at 29 weeks. Outed as a fake news story, after appeals for financial help for the expectant mother had gone out, Independent Media was left scrambling.
Enter various independent and internal investigations, including one by Advocate Michael Donan. Four months later, the press conference was held to reveal the findings of these probes.
Survé was the first speak, not Donan. And speak at length he did. In a nutshell, these are the points, verbatim, made by Survé.
- Tembisa 10 mother, Ms Gosiame Sithole, was pregnant despite statements by various government departments that she was never pregnant
- Ms Sithole delivered her babies via Caesarean section as evidenced by a fresh C-section scar attested to by an independent gynaecologist despite statements by various government departments that she never gave birth
- Ms Sithole was illegally detained at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital, a mental institution, and was said by the State to be suffering from a mental illness pointing to phantom pregnancy
- Ms Sithole is the victim of a massive cover-up of what appears to be gross medical negligence which underscores the mistreatment of South African women going through the public hospital system in Gauteng
- An ongoing investigation now points to a highly organised human trafficking (baby trafficking) syndicate operating in state hospitals using vulnerable black women to traffic babies primarily to West Africa and overseas which MAY explain the systematic, detailed, and high-level cover-up of the birth.
“We thought that Sekunjalo Independent newspapers had sunk about as low as journalism could go with the story of the Tembisa decuplets. Now they have sunk much further with a harebrained evidence-free story that the babies were trafficked by a vast conspiracy of doctors, nurses, social workers and entire hospitals. When someone calls a media briefing to ramble at length on such an unlikely tale, and says the evidence will follow later, you have to be sceptical,” said Professor Anton Harber when asked for his views.
“It is significant that the report from Advocate Mike Donan – the only one of the many inquiries with an element of independence – called the story ‘reckless’ and suggested disciplinary action against editor Piet Rampedi, who was responsible for it. On the contrary, and without justification, Dr Survé continued to back Rampedi. It is a dangerous tragedy that a man as deluded as this should control a large newspaper group.”
The Media Online asked for a transcript of Advocate Donan’s full report, but only the approved press package was distributed.
“There exist a substantial number of sources attesting to the pregnancy of Ms Sithole. No obvious shared motive exists for the sources to dissimulate. On this basis, though subject to revision on the basis of medical evidence (which has not been provided by the state), it is reasonable to suppose that Ms. Sithole’s was pregnant, though not necessarily that she was carrying 10 babies,” he said.
“The behaviour of the state in detaining Ms. Sithole, and particularly in preventing her from speaking to her lawyer or being examined by an independent medical practitioner and a psychiatrist, is strange both in the event that she did give birth to decuplets and in the event that her claims were fabricated. It gives cause to consider the possibility that she is being detained in order to prevent her sharing information regarding the alleged birth of the decuplets.
“By virtue of their function and duty to investigate and report government wrongdoing to the public, Independent Media should pursue their current investigations into the alleged birth and existence of decuplets, the disappearance of the triplets born to Ms. Sithole at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, and the conduct of state institutions and officials in managing these confusing situations.”
Independent Media’s internal ombud (it resigned from the Press Council several years ago) Yogas Nair kept to the party line: that the babies exist.
“Whilst we can no longer question that Ms Sithole was indeed pregnant and with multiple babies, and Mr Rampedi was correct in his assertion of this, there should be no degrees of diligence in compiling and publishing news reports. Even the most innocuous reports demand care, checks and corroboration. The journalist’s maxim must be that there is no ‘small stuff’. Reports involving subjects and material with no obvious legal risks must meet the tests of accuracy and balance,” said Nair.
“This philosophy inculcates attention to detail in all reporters’ methodologies, from the outset of their careers. Piet also erred his eagerness and failed to follow standard company procedure.”
“Following our own conclusions as a panel and on recommendations from Advocate Donen, Independent Media should henceforth adopt the operational credo of ‘the more eyes and consultation, the better’. “It is a lesson, I feel, all media should take on board, particularly in this era of fast media, disinformation and misinformation.”
Meanwhile, the Gauteng government is not taking the allegations of a vast conspiracy lying down. Implicated by Surve in the “trafficking” of the babies, it has once again threatened to sue Independent Media for defamation. It had done so in June, too.
“The provincial government has instructed the State Attorney to institute legal action against the Independent Media group,” is said in a statement. “A senior counsel has been briefed and court papers will be served on the Independent Media in due course.”
