Gauteng Government to Take Legal Action Against Piet Rampedi and Independent Media Group
- The Gauteng government is pursuing the legal route against Piet Rampedi and Independent Media Group over the Thembisa 10 scandal
- Rampedi claimed that the Gauteng government and Steve Biko Academic Hospital took part in a cover-up
- The government says the claims made by Rampedi and the publication are false and were intended to ruin the name of the Steve Biko Academic Hospital
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The Gauteng government has urged the state attorney to take legal action against Pretoria News editor Piet Rampedi and Independent Media Group for the decuplets story that was released earlier this month, dubbed the 'Tembisa 10'.
Source: Twitter
According to EWN, the legal action comes after Rampedi alleged that Gosiame Sithole had given birth to 10 babies at Steve Biko Academic Hospital and that the government was attempting to hide medical negligence.
In a statement released by the Gauteng government on Wednesday, it was found that Sithole had not been pregnant recently and had not given birth. The statement further disputed the claims made against Steve Biko Academic Hospital as false and intended to ruin the hospital’s name.
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“These allegations are false, unsubstantiated and only serve to tarnish the good reputation of Steve Biko Academic Hospital and the Gauteng provincial government.”
According to The Citizen, the statement made by the Gauteng government stated that Sithole was admitted into a psychiatric hospital for evaluation. Medical tests were also conducted and they determined that she had not given birth recently.
Sithole was initially admitted for 72 hours, which would have ended on Tuesday, 22 June, however, upon recommendation from doctors in charge of Sithole’s care, she was given a further seven days.
“The Gauteng provincial government will continue to give medical, psychological and social support to Ms Sithole and provide any counselling she might require.”
Journalist who broke the decuplets story, Piet Rampedi, apologises to Independent Media Group
Briefly News recently reported that Pretoria News editor Piet Rampedi wrote an apology to Independent Media group editor-in-chief Aneez Salie with regard to the Thembisa 10, which broke this earlier month.
In an email, Rampedi expressed he could have handled the story better, however, he insists that there was indeed a pregnancy and Gosiame Sithole had in fact given birth, according to EWN.
Rampedi reported that Gosiame Sithole had had 10 babies and subsequently broke a Guinness World Record.
The story initially touched the hearts of South Africans and the world at large, however, the National Department of Health said there was no record that the babies were ever born.
Read also
Thembisa 10: Journalist who broke the decuplets story apologises to Independent Media Group
The department still maintains that there is no record of decuplets birthed in Gauteng and Sithole was admitted into a psychiatric hospital for evaluation last week.
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Source: Briefly News
