Former Mrs SA Tereza Troskie-Herbst Welcomes Surrogate Twins at 57, a Week Before Hip Replacement

• Former Mrs SA Tereza Troskie-Herbst and her husband Bennie welcomed twin daughters Abbigail and Kiara via surrogacy at 57
• The twins arrived prematurely at 33 weeks after their surrogate developed a serious complication, triggering an emergency C-section
• Tereza had a hip replacement just a week after the girls were born, recovering while the babies remained in intensive care

Few stories of motherhood carry the weight of what Tereza Troskie-Herbst has lived through. The former Mrs South Africa, now 57, has finally found joy after welcoming twin daughters via surrogacy, capping off a journey marked by grief, loss, and extraordinary resilience.

Tereza and her husband, Bennie Herbst, became parents to Abbigail and Kiara on 19 February, after the babies arrived prematurely at 33 weeks. Both girls spent four weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit before coming home in March, having weighed just 1.7kg and 1.9kg at birth.

How Tereza Troskie-Herbst welcomed twins

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The birth was far from straightforward. The surrogate mother developed pre-eclampsia, a condition involving dangerously elevated blood pressure and critically low amniotic fluid. This forced doctors to perform an emergency caesarean section. That the girls arrived safely at all felt, to many who followed the story, like nothing short of a miracle.

Their path to parenthood had been a long and painful one. In 2016, the couple lost their son Jayden Ben when he was only six days old after his heart suddenly stopped. A later surrogacy attempt ended in loss and the heartbreak left them deeply uncertain about trying again.

The turning point came when a woman unexpectedly offered to be their surrogate early last year. The couple had steeled themselves for one child, so discovering during an ultrasound that twins were on the way came as a complete shock.

Hip replacement, crutches, and cots

As if welcoming premature twins wasn't enough to manage, Tereza had a scheduled hip replacement just one week after the girls were born. She described sitting beside their hospital cots on crutches on the morning of her operation, with Bennie dividing his time between supporting her and checking on the babies. Within two weeks of surgery, she was moving with a single crutch, and by six weeks she had returned to normal walking and exercise.

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Now eight months old, Abbigail and Kiara have brought a new chapter of happiness to the family. Tereza also has a 28-year-old son, Jamie, from her marriage to the late film producer Boet Troskie. Jamie and his partner Nicola Steyn have a son of their own, Jean-Luc, meaning Tereza is simultaneously a grandmother and a mother to infant girls in her late 50s.

Tereza, who claimed the Mrs South Africa title in 2000 and went on to win Mrs World in 2001, says the painful road behind her and Bennie has only deepened their gratitude for the two little girls who made it home.

Other articles to read on Briefly News

• In September 2026, Briefly News reported that Arnold Vosloo became a father again at 64.
• The publication previously shared renowned broadcaster David Mashabela's explanation for having his first child at 50.
• In October 2026, former Kings of Joburg actress Cici shared a glimpse of her second child on social media.

Source: Briefly News