Gosiame Thamara Sithole gained widespread attention in the summer of 2021 by asserting that she had given birth to 10 babies simultaneously. While some expressed joy and offered congratulations, skepticism soon arose about the authenticity of her story, and the truth eventually came to light.
The arrival of children is undeniably a joyous occasion, and welcoming 10 babies at once would be an extraordinary event.
In June 2020, rumors circulated that a 37-year-old woman had given birth to decuplets at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in South Africa. The news, initially reported by journalist Piet Rampedi in Pretoria News, claimed that Gosiame Thamara Sithole had delivered the decuplets on June 7th.
According to Pretoria News, Ms. Sithole and her partner, Teboho, residents of a working-class township in the Gauteng province near Johannesburg, were taken aback when they welcomed decuplets, as earlier scans had indicated an expectation of «only» eight babies.
The news of the Temibsa 10, as they were named, making a record-breaking entrance into the world captured headlines globally. The attention was unsurprising given the rarity of decuplets, making it a truly remarkable occurrence.
Pretoria News reported that the decuplets were delivered via C-section, and the pregnancy of three girls and seven boys occurred naturally, without the aid of fertility treatments.
In an interview with Pretoria News in June 2021, Sithole expressed her shock at the pregnancy’s challenges and her hope for a healthy delivery for all her children.
Donations poured in from around the world to support the family, amassing over $70,000 according to BBC.
However, suspicions arose when it was noticed that Pretoria News did not mention the hospital where the decuplets were reportedly delivered. The Gauteng government initiated an investigation, ultimately revealing that no hospital had any record of delivering decuplets.
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