Health’s Christopher Nobela in Mpumalanga said there was nothing the department could do to assist the Sibanyoni family recover the foetus of their baby that went missing at Witbank hospital last year.
“The matter is subdued. The family decided to take legal opinion so we won’t comment further as the matter is sub judicare,” said Nobela.
Apparently, Cynthia Sibanyoni from Ackerville in Emalahleni gave birth to an already eight-month dead baby through a Caesarean section in December last year. Sibanyoni claimed that the hospital then gave them the wrong body of the baby of which they refused to take. The hospital then told them that it was going to conduct a DNA test to determine if the baby was theirs or not but so far nothing has come forth.
The Sibanyoni family then went to open a case with the police.
“We are not happy at all. Since last year we have been told to wait for the DNA test results after the hospital gave us a wrong body, claiming that it was ours and demanded that we take the body for burial. We refused and are still refusing. All we want is the body of our child so that we can bury him peacefully. We want the right body,” Matilta Mahlangu said, speaking on behalf of the Sibanyoni family.
It was previously reported on Highveld Chronicle that, On Monday ,14 December 2020, Sibanyoni and her family visited the hospital to request for the foetus for burial but they could not be assisted. They were told to come back the following day, 15 December 2020, but still on their return, they still could not be assisted, instead they were given a wrong body. “We, the family, also noticed that the hospital was taking us for a ride when they gave us the body of the baby who didn’t look eight-month old. Cynthia was eight months pregnant when the ordeal occurred and the baby which was given to us didn’t look like that. So we are still refusing to accept that body and we demand the body of the baby that belongs to us so that we can continue with the burial,” Mahlangu demanded.
