In June 2021, the world was captivated by a headline out of South Africa. Newspapers reported that 37-year-old Gosiame Thamara Sithole had given birth to ten babies at once. Pretoria News claimed she had delivered seven boys and three girls by C-section, supposedly setting a new world record. The story spread fast, and donations poured in for the couple.
But soon, questions surfaced. No hospital confirmed the birth. Authorities began investigating, noting that the original report didn’t even mention where the delivery took place. After checking all hospitals in the Gauteng province, officials announced there was no record of such births. When Sithole was located and examined, doctors confirmed she had not recently been pregnant.
The “Tembisa 10” story was a fabrication.
Pretoria News and the journalist who broke the story, Piet Rampedi, initially insisted the government was hiding the truth. Officials denied this and considered legal action, saying the false report damaged their reputations.
Eventually, Rampedi admitted he failed to verify the couple’s claims. He said he trusted Sithole, whom he knew through church, and never requested medical proof. The entire situation became a cautionary tale about sensational news and the danger of believing extraordinary claims without evidence.
Authorities later ensured Sithole received medical and social support. Meanwhile, the world moved on, still wondering how such a story spiraled so far without a single fact behind it.