Pretoria News editor Piet Rampedi’s response to the acting public protector’s report on the “Thembisa 10” has sparked debate online.
The report found there is no proof Gosiame Sithole (Moliehi Maria Sithole) gave birth to 10 children on June 7 2021. It also found no evidence to support claims she was barred from seeing the babies, kept for mental observation against her will or that her privacy was violated by the Gauteng health department, social workers, the Ekurhuleni municipality and police.
On Thursday Rampedi claimed the “deeply flawed” report had been compiled without speaking to him.
“The acting public protector concluded the ‘investigation’ without engaging the central parties or asking for any specific information from myself or my employers, Independent Media. Surprisingly, advocate [Kholeka] Gcaleka did not bother to contact me for any information as an interested party in the case,” he said.
Rampedi said his story on the decuplets was “based on months of engagements and work, and first-hand accounts of sources close to Ms Sithole”, and said they had “no reason to mislead” him.
Social media was flooded with reactions to his claims. Some urged him to stand strong and challenge the report, while others said he should resign over the saga.
Source: TimesLIVE
