Heroine of taxi birth dubbed a fraud
According to reports, Ms Ntuli did nothing except allegedly take photos of the woman giving birth, complain of the smell and give a piece of old clothing for the baby to be wrapped in.
Late last year, the Newcastle Advertiser reported on a touching act of heroism.
A woman, who had aspirations to become a nurse, told The Mercury her story of selfless bravery when she assisted a woman to give birth in a taxi standing by the side of the road.
According to more recent news reports however, this woman could be a fraud.
Zonke Ntuli, a 39-year-old woman from Vryheid, explained at great length how she assisted the woman who had gone into labour shortly after the taxi they were travelling in entered the Majuba Pass between Volksrust and Newcastle.
In great detail, she explained how she used a broken bottle to sever the umbilical cord.
However, according to a report by the Isolezwe, a Zulu newspaper circulated throughout KwaZulu-Natal, Ms Ntuli did nothing except allegedly take photos of the woman giving birth, complain of the smell and give a piece of old clothing for the baby to be wrapped in.
According to the report, an elderly woman assisted the mother and child right up until the point where both were taken by ambulance to Newcastle Provincial Hospital.
Shortly after news reports first appeared regarding the claimed selflessness of the woman, the MEC for Health and Safety in KZN Sibongiseni Dhlomo applauded her actions and called her a ‘hero’.
Apparently Ms Ntuli had always wanted to become a nurse, but could not do so due to financial constraints.
Both mother and the baby boy survived the ordeal unscathed, and were discharged from hospital some two days later.
Were you a passenger in the taxi? Contact us via email at newed2@caxton.co.za and tell us what you saw.
