‘Doctors butchered my daughter’

The Malaza family are still in shock and are traumatised over the mysterious death of Ms Sesi Joana Malaza.

Her and her baby’s deaths have led to the suspension of the two doctors who have operated on her.

The family said the 19-year-old Ms Malaza was in labour when she was admitted to the Evander Hospital on 6 July.

Family members were later informed that the baby had died and that Ms Malaza was flown with a helicopter to a private hospital in eMalahleni.

“It did not make sense that she was taken to a private hospital, because I do not have a medical aid,” said Mr Mike Malaza, her father.

“I was told she was critically ill and in ICU.

“However I did not pay attention to it because I was arranging the funeral of the baby.

“I later visited Sesi to find out what was happening, but staff at the private hospital told me to enquire from Evander Hospital.

“I called the hospital, but did not get answers.”

Mr Malaza received a call from the private hospital that Ms Malaza had died.

He arranged for undertakers to bring her body home.

To his surprise however, when he and the undertakers arrived at the hospital, she was alive.

“I realised something was seriously wrong and the hospital staff denied ever calling me.

“On our way home, I received another call that my daughter had died.

“This time she was really dead.”

Mr Malaza went to the Evander Hospital to fetch his daughter’s clothes.

These were soaked in blood.

“Clots of blood and what looked like human fat, fell from the clothes.

“My wife and family prepared my daughter’s bloodied body for the funeral.

“The death certificate indicated that the cause of death was natural.

“I confronted the hospital, but did not get any indication of what the cause of death was.”

Mr Malaza received a phone call from the Evander Hospital during which he was told that two doctors were suspended and that the Mpumalanga Department of Health would visit the family on 13 July to explain to him what had happened.

Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health, visited the Malaza family to extend his condolences and to give them the outcome of the investigation on Monday.

He said the two doctors were suspended to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of the teenage mother and her new-born child.

Dr Motsoaledi said the doctors allegedly disregarded protocols and clinical guidelines during the examination of Ms Malaza at the hospital.

“The manner in which the operation (a caesarean section) was done on this young girl outside theatre, was never done before.

“I have never seen that in my experience of 32 years in the profession and the reason for doing it in a ward, is against medical practice and ethics.

“In medicine they will call it mal-practice or negligence, but we say it is more than that.

“It is a criminal act and that is why a criminal case was opened.

“They will not be allowed to examine anyone until the Health Profession Council has made its ruling.

“The police are investigating.”

Sgt Sibusiso Mbuli from Evander Police Station said a case was opened.