Family says ancestors might be angry at them

LEBOHANG – A forensic team exhumed the bodies of Ms Sesi Malaza and her child on Tuesday, 21 July.

Ms Malaza was buried in the Lebohang Cemetary and her child in the Nhlazatje Cemetery.

The 19-year-old Ms Malaza was in labour when she was admitted to the Evander Hospital where two doctors allegedly conducted a Caesarean Section in a ward 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 were she died.

Police said the reason for the exhumations was for further investigation and to conduct post-mortems to find the cause of deaths.

However, the Malaza family was not happy that they were not given a chance to prepare for it.

They said exhumation without them doing the family ritual, could result in a curse on their family.

Mr Mike Malaza said he is however glad that there is progress in the investigation.

“I did uKhuphahla (incantation), but I did not have a goat to do it properly because I was informed too late of the exhumation.

“I feel I needed more advice from traditional leaders, because even my elders do not have much informed about exhumations because it has never happened in the family.

“However we hope the forensic investigation will clarify matters and provide answers about what had happened to my daughter.

“Only the truth can make us find closure.”

Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health, suspended the two doctors and said they disregarded protocols and clinical guidelines during the examination of Ms Malaza at the hospital.

“The manner in which the operation 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.”

The South African Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu) in Mpumalanga slammed the health minister and his department for suspending the two doctors.

Samatu said the department’s conduct was speculative, emotional, unscientific and sensational commentary on this case until such time that a formal, impartial investigation is completed.

They demanded that these doctors are fully reinstated to their positions and that all criminal charges laid against them be withdrawn pending the outcome of an appropriate investigation.