Thembisa mother loses unborn baby during riots and blocked roads

Thabile Mokhatla (37), a Mashemong resident, claimed she lost her unborn baby due to the Thembisa protests that took place on August 1 and 2.

The mother of two told Thembisan she went into labour at about 04:00 and was unable to receive any assistance from ambulance services due to the blocked roads on August 1.

“I tried to walk to a nearby doctors’ surgery to deliver my baby, however, the doctor’s office was closed.

“I then contacted my sister Kerry Mokhatla to take me to Tembisa Hospital. We could not get to the hospital due to the ongoing protests,” Mokhatla said.

“We were on our way to the hospital and the EMPD officers blocked the road. We tried to explain that we had a woman in the car who was in labour but they refused to help,” said Kerry.

The mother of two, expecting to deliver her third child, said she was in pain and was afraid for her life.

She says she started bleeding in the car with no one to help her deliver the baby.

“We were escorted by other officers driving a private vehicle.

“They managed to speak to the EMPD and we made our way to the hospital. Unfortunately, it was too late,” said Kerry.

According to Kerry, nurses who attended to Thabile witnessed the scene in their car and took photos.

Mokhatla said nurses explained to her that her child had suffocated.

She was admitted to the hospital for two days for observation whilst her family prepared for the baby boy’s funeral.

The two sisters are aggrieved at Ekurhuleni law enforcement and have opened a case against the EMPD at Tembisa Police Station.

“We feel that the police have failed us as citizens and even though there were riots, they should have understood our situation instead of terrorising us,” said Mokhatla.

Thembisan sent a request for comment to EMPD and the City of Ekurhuleni requesting comment by August 4.
At the time of publishing, no comment had been received.