Mystery about the claim of the world’s first “decuplets” born in S. Africa

South Africa has been dazzled by the mystery of whether a woman has given birth, as has been claimed, to ten babies, in what would be the world’s first recorded case of decuplets.

Gosiame Thamara Sithole, of Tembisa municipality near Johannesburg, gave birth to the babies on Monday, according to the Pretoria News newspaper quoting the parents. The babies, seven boys and three girls, have not made any public appearances or have been captured on camera, although they were born prematurely, the newspaper reported.

The South African government said it is still trying to verify the claim.

This made South Africans obsessed social media on whether the story of “Tembisa 10” is true.

The father, Teboho Tsotetsi, told the newspaper that his wife had given birth in a hospital in the capital Pretoria. She said it was a big surprise for the parents after doctors detected only eight babies in prenatal scans.

“They’re seven boys and three girls. I was seven months and seven days pregnant. I’m happy. I’m excited,” the Tsotetsi newspaper said.

The couple already has 6-year-old twins, which would turn the total into a dozen children, if the claim is true.

South Africans are eagerly awaiting proof of what would be a world record. Relatives and neighbors of the couple have insisted the news is true.

“For me to receive ten blessings at once, we thank God for that,” Wilson Machaya, a neighbor of the Tembisa family, told The Associated Press. “And because we’re neighbors, we’re going to have to help in any way we can.”

A Malian woman gave birth to nine babies just last month in Morocco, in what was hailed as the world’s first case of non-couples.

The Social Development department of the South African province of Gauteng confirmed Sithole’s follow-up and spokeswoman Feziwe Ndwayana said they will make an announcement after meeting with the family. Another local government department said earlier this week that it had no record of the babies being born at any of the province’s hospitals.

The Pretoria News initially broke the story with an interview with Sithole and her husband Tsotetsi at her home, which took place almost a month ago and when they thought they had eight babies. They requested that the story be published only after babies they were born for cultural and security reasons, according to the newspaper.

According to the report, Sithole left work earlier than planned for his job as a retail store manager because he could no longer do so. Tsotetsi is unemployed.

An organization has donated $ 70,000 to the couple to help her and encourages other South Africans to donate.

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