By Caryn Dolley
A pregnant woman who was treated by a backstreet abortionist recently exposed in the Cape Times became very sick and had to be taken to hospital last week after her abortion went wrong.
Her boyfriend on Thursday described how the abortionist had lured the young woman down a narrow sidestreet in the city centre to a flat where he treated her in the toilet.
The "nervous doctor" told the one-month-pregnant girlfriend she had to swallow two tablets and he would insert another two in her vagina, the boyfriend said.
But, after taking the pills she became "very sick" and, two days later, had to be admitted to hospital, where she was told her abortion had failed.
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The abortionist who calls himself "Unaithi" and claims to be a doctor was exposed later that week by the Cape Times for illegally prescribing drugs, and a police probe was launched. The provincial health department is also investigating.
The boyfriend saw Unaithi's photo on the front page last Friday and contacted the newspaper.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his girlfriend, he described how the two of them had left their home in Du Noon informal settlement and come to the city centre on a Monday, carrying R300 for the abortion.
They met the abortionist. "The nervous doctor said he's working behind the Shoprite so we went with him," said the boyfriend. "We went down this small street and into a building. We got in a lift and into a flat. He (worked with my girlfriend) in the toilet. We were scared."
In addition to the pills, Unaithi told him that after three hours his girlfriend should drink tea, using seven tea bags, and not drink cold beverages for a week.
Unaithi later gave the same advice to a Cape Times reporter posing as a pregnant woman. He sold the reporter scheduled drugs claiming the tablets would result in a "pain-free abortion".
The boyfriend said that two days after being treated by Unaithi his girlfriend had felt "very sick" and he took her to hospital, where she was told she needed treatment as the pills that she had been given had not resulted in a complete abortion.
When the man then tried to contact Unaithi, his phone was switched off.
The treatment given to the Du Noon couple was very similar to that offered last week to a Cape Times investigative reporter, who claimed she was four months pregnant.
On Thursday, when the Cape Times tried calling Unaithi, his cellphone was off and there was no facility to leave messages.
Police detectives who are investigating Unaithi's actions said they would now get in touch with the Du Noon man.
Last week, the Cape Times established that the tablets Unaithi had given the reporter were schedule-four drugs, meaning they may not be dispensed without a prescription.
caryn.dolley@inl.co.za
- This article was originally published on page 4 of Cape Times on May 29, 2009
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