Cape Town - A Khayelitsha woman is demanding answers from Tygerberg Hospital after she was told that she gave birth to a stillborn, but believes her child is still alive.
Aina Buyambo, 28, believes her ex-boyfriend allegedly bribed the hospital to take the child away from her in 2016.
“I was sick and gave birth prematurely. I was six months pregnant when I was told by the hospital that I gave birth to a stillborn,” she said.
Buyambo said she was never shown the body of her baby, but was instead asked to sign a form she did not understand, while processing the sad news.
“The form was in Afrikaans and the nurse told me I will get the body at the mortuary,” she said.
She said she went to the mortuary but was not allowed to see the body.
“They told me they are waiting for papers from the hospital and I asked how was the child admitted without the required documents. I could not get an answer,” she said.
Buyambo did not get to bury her child after going back and forth with the hospital.
“I slipped into depression after the whole ordeal. Something went wrong on that day when I was at the hospital, and I do not know what, but something went wrong,” she said.
Now she said her ex-boyfriend has a five-year-old child with a wart in a similar place as her.
“I saw the pictures on social media and the child is in the Eastern Cape. I have been asking about the child, but the family is not telling the truth and I believe the reason I was not shown the body was to hide the baby from me,” she said.
The ex-boyfriend Mongezi Makhuhliso has denied the allegations.
“She has been making these allegations, our child died and I wish she can be assisted so she can get over this. There is no child of hers we are keeping,” he said.
Buyambo said a DNA test would set the record straight, but she is being denied it by the family.
Tygerberg Hospital spokesperson Laticia Pienaar confirmed that Buyambo was admitted to the hospital but did not respond to questions about whether a mother is shown her dead child’s body when the child is stillborn.
“Prior to her discharge, the clinicians explained to her all aspects around the birth. We have been trying to contact her to address any other concerns she might still be having. We have been trying to make contact with her, but the numbers seem not to be operational anymore,” Pienaar said.
The hospital did not say whether a death certificate was issued in such circumstances. The hospital called Buyambo to discuss the matter with her after the Weekend Argus sent them her contact details.
Weekend Argus