The father of the alleged decuplets, Teboho Tsotetsi, on Tuesday released a statement saying he has not seen the babies and therefore does not think they exist. He also apologised for the inconvenience and embarrassment caused.
Since journalist Piet Rampedi broke the ‘exclusive’ story a week ago, it has been riddled with holes which could not be explained away by the excuse that the family wanted their privacy and they would share pictures of the decuplets when they were ready to do so.
Even the Gauteng Health Department said they could not find any news of the babies. The story began unravelling on Monday, 14 June – a week after the alleged babies were born – when the father said he’d only seen WhatsApp messages and had not seen the babies in person.
In the statement, he said the Tsotetsi family met today, Tuesday 15 June at their family house in Tembisa.
“Tebogo confirmed that he has not seen the decuplets and relied on his girlfriend who called to inform him of their birth. He made several attempts to visit his girlfriend and the babies but she has failed to disclose her whereabouts and the conditions of the babies.
“The current uncertainties and public discourse about the decuplets is of major concern to the family, especially in the absence of any proof of the decuplets existence other than telephonic and whatsapp messages from the mother,” read the statement.
They concluded that there are no decuplets born between Tebogo Tsotetsi and Gosiame Thamara Sithole, until proven otherwise.
There are still too many unanswered questions about what happened to the money donated to the family, and how the story of duping the whole world will play out. Only time will tell.
