KOKETSO has had many joyful moments after giving birth to her baby boy 10 months ago.
But it doesn’t take away the pain she feels about her daughter who died, in the arms of another mother, at the age of six months.
Koketso Semenya (31) from Soshanguve, Tshwane, said her baby boy, Thoriso Semenya, will never replace her daughter Regomoditswe Semenya who died in 2020.
Koketso said due to a terrible mix-up at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, Regomoditswe was swapped with a baby belonging to a family in Winterveld. But Regomoditswe died after six months while living with the other family in 2020.
Koketso said she was taking care of a baby girl she thought was her own, but had to return her to her biological parents at the end of 2021.
“Hospital officials visited my home in January 2021 and broke the sad news to me. It was the saddest experience to hand over a baby I thought was mine and in return visited my baby’s grave.”
Koketso is thankful she gave birth to Thoriso. She said sometimes she has bad dreams about a child coming towards her.
She said even though they did traditional rituals, she believes her daughter misses her. “I will only have closure when I get my compensation and a death certificate,” she said.
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Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital spokesman Zwide Ndwandwe said: “Our social workers have always been in contact with Koketso’s family and the other family. They were both accompanied to Home Affairs to facilitate the name changing and documentation process of the two minor children. At this stage, the process is with Home Affairs.”
He said Koketso is aware of these developments since she has been kept updated.
"We plead with her to contact us whenever she needs any assistance,” he said.
