Authorities at Karanda Mission Hospital have dismissed as false a report that a 33-year-old woman from Chitungwiza recently gave birth to quintuplets at the facility.
On Monday, 19 May, Farai Lawyer Katonha and Tendai Mayor Katonha, leaders of the Twins Association of Zimbabwe (TAZ), visited Karanda Mission Hospital to meet the alleged parents and their five newborns.
Their visit followed a weekend call from a man who claimed to be the father of the quintuplets. He identified himself as Valetta Nyamupfukudza, a 32-year-old employee of the City of Harare. The man reached out to the TAZ seeking assistance.
Nyamupfukudza said his wife, Magret Rachel Kachave, had given birth to quintuplets the previous week. In a recorded interview with H-Metro, he claimed that this was their second childbirth, the first being twins (a boy and a girl), and now they had been blessed with three boys and two girls.
Moved by the story, the Katonha twins began organising support for the couple and travelled to Karanda to offer help.
However, upon arrival, hospital authorities informed them that no such birth had occurred. The hospital’s Medical Superintendent, Dr. Paul Thistle, said the claims were entirely fabricated. He said:
We have no patient at our maternity ward who gave birth to quintuplets as claimed. We have never had such a record at this hospital.
Our last rare maternity report was recorded last year when we received three sets of triplets.
We want to thank the Twins Association of Zimbabwe for their concerns following the false report and rushing here to assist.
It showed the concern by the Association for twins and multiple births.
The Katonha twins said they were still unsure why someone would contact the Association with false claims. They added:
Maybe, he is eager and curious to get assistance or to have twins. It was better to seek assistance using the truth than using falsehoods.
We are yet to calculate the cost of the trip to Karanda Hospital, which is almost 210km from Harare.
We always receive calls from parents but this is one was an evil call considering the false information he gave us.
o make his story more convincing, the man reportedly shared the names of his supposed children and claimed he was already a father to twins who are now in Grade 4. They said:
A number of people call our offices for help unaware that we first verify and investigate if there is need for help.
By naming a hospital, which is away from Harare, he might have thought that we would not bother to verify or travel to that hospital.
Some corporates, church leaders and individuals had pledged to assist through the Association.
More: B-Metro
Back to top