“My Hell After a Botched Birth Surgery”: Gauteng Mother Disabled, Abandoned Following Alleged Medical Negligence at Sebokeng Hospital

A decade of silence, pain, and abandonment Jacobeth Mzizi’s story is a haunting reminder of the cost of medical negligence in South Africa’s strained public healthcare system.

A birth that broke more than just a body

Sourced: The Citizen

When Jacobeth Digojane Mzizi walked into Sebokeng Provincial Hospital to give birth in 2008, she never imagined she’d leave a changed woman and not in the way new mothers usually do.

The 32-year-old from Bophelong, just outside Vanderbijlpark, was battling high blood pressure and doctors recommended a caesarean section. What was supposed to be a medically managed delivery quickly turned into a decade-long nightmare.

“I went in to become a mother,” she says. “I came out unable to walk, jobless, and eventually, abandoned by my husband because he said my wound smelled bad.”

A surgical scar that never healed

Mzizi alleges that during her C-section, doctors accidentally severed her mesentery, a vital tissue layer that supports the intestines.

“One of the nurses later hinted they cut things they weren’t supposed to,” she recalls. “They inserted a net to hold up my intestines, but after that, everything changed. I couldn’t walk properly, and when I tried to kneel or bend, I’d feel my insides move, then vomit.”

For three months, she remained in hospital. Upon discharge, the wound was still open. According to her, her intestines were visibly protruding. She says she recorded video evidence, though her complaints to hospital management went unanswered.

Life after the ward: Broken and isolated

Her physical suffering was just the start. Mzizi’s weight ballooned due to her immobility. She lost her job at a local supermarket and her marriage crumbled under the strain of her condition.

By 2023, a private doctor urged her to apply for a disability grant. “Even that was a battle,” she says. “Sebokeng Hospital didn’t want to give me the recommendation letter, but eventually they did.”

The Citizen has seen that very form. In it, a hospital doctor confirms her disability is directly linked to complications from the original surgery. The form notes that she lost mobility and gained excessive weight as a result.

Health department silent amid mounting criticism

At the time of publication, Gauteng Health Department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba had not responded to media queries. The silence speaks volumes, especially in a province where complaints about medical negligence, particularly in maternal health are not uncommon.

On social media, South Africans are expressing outrage. Twitter users are calling for accountability with hashtags like #JusticeForMzizi and #FixPublicHealth, with many saying this is yet another reason why faith in public hospitals is deteriorating.

A familiar pattern in South Africa’s public health crisis

Mzizi’s story isn’t isolated. Gauteng hospitals have repeatedly come under fire for alleged botched surgeries, staff negligence, and poor patient care. A 2021 report by the Health Ombudsman highlighted several systemic failures in maternal healthcare services across the province.

Many argue the issue lies not only in underfunding but also in a lack of accountability mechanisms. While victims like Mzizi suffer quietly, hospital officials face few consequences.

What happens now?

Mzizi has no clear path forward. She lives with pain, isolation, and uncertainty. Her only hope is that her story might prevent another mother from enduring the same fate.

“All I ever wanted was to raise my child,” she says quietly. “But instead, I’ve been fighting just to live.”

If you or someone you know has experienced medical negligence, contact the Health Ombud’s office or reach out to a legal support group for guidance.

{Source: The Citizen}

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