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Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A FAMILY from Bulilima District that was blessed with triplets is appealing for financial assistance to look after the children. The triplets’ mother, 25-year-old Bongani Ngwenya, said she delivered one child while on a scotchcart on her way to Ndiweni Clinic on Tuesday morning.
She said she later gave birth to two more babies in the afternoon at Plumtree District Hospital.
Ngwenya told The Chronicle that she already had two children and the birth of the triplets — two boys and a girl — came as a surprise to her. She said she and her husband, Nkululeko Ndiweni, had not been prepared for the children and is seeking assistance to support her family of five especially the new born babies.
“The birth of these children is a huge blessing for me but I’ve to say that I wasn’t expecting to deliver triplets. Actually I assumed that I wasn’t due until January next year and we hadn’t even finished preparing for the one baby that we were expecting. I couldn’t go for a scan during the pregnancy because I had no money,” said Ngwenya.
She said one of the babies was unwell and she had been referred to a specialist in Bulawayo.
“I delivered the first child with the assistance of my mother-in-law and aunt who were accompanying me to the clinic. It took several hours to get transport to ferry me from the clinic to the hospital,” she said.
Ngwenya said the chief of her area, Chief Mpini, offered her a lift in his car but the vehicle broke down on the way to the hospital so she had to secure another car.
She said her husband Ndiweni relied on piece jobs in order to fend for his family.
“We’ve been struggling to fend for the two children that we have. One is six years old and the other is three years old. We also stay with my mother-in-law and my husband has a huge responsibility of fending for all of us with the little money that he earns,” said Ngwenya.
The triplets’ grandmother, Betta Khumalo, described the birth of the children as a favour from God.
Plumtree District Medical Officer Dr Langalokusa Sibanda said they had referred Ngwenya and her babies to the Special Care Unit at Mpilo Hospital.
He said two of the babies were healthy but the other one had to be attended by a specialist.
Dr Sibanda said it was the first time for the hospital to deliver triplets since he joined the institution in 2010.
In October, two families from Matobo District and Pumula East in Bulawayo were blessed with a set of triplets each and appealed for assistance to look after their children.
Zimpapers Bulawayo branch heeded the plight of the families and donated clothes and groceries to them.
Online Reporter