Excited final-year student gives birth to quadruplets

THERE was much ululating and joy in the corridors and maternity section of Tygerberg Hospital when a young mother gave birth to quadruplets.

Inganathi Mafenuka, 22, from Khayelitsha gave birth without complications to two girls and two boys. The quadruplets’ mother, is a final-year student at Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology, pursuing a diploma in IT and lives with her mother and two sisters.

The babies were born via caesarean section which was performed at 29 weeks.

Mafenuka said: “It wasn’t easy because you feel four kids in your stomach. It was overwhelming and exciting at the same time,” she said.

She said that at first she was surprised when the nurses told her she was carrying more than one child, but she learnt to accept the situation with the help of her mother, Luleka Mafenuka.

Luleka Mafenuka, the grandmother, said she is overjoyed at the news of the multiple births. She said she cannot wait to hold and touch her grandchildren. She named them Bubele, Buchule, Bunono and Bukhosi, which means revealing the “goodness” of God for such a blessing.

Tygerberg communication officer Laticia Pienaar said: “We are extremely proud of our maternal team at Tygerberg Hospital who ensured that this exceptional case was cared for in the most professional manner.”

Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo is set to visit the home of the quadruplets in Khayelitsha today.