Independent Media has dropped Episode One of its docuseries which deals with the spectre of human trafficking in South Africa.
Entitled Baby Trade – Tracking the Truth, the eight-part mini-documentary series was borne out of the tragedy of the Gauteng decuplets that made headlines around the world.
The so-called Tembisa 10 were born to Gosiame Sithole on the night of 7 June 2021 at a hospital in Gauteng.
The amazing story was at first celebrated but was swiftly branded as “fake news” by some media when the 10 babies could not be found.
Without any investigation to prove the contrary, media castigated Independent Media and Piet Rampedi, the editor of Pretoria News who broke the story.
Following several investigations, Independent Media then revealed in October that Ms Sithole had indeed been pregnant and gave birth to multiple children, and that these babies have become the victims of human trafficking.
Commenting on the release of Episode One, Dr Iqbal Survé, Executive Chairman of Independent Media said: “There has been an exponential rise in the number of human trafficking cases globally.
“South Africa is no exception.
“Women and children are falling prey to unscrupulous syndicates dealing in slavery who supply the voracious appetite of sickening monsters.
“Our forthcoming docuseries aims to not only validate the birth of the decuplets, but importantly, to support the heroic efforts of those involved in combating trafficking and to make citizens more alert to what is happening around them.
“What our team discovered in the making of this series is deeply disturbing.”
Baby Trade can be viewed on Independent Media’s digital channels including YouTube.
IOL