Edenvale – Controversial businessman Nico Matlala, known for his high-profile relationships, is in a state of fury following the tragic loss of his unborn child at Edenvale Hospital, east of Johannesburg. Matlala is alleging negligence on the part of the hospital staff, claiming that delays in treatment contributed to the devastating outcome.
Matlala's partner, Gugu Nkosi, 41, the mother of his 14-year-old son, was admitted to the hospital on Friday of last week due to labour complications. However, Matlala, who has previously been romantically linked to celebrities such as Keabetswe “KB” Motsilanyane and Palesa Madisakwane, claims that Nkosi was left unattended for hours after arriving at the hospital.
According to Matlala, upon arrival at the hospital, Nkosi was instructed by nurses to wait in the waiting room. “We accompanied her to the hospital, and when we got there, she was told to sit in the waiting room,” Matlala explained.
He further alleges that Nkosi remained unattended for a significant period. “She was never attended to for hours, and later, one nurse checked her and told her that my son’s heart was not beating. Gugu was later told that the baby had died,” Matlala said, his voice laced with anger.
Matlala claims he questioned the nurse about the delay in attending to Nkosi, and was allegedly told that the hospital was understaffed. “I asked the nurse why the hospital had refused to attend to Gugu immediately when she arrived; she told me that they were understaffed,” he recounted.
The situation reportedly worsened as Nkosi was then allegedly made to wait for inducement in a waiting room from Friday to Tuesday, with the deceased foetus still inside her. “I questioned the nurses on why they were not removing the unborn baby inside her, and they told us that there were no medical doctors in the hospital [at the time] to do that,” Matlala claimed.
According to Matlala, it was only after he threatened to escalate the matter that the hospital staff took action. “I told them that I was going to escalate the matter, and that is when they started acting and removed the unborn baby,” he said.
Matlala believes that prompt action could have saved his child's life. “These people at the hospital apologised for what had happened but I am in consultation with my lawyer to deal with the hospital and the Department of Health in Gauteng for negligence,” he stated.
He is determined to pursue legal action, saying, “I am not going to let this slide, as their negligence caused the death of my child. I am going to sue them for what they did.”
Matlala further alleges that he and his companions were treated poorly while trying to seek help for Nkosi. He claims they were accused of being rowdy and were subsequently chased out of the hospital. “While he was at the hospital trying to get help for Nkosi, he was told that he was making noise and that he and the people he was with were chased out. He claimed that they were accused of being rowdy when they asked for assistance.”
Nkosi herself expressed her grief and disappointment with the hospital's handling of the situation. “I was told that I should sit down as I was not special. I spent hours without getting any assistance, and when the medical staff checked me later, they told me that my baby was no longer alive," Nkosi said, her voice filled with sadness.
She continued, “I was shattered, and when I asked questions on what had happened, nobody could provide answers.”
The allegations of negligence and mistreatment have raised serious questions about the standards of care at Edenvale Hospital. The hospital and the Gauteng Department of Health have been contacted for comment but had not responded to our written questions at the time of publication.
