Sterilised without her knowledge: Bongie Msibi shares her story

• Bongie Msibi had a rude awakening when she visited her doctor and found out that she had no uterus. 
• She recalls only one instance in which it could have been removed - in 2005, when she gave birth to her first and only child. 
• In this series, we tell the story of three women who claim to have suffered obstetric violence at the hands of the staff at Baragwanath Hospital.

There's a fire inside Bongie Msibi, one that's fuelled by pain and masked by sadness. I see only a glimpse of it at first - one or two embers that escape when we start talking. But soon enough, she has been engulfed by the flames. It burns from deep within, so hot that I have to stand clear or I will be emotionally scorched, too.

When I started this series, Bongie was the first woman I spoke to. We were invited into her home in the east of Johannesburg, where she opened up to us about being sterilised without her permission or knowledge. Yes, forced sterilisation is still an issue that plagues South Africa. And, after speaking to Bongie, we realised that the problem might be more rampant than we thought.

Bongie's story starts in 2005, when she fell pregnant and gave birth to her first and only child.

"I didn't really have any complications with my pregnancy. It was a smooth pregnancy and, as far as I know, it was meant to be a normal delivery," she tells me. 

When she went into labour in December that year, Bongie, who was 17 at the time, says she was told the baby "was too big and they had to perform a C-section", with which she had no problem. "I was grateful that my child will be okay, and I will be okay."

After a successful delivery, Bongie says her mother introduced her to contraceptives, which she remained on for 11 years. During this time, she noticed that she was no longer getting her period, but assumed it was as a result of the contraceptive. "I did not really worry about my periods because they were never regular from the beginning," she explains. 

In 2016, Bongie got engaged and decided, along with her partner, that it was time to expand their family. After trying to conceive for months with no luck, she scheduled a check-up with her doctor, where she got a rude awakening.  

"That's when the doctor delivered the shaking news that I don't have a uterus."

Bongie knew there was only one place her uterus could have been removed.

"I've been hospitalised in my entire life just once - when I was giving birth in 2005."

She gave birth at Baragwanath Hospital in the south of Johannesburg, a government institution plagued by controversy.

After making the heartbreaking discovery, she filed a complaint against the hospital. 

"I just wanted to know what happened to me, you know? This whole lawsuit and everything resulted because of their arrogance and how they treated me," she says, referring to the case she has against the hospital. 

Consent  

Initially, Bongie says she approached Baragwanath to "find closure and move on" with her life, but after being pushed from pillar to post, and receiving nothing but excuses, she took extreme measures. 

"Had I been told instantly that they removed my uterus, I don't think I'll be sitting here. I don't think I'll be doing this interview because I think I would have found closure. I would have dealt with this immediately and I would have made peace and moved on."

Because she was under the age of 18 at the time she went into labour, Bongie would have needed a guardian present to sign a document consenting to the removal of her uterus. Doctors would have also had to explain the procedure to her as well as the complications that could arise. But Bongie is adamant that none of this took place. 

While meeting with a gynaecologist at Baragwanath in 2016, Bongie says she was led to believe that she did, indeed, sign a consent form, but may have just forgotten because she was heavily medicated leading up to the procedure or was groggy post-operation. 

"I don't remember. But all I know is that I was 17, and that's still illegal for you, as a doctor, to make a 17-year-old sign a consent form."

She says she was later told that her mother signed the form, but her mom has denied ever being presented with one. To be certain, Bongie took her mother to meet with the doctor.

"My mom confirmed that she doesn't know anything. I mean, I would assume no mother would forget that her child doesn't have a uterus."

Speaking to News24, Dr Jessica Rucell, a researcher and advocate, who works with the gender justice team at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies, says that, when it comes to consent, when and how the discussion is brought up is important.  

"What we find in the cases of forced sterilisation, that I personally have reviewed, is that often the context in which sterilisation is being brought up, if it is brought up by the healthcare provider, is not conducive to the patient giving informed consent.

"It's happening within a half [hour or] an hour, to minutes before they're going in for a C-section. This is not a time to be taking informed consent. The person is on the gurney, they're going into the operating room. This is not the time to gain informed consent. And, obviously, in a surgical room on the labouring bed during childbirth, this is not the time to gain informed consent. 

"There's a lot going on in the medical room and, in such a procedure, when someone needs to consider something, especially something like sterilisation, this is something that will alter your life, alter your reproductive capacity, you need to be able to consider this. 

"Yes, forms sometimes are provided, but often they're provided at the wrong time. Often, it seems that when sterilisation is being brought up as an option, it's not being brought up by the patient themselves, but it's being introduced by the provider."

A common thread

Bongie soon tells us about other women who have allegedly suffered from obstetric violence at the hands of hospital staff at Baragwanath. Just like her, they're fighting for answers - and, just like us, they were given the runaround. 

In this series, we speak to two more women, Esmirenda Mulaudzi and Ntsoaki Makibanyane, who share their stories.

When Bongie learnt about the other victims, it brought a sense of relief because she knew "it's not a rare case". 

"And now that means I have a solid case against these people, you know, because now there are other women who are coming to say the same thing happened to them."

News24 reached out to Baragwanath's director of communications on numerous occasions, leading up to the publication of this series, presenting her with information on all three cases.

While responses were immediate and getting feedback seemed promising at first, it soon became clear that we were not going to get any answers. At some point, my hope was reignited when I was asked to present the hospital with the names and identity numbers of each of the victims, so their files could be allocated.

But after providing the information, it was radio silence once again. 

What now?

The incident has taken its toll on Bongie, physically and emotionally.

Having her uterus removed has resulted in hot flushes, brain fog and even severe depression, she says.

"I was depressed for a good three years, and I thank God I managed to pull myself out of that place because it was so bad."

What she wants now is for justice to be served.

"We want these people to be investigated. We know where they are, we know how to get hold of them, and we want to be compensated fairly." 

After sharing her story, Bongie started the Hopeful Foundation - a place where women, who have suffered from obstetric violence, can come together to tell their stories and receive support. 

"I don't know what help they want, but together we'll figure out how to help and how to support each other."