A Limpopo teen has become the subject of mockery among his peers after an operation at Kgapane Hospital in 2015 causes liquids to leak from his throat.
Image: Supplied
When a Limpopo family took their son to a local clinic in Sekgosese village, due to a swelling in his neck, they hoped for help, but instead, it resulted in a “botched operation” that caused a leakage in his throat.
Now, 14-year-old *Samuel Mathe, has become a subject of mockery among his peers, calling him a “boy with a tap on his neck".
The condition, which causes liquids to leak from his throat when he drinks, has severely affected his social life and self-esteem.
In an interview with IOL News, *Sarah Mathe, the mother of Samuel, revealed that the ordeal began early in November 2015.
At that time, Samuel was just under three-years-old when he developed swelling on his neck.
Sarah said she was 18-years-old and in Grade 10, while her mother cared for Samuel.
Concerned about his condition, the family took him to a local healthcare facility - Middlewater clinic.
“He just started swelling on his neck, we were shocked by what was happening to him,” Sarah recalled.
“The nurses at the clinic just checked him and told us to return in three days.”
The swelling worsened when they arrived home, prompting them to go back to the clinic the following day.
“We were so scared …We told the nurses that the swelling was worse, and they called an ambulance to rush him to Kgapane Hospital,” Sarah added.
Samuel was rushed to the hospital late in November 2015.
However, Sarah and her family were shocked to find that Samuel had already undergone surgery without the family’s knowledge when they went to check up on him another day.
“The doctors didn’t tell us anything about the surgery or the cause of my son’s condition,” she said tearfully.
“They just discharged him on the same day we went to check up on him.”
He was discharged at the facility early December 2015 and after that, the family noticed concerning symptoms, which Sarah described as signs of a “botched operation".
When Samuel drank liquids, his bandages on his neck became stained.
“We noticed that when he consumed a flavoured drink, it was colouring his bandage. We started to be so concerned and stressed,” she said.
The family returned to the hospital, but Sarah said they only received bandage changes and medication, without an explanation to what caused the leakage.
“They just gave him medicines and applied bandages, but they never told us anything when we asked about his condition,” Sarah said.
From 2015 to 2019, the family repeatedly visited Kgapane Hospital seeking answers, but no resolution was found - Samuel was only given medication and bandage changes.
A timeline showing the medical processes the 14-year-old Limpopo boy went through after suffering from a leaking throat after a “botched operation” at Kgapane Hospital, in 2015.
Image: Simon Majadibodu/IOL
In 2019, Samuel’s case was transferred to Polokwane (Pietersburg) Hospital, but again, the family received no clear explanation, and they were not given a comprehensive medical report on the surgery, the frustrated mother said.
“There, things were just the same,” Sarah said.
“The doctors just did X-rays, but they did not tell us anything. They failed to tell us what happened to my son,” she added.
Sarah said as Samuel grew older, bullying intensified as he was mocked by his peers, who called him “the boy with a tap on his neck".
She said the ridicule caused Samuel to withdraw from social life.
“It pains us a lot because now, he doesn’t want to play on the streets anymore because his peers make jokes about his condition.”
The mockery also affected his school performance, as now he is repeating Grade 6, and struggling to focus on his studies.
”When you tell him to do his homework, he doesn’t and starts crying …Last year (2024), he even suggested that I move him to another school, because the ridicule was hard for him to handle.”
Due to no progress and explanation on her son’s condition, Sarah reached out to the Conty Lebepe Foundation (Conlef), a non-profit organisation in the province, that helps people struggling to access essential services from government departments.
Limpopo teen, 14, having an ice cream, which leaks from his throat after a failed surgery in Kgapane Hospital, in 2015.
Image: Supplied
The foundation’s chairperson Tlou Moabelo, said Sarah approached them last year in December, desperate for help.
“We tried to speak with the department of health in the province to intervene in the matter, but our plea fell on deaf ears,” she said.
Moabelo added that Sarah was advised to return to the Kgapane Hospital early in January with Samuel, but once again, nothing was provided about his son’s condition.
“They told her to come back again on January 15, which she did, and still nothing happened,” Moabelo said.
Sarah confirmed that Samuel underwent a Computed Tomography (CT) scan at Polokwane Hospital, but nothing happened after the procedure.
In addition, Moabelo said from that moment, they escalated the matter to the health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to intervene, on January 21.
“After hearing of the boy’s condition, Motsoaledi did not hesitate to organise for him to be transferred to Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, Gauteng, for another operation,” Moabelo said.
The organisation called on Motsoaledi to launch an investigation into the case to determine what happened during the initial operation process.
IOL News reached out to the National Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale for a comment on the case but redirected the inquiry to the Limpopo provincial Department of Health, which assured to provide feedback.
However, no response was received from the provincial spokesperson Neil Shikwambana, before the article was published.
*To protect their identities, Samuel Mathe and Sarah Mathe, are not their actual names.
IOL News