Stranded Malawian gives birth to premature twins on roadside

One of the 38 Malawians stranded in Benoni, on the East Rand, after their bus broke down, gave birth to premature twins at the side of a road this week, the Gauteng social development department said.

Mercy Ndlovu said the bus was on its way to Malawi when it had a mechanical failure a month ago. 


Their trip back home was supposed to take two days. Instead the group had been sleeping in the broken bus for over a month.

Ndlovu was seven months pregnant when she went into labour. “On Tuesday morning, I was not feeling well, I suffered from these weird cramps. 


I told my sister the babies are coming, the babies are coming." Her sister, Febbie Harawa, asked a nearby shop owner to call an ambulance.

“There was no time to wait, she was in too much pain and I needed to do something,” Harawa said. “We laid her down next to the bus and I told her to relax, while I am going to deliver the one baby,” she said.