Man Dupes Twins Association With Fake Quintuplets Story

Leaders from the Twins Association of Zimbabwe (TAZ) were misled into a long trip to Karanda Mission Hospital by a man who falsely claimed his wife had recently delivered quintuplets.

The association’s representatives, Farai “Lawyer” Katonha and Tendai “Mayor” Katonha, were contacted over the weekend by a man identifying himself as Valetta Nyamupfukudza, a 32-year-old employee of the City of Harare.

He claimed his wife, Magret Rachel Kachave, 33, had given birth to five babies—three boys and two girls—making it her second delivery, the first being a set of twins.

The TAZ officials, driven by their mission to support families with multiple births, traveled over 200 kilometers from Harare to the hospital to verify the story and offer support.

However, upon arriving, they were informed by the hospital’s Medical Superintendent, Dr. Paul Thistle, that there was no such case at the facility.

Dr. Thistle confirmed that no patient had recently given birth to quintuplets and noted that the last rare case at the hospital had involved triplets, not quintuplets.

“We’ve never had a quintuplet delivery here. It’s clear this was a fabricated story,” said Dr. Thistle. “We do, however, appreciate the proactive efforts of the Twins Association in responding to such claims.”

The Katonha twins expressed their disappointment and confusion over the hoax. “We don’t understand why someone would go to such lengths to deceive us.

If he genuinely needed assistance, honesty would have gone a long way,” they said.

They also revealed that a number of well-meaning individuals and organizations had already pledged support based on the false information.

“He even gave us names and claimed to have twins in Grade 4. Perhaps he thought choosing a remote hospital would stop us from checking,” the TAZ leaders added.

The association is now assessing the financial cost of the trip and urged people to be truthful when seeking help. “We often get requests from parents, but we always verify first. This incident was not just deceptive—it was malicious.”