Health Worker Delivers Baby During Limpopo Floods

When Evidence Ramoshaba went into labor during the January floods in Mbaula village, Limpopo, the nearest clinic was unreachable. Roads had washed away, rivers had swelled, and the 10pm storm showed no signs of stopping.

That's when Maggie Sethagane stepped up to help. The community health worker had been caring for sick neighbors since 2001, but she'd never delivered a baby before.

Ramoshaba arrived at Sethagane's door in pain, begging for help getting to Makhuva clinic in the neighboring village. "I told her, 'It is impossible for me to take you to the clinic because there is no road,'" Sethagane recalled.

With no other choice, Sethagane advised Ramoshaba to return home and wait. Hours later, when the situation became urgent, Sethagane crossed over to help.

She had no medical equipment, not even gloves. "I told her, 'Push, push, push, there is no other way,'" Sethagane said.

The baby came out healthy, but they faced another problem. Without a razor to cut the umbilical cord, Ramoshaba slept with her daughter still attached until morning.

The next day, Sethagane and Ramoshaba's mother bought wool from local seamstresses and found a razor. Using these everyday household items, Sethagane safely completed the delivery.

Three days later, when the roads finally cleared, Sethagane took both mother and baby to the clinic. Health workers confirmed what the village already knew: both were perfectly healthy.

Why This Inspires

Ramoshaba named her daughter Kutshemba, which means "hope" or "believe in" in Xitsonga. "This child was born on the day of the disaster," Sethagane said. "God performed a miracle by making sure this child was born okay, even though she wasn't born in a clinic."

The story reminds us that even in our most isolated moments, community shows up. Sethagane didn't have training or tools, but she had something more powerful: the courage to help when help was needed most.

In a village that lost homes and loved ones to the floods, baby Kutshemba became a living symbol of resilience and new beginnings.