Yolande Maritz-Fouchee was found guilty on Wednesday. (Photo: Isabel Venter/Maroela Media)
Yolande Maritz-Fouchee, controversial midwife from Pretoria, is behind bars on Wednesday after the court found her guilty in the deaths of two babies whose births she handled.
She was also found guilty that her negligent actions left two babies permanently disabled.
Yolande Maritz-Fouchee was also found guilty of her negligent actions leaving two babies permanently disabled. (Photo: Isabel Venter/Maroela Media)
Maritz-Fouchee, dressed in black and supported by her husband and three other women, listened to the verdict as if in prayer. As the judge read the charges one by one, Maritz-Fouchee later closed her eyes.
Judge Papi Mosopa found that Maritz-Fouchee’s daughter was a reliable witness and that her account of the use of the drug Cytotec is corroborated by the rest of the state witnesses’ accounts.
In total, Maritz-Fouchee stood trial on 14 charges which included fraud, assault of four mothers and their babies, culpable homicide and that she used an unqualified person, her daughter, to assist her during births.
She was found guilty on all charges.
Mosopa found Maritz-Fouchee to be “undoubtedly an intelligent person who is capable of altering testimonies”. He rejected her version of events.
At the time, Maritz-Fouchee was a qualified midwife who was registered with the South African Nursing Council (SARV). The board later found her guilty of five counts of unprofessional conduct. She was deregistered in 2021 and no longer allowed to practice as a midwife or nurse.
Maritz-Fouchee was criminally prosecuted in 2024 with the help of AfriForum’s private prosecution unit.
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Maritz-Fouchee, dressed in black was supported by her husband and three other women. (Photo: Isabel Venter/Maroela Media)
Maritz-Fouchee greets her husband after her conviction. (Photo: Isabel Venter/Maroela Media)