An Emalahleni gynaecologist was on Thursday sentenced to five years for culpable homicide after he grossly neglected his patient who later died in hospital after giving birth.

Witbank magistrate Merlene Greyvenstein said Danie van der Walt had failed to do everything a specialist of his calibre should have done to save the life of Pamela Daweti who bled profusely after giving birth to a baby girl‚ Lisakhanya‚ on August 11.

She died a day later.

“I find that the death of the deceased could have been prevented‚” Greyvenstein said.

She has granted Van der Walt leave to appeal against both his conviction and sentence.

Van der Walt spent some time in the holding cells while waiting for his family to pay his R10‚000 bail. He will remain free‚ pending the appeal.

Outside court‚ Daweti’s uncle‚ Lungi Daweti‚ said he welcomed the sentence with mixed feelings.

“The court has done everything in its power to ensure that justice was done. We appreciate that.

“This has taken a strain on all of us. We will now start with the healing process‚” he said.

It took Daweti’s mother‚ Buyiselwa Maditjane‚ almost 12 years to get justice for her daughter. Maditjane handed out food‚ blankets and clothes to 39 orphaned children being cared for by Angie Sibanyoni.

At least nine of the children are in Sibanyoni’s care while she supports the other 23 at their respective homes. The pensioner said she supplied the children with food‚ clothing and money for schooling.