News

The emergency department at Netcare Olivedale Hospital presented its latest bravery medal to Serurubele Malatji, a plucky six-year-old who showed remarkable bravery when she had to have stitches following a small mishap recently.

“Serurubele and her younger brother Moon, aged five, were playing their usual morning games before school when the accident happened,” says their mother, Candice Malatji of Northriding.

Caption: Six-year-old Serurubele Malatji and her mother Candice are pictured with her bravery medal for fearlessly facing stitches in her lip after a minor home accident recently.

 

“Later, Serurubele explained they were playing ‘ghosts’ – she had a blanket over her head and was trying to catch Moon. She couldn’t see properly, and she accidentally bumped into the back of a chair, splitting her lip open. “At first my husband and I tried applying pressure to help stop the bleeding, but we could see it was deep, so we rushed Serurubele to the emergency department at Netcare Olivedale Hospital,” Mrs Malatji recalls.   “Serurubele is a very brave child generally, and she stayed remarkably calm throughout our visit to the ED. This was not her first time at the emergency department with the tricks and stunts she and her brother get up to, so it was somewhat familiar for her, and the nurses were very gentle and welcoming.” The nurses and doctors were so impressed with the six-year-old girl’s courage that she received one of the emergency department’s first bravery medals of 2025. Netcare Olivedale Hospital’s emergency department has a cherished tradition of recognising bravery in young patients by awarding them with medals donated by the community. “Serurubele was very excited to receive her bravery medal, and they also gave us a medal for her little brother Moon for supporting his sister. They are very proud of their medals,” Mrs Malatji says.

 

Eugene Ferreira, general manager of Netcare Olivedale Hospital, praised Serurubele’s calm demeanour and congratulated her on her medal. “Well done to our little patient Serurubele for remaining calm and cheerful throughout her visit to our emergency department,” he says.

“We thank the many kind members of the community who have donated their preloved sports medals to help us acknowledge brave children like Serurubele and transform their visit to the emergency department into a more positive experience,” Ferreira concludes.

Ends.

Notes to editors
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For media enquiries, please contact MNA at the contact details listed below:

Issued by:  MNA on behalf of Netcare Olivedale Hospital
For media enquiries contact:   Martina Nicholson, Meggan Saville, Estene Lotriet-Vorster, Clementine Forsthofer or Natasha Burger
Telephone:   011 469 3016
Email:  [email protected]