A claim that South African woman Gosiame Sithole gave birth to 10 babies earlier this month is not true, an official inquiry has found.
No hospitals in Gauteng province have a record of decuplets being born, the provincial government says.
Medical tests show that Ms Sithole had not even been pregnant recently, it said.
The 37-year-old is now being held under the mental health act for observation and will be provided with support.
The statement did not elaborate on the reasons behind the fabrication of the story.
Independent Online (IOL), the media group which owns the Pretoria News that first reported the story, had stood by its reporting.
It went on to allege that Ms Sithole delivered the children on 7 June at Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) in the capital, Pretoria, saying staff were ill prepared.
It accused the hospital and the provincial health authorities of trying to cover up medical negligence.
“These allegations are false, unsubstantiated and only serve to tarnish the good reputation of Steve Biko Academic Hospital and the Gauteng Provincial Government,” the latest statement said.
Legal action would be taken against the editor-in-chief of Pretoria News, Piet Rampedi, and IOL, it said.
