Eight Children Receive Life-Changing Cleft Lip and Palate Surgeries at Netcare Akasia Hospital
Viable News Team 
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Pretoria, South Africa — Eight families are celebrating new beginnings after their babies received life-changing cleft lip and palate surgeries at Netcare Akasia Hospital in Pretoria. The operations were made possible through a collaboration between medical specialists and the Netcare Foundation, the corporate social investment arm of the Netcare Group
For parents like Nthabiseng Moremi, whose two-year-old daughter Oratilwe was born with both a cleft lip and palate, the surgery marks the end of an emotional journey.
“From birth, doctors said my daughter Oratilwe would need surgery for her cleft lip and palate. It was hard for us as a family and yet we knew she needed this operation,” said Moremi. “We are so happy now,” she added with relief, shortly before taking her daughter home the day after the procedure.
Cleft lip and palate are congenital conditions in which the upper lip or roof of the mouth does not fully close during fetal development. This can cause significant challenges with feeding, speech, and social interaction.
Professor Kenneth Segwapa, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who led the team, explained that early surgical intervention is key to achieving both functional and aesthetic success.
“For babies with a cleft lip, ideally the repair should be done at around three months,” he said. “Tragically, without awareness that there are options for cleft lip repair, parents sometimes hide their children with this condition until later on. These children are often ridiculed or socially excluded, which can deeply affect their confidence and development.”
For babies with cleft palate, the condition presents even greater functional challenges. “Because there’s an open space between the mouth and nasal cavity, feeding becomes very difficult, as anything the baby takes in is often regurgitated through the nose,” Segwapa explained. “If not corrected in time, speech can also be affected.”
He added that the first surgery for cleft palate repair should ideally take place around nine months of age, but the demand for such procedures far exceeds available resources in the public health sector. The repair requires a multi-disciplinary team, including paediatricians, anaesthetists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, and dedicated theatre time.
To bridge this gap, the Netcare Foundation coordinates cleft lip and palate repair surgeries across its network of hospitals, partnering with volunteer specialists who donate their time and expertise.
Mande Toubkin, general manager at Netcare, said the initiative has far-reaching benefits beyond physical healing.
“Through this partnership, we are striving to make surgeries more accessible so that being born with a cleft lip or palate need not have lasting effects on a child’s physical health, speech, or confidence,” she said. “These surgeries also have a profound impact on social acceptance and a child’s ability to thrive in school and in life.”
As Oratilwe recovers from her successful surgery, her mother says her name meaning “being loved” now carries even deeper significance. For eight children and their families, the smiles that follow are a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when compassion, skill, and collaboration come together.
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