A professional and focused Asian female doctor in scrubs is working and reading medical research on her laptop in her office at a hospital.
A 54-year-old Cuban national medical doctor accused of stealing medication at a hospital in Limpopo has been released on a warning but is expected to return to court next month.
Dr Yamilet Castaneda appeared before the Thabazimbi Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on a charge of theft of medication from Thabazimbi Hospital.
Arrest
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabi said the matter was postponed to 28 November 2025 for further investigation.
Castaneda was arrested earlier this month after returning from Cuba.
Police said the incident occurred on 2 September when a security officer at the hospital’s main gate conducted a routine search and allegedly found unauthorised medication in the suspect’s bag.
“The suspect was taken back to her office, where additional medication was discovered during a further search,” said police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba
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“The matter was reported to the police, and following investigations, the suspect was arrested upon her return to South Africa on Wednesday, 22 October 2025, after reportedly travelling to Cuba.”
Investigations
The police investigations are ongoing.
The NPA said it remains committed to ensuring that all allegations of criminal conduct, regardless of the accused’s status or position, are investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Rapist sentenced
Meanwhile, a 20-year-old man has been sentenced to seven life terms for raping three minor girls in Limpopo.
The rapist, who was not named by the NPA, appeared in the Nkowa-Nkowa Regional Court on Monday, 28 October 2025
During sentencing, the man was handed an additional 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, resulting in an effective life sentence, and declared the rapist unfit to possess a firearm under Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000.
Malabi said the man pleaded not guilty to the charges. The NPA welcomed the sentence.
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