Kzn Health Mec Raises Concerns Over Rising Teenage Pregnancy Rates

KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has expressed deep concern over the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the province. Her comments come as she welcomed the babies born on Christmas Day.

By 6:30 AM, a total of 47 babies had been delivered in KwaZulu-Natal, including 21 boys and 26 girls. Among the new mothers were three 15-year-old girls. Simelane is urging parents to take a more active role in raising their children.

"While we celebrate the birth of our Christmas babies, we must also confront some harsh realities," she said. "It is with great sadness that we report three 15-year-olds giving birth today, at Hlabisa and St. Aidans hospitals. This means these young girls were pregnant at the age of 14, which is completely unacceptable. Two of the fathers are 19 years old, and one is 23, who impregnated a 14-year-old. This behavior cannot be tolerated, and as a society, we must unite to fight this scourge."

Simelane also mentioned that other young mothers included a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old who gave birth at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, a 19-year-old at Escort Hospital, and an 18-year-old at Church of Scotland Hospital. These cases highlight the disturbing trend of young girls becoming mothers at such a tender age.