Cape Town – A total of 84 babies were born in KwaZulu-Natal in the early hours of 2024, and the youngest mother among them was 14 years old.
KZN Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane, expressed concern over teenage pregnancies and called for urgent action from society.
“This means that the child was probably 13 years old when they fell pregnant. This is unacceptable. We as a society need to take urgent action against teenage pregnancies, because it is a serious issue,” she said, according to The Citizen.
Other provinces also reported newborns on New Year’s Day.
Gauteng had 112 babies born, Mpumalanga 28, the North West 33, Western Cape 29, Free State 17, and at least 14 in the Northern Cape.
The health minister welcomed babies born on New Year’s Day. He encouraged people to protect health workers because they played an essential role in the nation’s health.
KZN’s Health MEC lamented the high number of teenagers having babies | @BelindaaPheto https://t.co/72EJZ7jUbj
— News24 🇿🇦 (@News24) January 1, 2024
News24 reported that the Minister of Health Joe Phaahla welcomed the newborn babies and “encouraged people to protect health workers because they played an essential role in the nation’s health”.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
