Cape Town – South Africa welcomed numerous New Year’s babies across provinces, including Gauteng, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.
Gauteng celebrated 13 newborns, with 9 being boys, a fact noted humorously by MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, who expressed a preference for more girls.
“We have 13 babies that we have received on this day. We had a baby that was born at twelve midnight.
Gauteng has been blessed with 13 cuddly New Years babies, nine of them boys.Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko joined, mothers at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. Vid: SABC #NewYear2025 #Babies @GautengHealth @TheCitizen_News pic.twitter.com/SvzyJ7e2KM
— 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) January 1, 2025
“But what I don’t like, because I am a woman, is that there are nine boys,” she said to laughter, “ So, I am not happy about that because I thought I would have more girls and have fewer boys. I’m biased towards girls,” Nkomo-Ralehoko said.
“This is quite shocking. As a department, we’ll follow up and interact with our MEC for social development at Frontier Hospital so we know who the father is.
“You can’t have a 12-year-old having a child, it’s just not acceptable,” Capa said.
The Eastern Cape recorded 43 births, including a shocking case of a 12-year-old mother, prompting Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa to call for interventions to address teenage pregnancies.
KwaZulu-Natal led with 55 births, with the first baby arriving at 12:05 am.
[WATCH] A total of 55 babies were born in KwaZulu-Natal on New Year’s Day. pic.twitter.com/EtpKDw09qj
— SABC News (@SABCNews) January 1, 2025
Authorities emphasised improved birth registration through eHealth and the need for better parental oversight.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
