Amid rising levels of teenage pregnancies in the North West Province, the province’s Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Health and Social Development, chaired by Karabo Magagane, has voiced deep concerns regarding the troubling rise in teenage pregnancies across the province.
According to a recent report, the North West ranked fifth in South Africa for the number of young people who fell pregnant in the year 2022/2023.
The urgency of the issue is highlighted by the figures from the Department of Social Development, which revealed that among 88 122 schoolgirls aged between 15 and 19 who gave birth in hospitals, the North West recorded 6 190 cases. KwaZulu-Natal led the statistics with 25 239 pregnancies, followed by the Western Cape at 5 744.
Furthermore, Magagane said the alarming levels of teenage pregnancy in the province were laid bare by the recent visit by provincial premier, Lazarus Mokgosi, who was dumbfounded upon learning that a 16-year-old girl had given birth for the second time in two years.
The incident on New Years Day became the subject of media reports with authorities reported to be investigating a 35-year-old man believed to be the father.
“We are gravely dismayed by the recent media reports of this deeply disturbing trend,” Magagane stated in a statement on Wednesday.
“This crisis was starkly illuminated during the premier’s visit to Joe Morolong Regional Hospital in Vryburg on New Year’s Day, where we learned of a 16-year-old girl giving birth to her second child, fathered by a 35-year-old man — an alarming crime that commenced when she was just 15.”
These shocking incidents, according to Magagane, cast a foreboding shadow over the future of young girls in the province and necessitate immediate action from all sectors of society.
Magagane elaborated on the devastating implications of teenage pregnancies, which are not only detrimental to the health and well-being of young mothers but also compromise their potential and future opportunities.
As many young girls are compelled to drop out of school due to early pregnancies, they become trapped in cycles of poverty.
“These young mothers often face stigma, depend on public assistance, and in some unfortunate cases, are coerced into early marriages,” she pointed out.
The portfolio committee is particularly troubled by the systemic factors contributing to this crisis. Issues such as gender inequality, gender-based violence, substance abuse, lack of access to contraceptives, inadequate sexual education, and barriers to safe termination of pregnancies compound the already alarming statistics. Challenges within the healthcare system further exacerbate this dire situation.
“While we acknowledge the strides our government has made in improving access to quality maternal care for pregnant and parenting adolescents, the vulnerability of young girls to child marriage, teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, and HIV infection continues unabated. These intersecting issues necessitate intensified and coordinated efforts,” Magagane emphasised.