KZN’s alarming teen pregnancy stats demand urgent whole-of-society action

20 June 2023

KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) alarming teenage pregnancy statistics, revealed by Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane, demand an urgent whole-of-society response.

According to the MEC, between April and December last year, 26 515 girls aged between 10 and 19 years fell pregnant. A staggering 1 254 were aged 14 and younger. This is a shocking statistic that highlights a fundamental problem within society and the family lives of many young people.

This issue also cuts across several ANC-run provincial government departments - the most obvious being Health, Education, Social Development and Community Safety.

KZN’s Department of Health (DoH) must deal with the added burden of delivery, pre and post-natal care along with the added risks to the health of babies born to adolescent mothers.

It is crucial that SAPS investigate the cases of pregnancy for girls under the age of 18. Given the scourge of gender-based violence in the country, teenagers need to be protected from all forms of sexual abuse and perpetrators must be brought to justice.

However, these actions deal with the symptoms and not the cause. The various departments must gain a better understanding of the drivers and conditions that give rise to this crisis.

This requires in-depth study to identify circumstances, factors and omissions that give rise to young girls falling pregnant. Such a study must be co-funded by the relevant departments as valuable input to policy and legislative changes to foster a healthier nation.

Home life, parental involvement, values and discipline play a central role in shaping the behaviour of young people.

The DA’s KZN spokespersons for Health, Education, Social Development and Community Safety will engage this week to discuss an approach to this growing epidemic. We will then make our submissions to our respective portfolios in a bid to find solutions.

Government and society cannot turn a blind eye to this phenomenon and hope it will cure itself. As with many challenges facing our province and our country, it demands an urgent, holistic approach.

Issued by Edwin Baptie, DA KZN Spokesperson on Health, 20 June 2023