A SHOCKING report by the Health Systems Trust (HST) reveals over 31,000 KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) pupils fell pregnant in a single year, including 610 girls aged between 10 and 14.

The Democratic Alliance is demanding an urgent task team to tackle this crisis, calling for better tracking and prosecution in statutory rape cases.

The KZN Department of Social Development cites poverty, poor parenting and absent fathers among contributing factors.

The HST’s Phakama Digest report indicated that 31 088 girls between the ages of 10 and 19 gave birth in KZN between April 2023 and March 2024. The figures have been recorded at KZN’s public health facilities only.

The report stated that between April 2020 and March 2023, almost 11 500 babies were born to girls aged 10 to 14.

“Between April and December 2022, 26 515 pregnancies occurred among girls aged 10 to 19, and 1 254 of those new mothers were 14 years old or younger.

“Pregnancy among girl children is ‘a savage indictment of South African society’, noting that each of these pregnancies is clear evidence of risky, coerced and unprotected sex, and in many cases, of statutory rape. They highlight that sexual and gender-based violence, the economic insecurity of families, as well as inadequate health education, life skills and access to health services, are key challenges to address. 

“The bodies of these young and adolescent girls are not physiologically ready for pregnancy, resulting in a greater risk of maternal complications, and low survival rates for their babies. 

“Beyond the reproductive and biological hazards of early childbearing, many have no choice but to fulfil motherhood roles for which they are not emotionally or materially prepared, along with social stigma,” the report stated.

“Despite the Department of Basic Education (DBE) having gazetted a policy in December 2021 obligating schools to submit a police report if a pregnant girl is younger than 16 and the father of the child is older than 16 , prosecution of these crimes is not entrenched practice,” the report further stated.

Shontel de Boer, spokesperson on social development for the DA in KZN, called for the departments of  social development, community safety and health to urgently form a joint task team to maintain a comprehensive register, tracking all cases of teenage pregnancy.

“They need to ensure that such pregnancies are investigated to ascertain whether the offenders age falls outside the legal parameters and to ensure appropriate criminal charges, where applicable.

“They also need to implement a court watching brief to ensure that prosecutors have the support needed to secure convictions, and host awareness programmes emphasising that those who prey on young girls will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” she added.

“The pregnancies are unquestionably caused by rape for girls aged 10 to 12 and almost certainly statutory rape for those aged 12 to 14 years.

“The report further revealed that the comprehensive sexuality education programme is currently only reaching 61 out of 6 022 schools in KZN, highlighting a severe gap in safe sex education.

“We are currently conducting a national probe into how provinces are enforcing the Children’s Act. In the case of KZN’s horrific statistics, we will ensure all such cases are reported to SAPS for criminal investigation. Until men who commit rape and statutory rape on girl children are put behind bars, it will not be stopped,” she added.

Thuba Vilane, spokesperson for the KZN Department of Social Development, said there was a provincial integrated task team already working to combat the scourge of teen pregnancies.

“Maintaining a register to track cases of teenage pregnancy would be effective if mechanisms and systems are developed and reporting is monitored.

“Statistics of children giving birth to children needs a coordinated and integrated approach in order to ensure integrated responses to the root causes of child and teenage pregnancies in the province,” he said.

 “The lack of bonds and relationships between parents/ caregivers and children compromises effective guidance and coaching on life experiences. Absent fathers, with specific reference to boy children in order to guide and nurture a boy child, also plays a role in teen pregnancies,” Vilane  added.

He said to turn things around, strengthening the implementation of structured prevention and early intervention programmes was needed.

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