Mpumalanga Department of Health MEC Sasekani Manzini has described the province’s teenage pregnancy rates as a societal scourge after revealing that over 9000 teenagers gave birth in the province during 2025.

Speaking during her annual New Year’s Day visit to Shongwe Hospital in Nkomazi to welcome the first babies of 2026, the MEC expressed deep concern that the festive season specifically the period between Christmas and New Year continues to see a spike in deliveries by minors.

A growing crisis

While the New Year is typically a time of celebration, the statistics shared by the Department of Health highlight a sobering reality for the youth of Mpumalanga.

• In 2025, the Mpumalanga recorded 9,754 deliveries by teenagers.
• By 10:00 AM on January 1, 2026, the province had already welcomed 50 new-borns, including several born to mothers as young as 14 and 16 years old.
• Nationally, more than 130 teenagers gave birth on Christmas Day alone, an increase from the previous year.

MEC Manzini highlighted that these figures are not just health statistics but indicators of deeper social failures, noting that many of these pregnancies are the result of older men taking advantage of young girls.

Legal action and community intervention

In response to the crisis, Manzini announced that authorities are embarking on stricter legal steps to address the root causes of early pregnancy, particularly in cases involving statutory rape.

“This is very disturbing. We cannot win this war alone the causes stem from alcohol consumption by young people, statutory rape, and older men often referred to as blessers taking advantage of vulnerable girls.”

The Department’s strategy moving forward includes:

• Legal Accountability: Working with law enforcement to ensure that cases involving minors are investigated as statutory rape.
• Inter-Departmental Cooperation: Partnering with the Department of Social Development and Basic Education to keep young mothers in school.
• Community Mobilization: Calling on parents and traditional leaders to break the silence surrounding sexual abuse within communities.

Impact on the future

The MEC emphasised that teenage pregnancy often leads to a cycle of poverty, with many young mothers forced to drop out of school.

She urged parents to take an active role in the lives of their children and encouraged teenagers to utilize the youth-friendly services available at local clinics.

As the 2026 school year approaches, the provincial government has pledged to intensify “Sexual Reproductive Health” awareness campaigns to prevent another record-breaking year of adolescent births.