The province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has so far welcomed the highest number of babies born on Christmas Day, 25 December.
KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane visited Ladysmith Provincial Hospital in the uThukela District Municipality on Thursday to officiate the welcoming ceremony for Christmas babies.
KZN’s Christmas Day births
Speaking during a media briefing, Simelane congratulated the mothers and families.
“This is indeed a special moment that reminds us that even in challenging times, life continues to give us with hope.
“Today we celebrate these beautiful new lives who share a birthday with Jesus Christ himself. They are very blessed,” she said.
Simelane shared the province’s figures, revealing that by 7am, 42 babies had been born, including 25 girls and 17 boys.
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By 10am, the total had risen to 74, with 39 girls and 35 boys.
“We are told that there is another mother who is in active labour as we speak, and the number might just go up in the next few minutes.
“We expect the number of our Christmas babies to grow even further as the day progresses,” Simelane said.
According to Simelane, KZN’s first Christmas babies were born at Osindisweni and Vryheid hospitals at the stroke of midnight.
Watch the KZN Health briefing below:
A boy weighing 2.73kg was born to a 19-year-old mother at Osindisweni, while Vryheid Hospital welcomed a girl weighing 2.42kg, born to a 25-year-old mother.
“You will notice that we mentioned the ages of mothers because we have them.
“We have since decided in the department that it is necessary for us to keep a track of the ages of the mothers that are giving birth for reasons that we are all aware of, primarily teenage pregnancies that we are faced with in the province.”
Teenage pregnancies
Simelane expressed concern over young mothers, highlighting that three 15-year-olds gave birth — two at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital and one at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital.
The fathers of these babies are aged 17, 18, and 19, respectively.
“We also have 16-year-old mothers at GJ Crookes Hospital and at Queen Nandi Regional Hospital, respectively.
“While the father of the baby at GJ Crookes is 18 years old, it is particularly shocking that the 16-year-old at Queen Nandi was impregnated by a 32-year-old man.”
READ MORE: Teens younger than 14 years among mothers who gave birth in 2024
Eighteen-year-old mothers also gave birth at Victoria Mxenge, St Mary’s, Itshelejuba, Nkonjeni, GJ Crookes, and Charles Johnson hospitals.
She highlighted the ongoing societal challenge of teenage pregnancies.
“What concerns us, once again, is that this situation of girls falling pregnant at a young age is not a phenomenon that is unique to Christmas Day – it is something that happens on a regular basis and reflects a broader societal challenge,” Simelane said.
Warning to predators
The MEC urged parents and communities to talk openly about relationships and family planning, while encouraging families to report statutory rape to the police.
“We call on the family of this 16-year-old to go and open a case because we cannot continue with this situation.
“We want to say to these old people who are perverts, preying on young girls, go to your age mates.
“What do you discuss with a 16-year-old? What kind of conversation happens there?
“That tells you that this child really was preyed on by a predator because that’s what this 32-year-old is,” she said.
Simelane added: “We want to talk to men amongst themselves, you need to re-cultivate your conscious and understand the harm that you are causing.”
Watch the video below:
Gauteng welcomes Christmas babies
Seven Christmas babies were welcomed at Thelle Mogoerane Hospital in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni.
Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko visited the hospital on Thursday morning, expressing joy with the maternity ward staff for successful deliveries.
The MEC encouraged breastfeeding and routine immunisation to protect infants from vaccine-preventable diseases.
“Milk helps some nutrition that builds up the body and makes the child to develop a bit faster.
“The other issue that I want to remind them is that they must not forget their ‘road to health’ document that they will be given from the hospital.
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“That document is going to help them to ensure that they don’t skip any sessions of immunisation of their children,” Nkomo-Ralehoko remarked.
She noted that teenage pregnancies were not high in the province this year.
“We’ve developed[ a strategy] as a province on teenage pregnancy and that strategy has been helping us to ensure that we have educational programmes for our communities to tell them about the youth zones that we have in our hospitals, about the times that we are open in the hospitals for them to go and get some advice if they need to practice some safe sex, and it’s working very well.”
Nkomo-Ralehoko said the provincial department is strengthening primary health care services.
“We’ve realised that if we don’t go down to the clinics and the district and regional hospitals, it’s going to become very difficult for us to help with some of the problems that were encountered during this festive season.”
She urged citizens not to drink and drive.
“Stay at home. Make sure that you are with your family, avoid fighting during this first season because you can end up in the hospital.”
Other provinces celebrate Christmas births
Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu, with provincial Health MEC Sasekani Manzini, visited Witbank Hospital to present gifts to mothers who had given birth.
Four babies were born at Witbank Hospital from 12am on Christmas Day, with a total of 33 births recorded in the province.
The first Christmas baby was delivered at Tonga Hospital.
In the Free State, Pelonomi Regional Hospital in Bloemfontein recorded a birth around 4am on Thursday.
Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae reportedly indicated that the newborn was the mother’s sixth child.
North West Premier Lazarus Mokgosi confirmed that 17 boys and 14 girls were born in the province as of 12pm.
“We think the number will increase,” he told SABC News on Thursday.
Although the number of births in Limpopo was not specified, provincial Health MEC Dieketseng Mashego visited several public health facilities, including Elim Hospital, Louis Trichardt Hospital, and Kgapane Hospital.
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