21 babies born to teenagers in Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape department of health celebrated the birth of 84 babies in the province by midday on New Year’s Day.

Among these, 21 were born to teenagers aged between 15 and 19 years and the department said this highlighted the ongoing challenges faced regarding teenage pregnancies in the province.

The Gauteng health department recorded 196 births on New Year’s Day in public hospitals and community health centres.

Ninety were boys and 106 girls, including two sets of twins.

The department’s spokesperson, Kealeboga Mohajane, said four academic hospitals delivered 38 babies, while tertiary hospitals recorded 22 births.

Regional and district hospitals combined delivered 100 babies and community health centres (CHCs) delivered 36 babies.

Gauteng health and wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, together with the founders of the Future4Baby NPO, visited Leratong Hospital on Thursday morning to celebrate and shower the mothers of the newborns with gift hampers.

Nkomo-Ralehoko expressed satisfaction with the quality of care, saying it was encouraging to see mothers with medical aids choosing public facilities for delivery.

“Working with religious leaders and sister departments of education and social development, we will continue doing our part to educate learners about teenage pregnancy. In the coming weeks, we will be visiting schools across the province as part of the back-to-school campaign, to provide learners with sexual education and address other related issues affecting them,” she said.

The Western Cape health department and wellness department welcomed 28 babies born in public health facilities across the province.

Seventeen boys and 11 girls were safely delivered.

The department’s spokesperson Jihaan Opperman said the first baby of the year, a baby boy, was born at Mowbray Maternity Hospital at midnight, weighing 3.8kg, to proud mother Geneva Claasen.

Opperman said shortly after, at 12.03am, a baby boy was born at Paarl Hospital, weighing 3.5kg. This was followed by the birth of a 3.2kg baby girl, born at Stellenbosch Hospital at 1.38am.

The department congratulated all parents and caregivers on the safe delivery of their babies.

“As we step into a new year, we celebrate the first precious lives born in 2026. We are reminded that the earliest moments of life shape everything that follows. In the Western Cape, our focus is on giving every child a strong and healthy start through quality care, support and skilled healthcare teams. When we invest early, we help children grow, develop and thrive well into the future,” said Mireille Wenger, Western Cape MEC of health and wellness.

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