South Africa recorded 653 New Year’s Day births by 5pm, but celebrations were tempered by concerns after a 12-year-old girl gave birth at Frontier Hospital in the Eastern Cape, prompting an urgent investigation by health authorities.

 Gauteng led the country with more than 200 births, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 185 newborns. However, the Department of Health expressed serious concern about continued teenage pregnancies among the new mothers.

Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa has dispatched a team of health officials and government stakeholders to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 12-year-old’s pregnancy and delivery.

The case follows a similar incident in Limpopo where authorities recently arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly impregnating a 13-year-old girl. The suspect faces charges of statutory rape and sexual grooming of a minor.

According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi, the Limpopo suspect met his victim at a Seshego shopping complex in January 2024. Their relationship developed until becoming intimate in May 2024.

The pregnancy was discovered when the girl experienced complications and confided in her aunt. Medical tests in November 2024 confirmed she was eight months pregnant. She gave birth to a baby boy on Christmas Day.

The Seshego Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit swiftly arrested the suspect after the incident was reported. He is due to appear in court on January 8.

The Department of Health has called for community cooperation with health officials and law enforcement during such investigations, stressing the importance of reporting suspected rape cases, especially those involving young girls and women.