Urgent call from KZN Health MEC to address underage pregnancies linked to older men

KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has called for urgent talks to tackle the growing problem of older men impregnating underage girls in the province.

New figures from eThekwini Municipality reported 7,627 teenage pregnancies between April 2024 and April 2025, including 154 girls aged between 10 and 14.

The municipality also raised serious concerns about the increasing rate of new HIV infections among adolescent girls.

Speaking at a recent Provincial Council on AIDS meeting in Durban,  Simelane voiced serious concern over the rising number of child and teenage pregnancies, especially those involving adult men.

“We are extremely worried about the high number of children who are falling pregnant,” said MEC Simelane.

“What is even more concerning is that some of these young victims stop accessing healthcare and social services once they realise that we are legally required to report the perpetrators. In many cases, this is done to protect breadwinners or due to informal agreements between families. But this puts young girls at high risk, especially when they are forced to give birth in unsafe conditions.”

Simelane stressed that all clinics and hospitals are legally obligated to report any suspected cases of statutory rape to the authorities.

“I want to make a proposal… that we lead from the front in combating this crisis, that between ourselves and district mayors, amakhosi (traditional leaders), and izinduna (headmen), we need to come together and deal with this matter head on because these activities are happening right where we are, children get pregnant in our societies in our communities,” she said.

“These incidents are happening in our communities. Unless we talk about it and act decisively, we will continue to see young lives destroyed. We are raising a broken generation if we remain silent.” 

mthobisi.nozulela@iol.co.za

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