Video: MEC welcomes two New Year’s babies at hospital
Two babies were born at the Middelburg Hospital early this morning!
The MEC for the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, Ms Leah Mabuza, welcomed two new babies at the Middelburg Hospital this morning.
She was accompanied by Mayor Mhlonishwa Masilela and Mr Solomon Malatji (Director, Corporate Services, Nkangala District).
During their visit, Dr Linky Ntuli (Senior Clinical Manager, Middelburg Hospital) told their visitors that six women were also in labour.
MEC Mabuza stated in a short speech how important it is that statutory rapists, who impregnate young women, must be prosecuted.
She said that clinics, health care workers, and schools must educate teenage girls that they don’t fall pregnant.
“We must guide our girls because if you have so many young people who are having children, poverty is going to keep on growing!”
Dr Ntuli said that between 280 to 300 babies are born per month at the hospital. They will only know how many babies were born in December next week.
At 04:10 this morning their first New Year’s baby was born and the second one arrived at about 07:30.
Four babies were born between December 30 and 31.
Dr Ntuli agreed that there is a problem with teenage pregnancies in South Africa.
“The biggest problem is the parents of the girls who do not want to report statutory rape. It makes it very difficult for the police officials to investigate the cases.”
She said that they are promoting the issue of contraceptives but it is a challenge to promote it at schools because parents do not want them to teach their children to use contraceptives. Dr Ntuli stated that it is important to educate children so that they can be able to decide for themselves whether to use contraceptives or not.
“We need to stop teenage pregnancies so that they can stay in school and be able to be independent one day. Some of these teenagers have more than one child. We get women at 19 who have four children already!”
@middelburgobserver Ms Leah Mabuza, MEC for the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, visits Middelburg Hospital to welcome New Year’s babies.
