Overview
- Health authorities confirmed 1,668 babies born in public facilities on Christmas Day, up from 1,360 in 2024.
- Gauteng led the country with 428 births, while the first baby of the day arrived at Elim Hospital in Limpopo at midnight.
- Teenage mothers increased to 130 from 90 last year, with girls as young as 15 recorded in multiple provinces.
- KwaZulu-Natal’s health MEC reported three 15-year-old mothers and a 16-year-old allegedly impregnated by a 32-year-old man, escalating calls for accountability.
- The Department of Health and partners urged exclusive breastfeeding, routine immunisations and on-site birth registration, and called for broader prevention through families, schools and community programs while commending holiday staff.