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KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane welcoming newborn babies
KwaZulu-Natal had at midday, welcomed 144 New Year’s babies at its public health facilities across the province. While the arrival of the babies brought joy to many families, the provincial Department of Health raised concern over teen pregnancies.
Provincial Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane visited mothers and their babies at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in the north of Durban.
Simelane also highlighted the growing concern over the rise of non-communicable diseases in the province.
She says the department is celebrating the new arrivals but remains deeply concerned about the number of teenage mothers. There were 20 teenage mothers, including two 16-year-olds, amongst the mothers who gave birth between midnight and nine o’clock Thursday morning. She says teen pregnancies remain a serious societal challenge and called on communities and traditional leaders to play a more active role in addressing the problem.
“While we welcome these New Year babies, we must also register our concern again, particularly over our very young mothers. So far, the youngest mothers of our New Year babies are two 16-year-olds. This does not make it any less problematic because when a child gives birth at 16, it means they fell pregnant at 15, and that is a serious societal problem we are faced with,” says Simelane.
Mothers, Sam’kelisiwe Mthembu and Sameshree Moonsamy, have expressed their relief and joy at giving birth to healthy babies.
Mothers share their excitement in the following comments…
“It was my first time doing a C-section. I’ve always had natural births, so I was so scared. But thanks to the staff, they were so great.”
“I’m super excited because he’s born after 15 years. So, my first born was 15 years ago and now I have another son.”
Simelane says there has been a steady increase in illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
A trend she says will require greater investment from the health department. She urged residents to adopt healthier lifestyles and to adhere to their treatment, especially those on chronic medication.
“We also urge everyone to monitor their blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol levels and to adhere to their treatment schedules. We have found that over the festive season, those that are on chronic medication sometimes want to go on what we term a treatment holiday,” says Simelane.
The department says defaulting on treatment during the festive period places additional pressure on healthcare facilities and can lead to serious complications as well.
VIDEO | New Year’s Day 2026 | 63 babies born in KZN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htyabK00DZk
