By Anita Dangazele
- Health workers now report all pregnant girls under 16 directly to the police to help catch and arrest the abusers.
- The province opened safe spaces in local clinics where trained nurses give teenagers free advice on preventing early unwanted pregnancies.
Fewer young girls in the Eastern Cape are becoming mothers.
Births to girls between the ages of 10 and 14 have dropped by nearly half over the past four years.
In the 2022/23 financial year, 553 girls in this age group gave birth. That number fell to 292 by the 2025/26 financial year.
Births among older teenagers aged 15 to 19 also dropped from 17,064 to 13,916 over the same time.
The provincial health department is fighting back. They treat every pregnancy involving a girl under 16 as statutory rape.
“The department emphasises that pregnancies in girls under the age of 16 are not merely a health concern but constitute statutory rape in terms of the law,” said Camagwini Mavovana.
Mavovana speaks for Eastern Cape Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa. She said the department is working closely with the police.
Health workers use a special form to report suspected child abuse and underage pregnancies to the social development department. This helps police track down and arrest the men responsible.
The province has 11 Thuthuzela Care Centres to help victims of sexual abuse. These centres have helped courts secure guilty verdicts in up to 89% of sexual offence cases.
The province is also running community programmes to change how young men behave.
“The department is implementing targeted programmes to engage young men,” Mavovana said.
She said they work with traditional and religious leaders to stop harmful practices at a grassroots level.
The department has opened 534 youth zones inside local clinics. Trained nurses run these spaces to give young people advice on sexual health and HIV prevention.
Teenagers in Buffalo City and Amathole can use a WhatsApp call centre to get help. Others can use a free health app to learn about their bodies.
Pictured above: Eastern Cape sees drop in teenage pregnancy.
Image source: Democratic Alliance
