Recently, I was thinking about a socio-economic topic that would be suitable to close-off this women’s month. As I was busy thinking about this sensitive issue that is very close to my heart, the disturbing statistics of Teenage Pregnancy in Gauteng came out. This is highlighting the extent of the problem in Gauteng for the COVID-19 Lockdown period alone.
Teenage pregnancy has been one of the most worrying issues in the country for a long time now – I saw this first-hand in my hometown in Queenstown. After matric in the 1990s, I left home to study in Durban and then eventually I went to work in Jhb for about 20 years. Some of those I regarded as kids in my township who were still in primary school in the early 2000s. Almost every year when I came back home during the festive season, I would find a few of these kids with either one child or being pregnant with the second or third one. My question is where did we go wrong as a society, how did we allow so many children to become parents right in front of our eyes?
Okay, let’s park this question for a short while and just have a look at these stats which I regard as unacceptable by any standard. The Gauteng Health Department has recorded more than 23,000 teenage pregnancies between April 2020 and March 2021. About 934 of the girls were between 10 and 14 years, and this raises more questions about teenage pregnancies. It was further revealed that 2,976 girls between the ages of 10 and 19 decided to terminate their pregnancies.
Before COVID, approximately five percent of females aged 14 to 19 years in South Africa stated that they were going through different stages of pregnancy within that 12-month period. The prevalence of pregnancy increased with age. While 0.4 percent of young women aged 14 stated that they were pregnant, the number of 19-year-old pregnant women was 32 times higher. Furthermore, pregnancy amongst women aged 19 years increased with 2.8 percentage points between 2018 and 2019.
As a parent to a teenager, I am really concerned, and I hope that every parent out there is just as worried. What I found disturbing in my hometown is that when I got pregnant with my daughter – I was already 27 years of age, independent and self-sufficient. There was an old lady that my mother introduced me to while I was heavily pregnant, the first thing she wanted to know was how old I was and when I told her she was shocked. She said verbatim: “Yhuu, uzale umdala maan!” loosely translated that I had taken too long to get pregnant and that at age 27 I was too old to have my first child. It dawned on me right then that the pregnancy problem didn’t sit only with the teenagers – it was a societal problem.
I was appalled by the fact that she thought I was too old to have my first child but more so by the fact that she thought it was okay for children to have children. How then are we going to save our children from this plight if the older generation that we depended on – those we regard as having the best foundation when it comes to moral standards – can have such views about an issue this sensitive? There are many organisations whose work focuses on ensuring positive development of youth (see my youth month columns for reference). I’d rather focus on supporting those initiatives that focus on pursuing moral regeneration in our own homes instead of older people who have twisted views about children’s values.
My wish for every child out there, especially teenagers, is for them to enjoy their childhood, take the time to play with other kids, focus on their studies so that those who have the means can even enjoy tertiary life. There’s absolutely nothing more fulfilling than enjoying your minimal but hard-earned salary when you start working; without having to worry about baby costs that include nappies, milk, doctors’ visits and all the demands that come with motherhood.
My belief is that it is not natural for a child to have a child – as adults it is our duty to help our kids to remain children, to enjoy life and gradually grow into the different stages of life. Don’t get me wrong – I know that raising kids is no child’s play, but I would like to plead with every parent out there to assist in complementing the efforts of the teachers, youth organisations and government by doing our part and raising our kids with the right kind of values and support, because unfortunately – all of this starts at home.
Miranda Lusiba is the Founding Director of Strangé Consulting – a boutique PR Agency specialising in Communications, Freelance Writing, Media Relations, Reputation Management and Media Training.
