2,716 girls between 10 and 14 years old gave birth in South Africa

The Department of Health revealed that of the 122,302 adolescents who gave birth in 2023/24, 2,716 were aged between 10 and 14.

This was one of the alarming statistics related to the national crisis of child pregnancies and statutory rape that is not being addressed by the government.

Last year, the DA established an internal Task Team working on the DA’s fight against gender-based violence, including the sexual abuse and rape of children.

It launched a national investigation, where questions were submitted to national Ministers and Provincial departments.

This investigation determined the extent of child pregnancy and whether these departments are reporting these to the relevant authorities.

• The Department of Health revealed that of the 122,302 adolescents who gave birth in 2023/24, 2,716 were aged 10 to 14.

• The SA Police revealed that 610 statutory rape cases were reported in 2023/24, with 39.5% of victims being 15 years old, 30.77% being 14 years old, and 20.66% being 13 years old.

• The Police said in 2023/24, there were just 129 child births, 138 child pregnancies, and 27 child miscarriages/terminations reported for a whole year, for criminal investigation.

• Between 2021/22 and 2024/25, the NPA decided to enrol 2,845 cases and successfully prosecuted 980, closed 2,166 without result, and unsuccessfully prosecuted 180.

• In 2024, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development reported no cases of statutory rape to SAPS.

• However, in that same period, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development had received 2,185 ‘form 22 complaints’.

• In Mpumalanga, between 2020/21 and 2024/25, 65,087 children aged 10-19 years gave birth in Mpumalanga health facilities, of which 1,824 were aged 14 years or younger.

• However, in 2022/23, only 4 cases of child births, terminations, miscarriages, or pregnancies were reported to the Mpumalanga Department of Social Development. In 2023/24, just 2 cases were reported, and in 2024/25, just 5.

“The numbers simply do not add up,” said Angel Khanyile, the DA’s spokesperson on women, youth, and people with disabilities.

“Departments are working in silos, failing to comply with statutory reporting requirements, indicating a catastrophic failure in data management and sharing.”

Khanyile said the DA will now file a comprehensive complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission.

“This complaint will address the violation of human rights of young girls who are raped and made to carry children without legal consequences for their rapists,” she said.