The DA wants to call an urgent meeting that brings together different departments of the government, including the security and public prosecution agencies, to deal with the scandal of child pregnancy in the country.
This group has written to the Chairman of the Committee on Women, Youth and Living with Disability in Parliament, to call a meeting involving different departments including Basic Education, Community Development, Health, Police and the National Prosecuting Authority.
The spokesperson for the DA in the Ministry of Women, Youth and Life and Disability, Ms. Angel Khanyile, said they are concerned about child pregnancy abuse. He said the statistics of pregnant children in KwaZulu-Natal, in the financial year 2025/26, are shocking.
“Statistics show that there are 421 children aged 10 to 14 who are pregnant in the province in the 2025/2026 financial year. This means that three children are conceived in two days,” said Ms Khanyile.
He said these statistics point to the abuse of children in this country.
“In this meeting, all the departments must show their role in fighting this crime. There needs to be cooperation between the departments in order to follow up on the cases that have been reported and finally convict those involved.”
He said the law is clear that a 12-year-old child cannot consent to sex. He complained about social workers who said they fail to report cases to the police.
“Some police stations do not accept these cases. The law on children, as well as on sex, mandates that a case be reported if there is a child under the age of 16 who is pregnant.”
He said they will not allow children to be raped and then impregnated.
“The law enforcement officers must do their job, the perpetrators must be arrested and punished,” he said.
He said the law makes it clear that the government must do something. The law mandates teachers, nurses, doctors, social workers and others who work with children to report to the police if a minor is pregnant.
In education, it was complained that some parents, ended up withdrawing the charges after the perpetrator promised to pay the fine. Some teachers have been charged and convicted of sleeping with children. Some are said to promise to pay dowry to avoid arrest, and families are reluctant to open rape cases.