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'Free State teenage pregnancy stats frightening'

───   KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 10:07 Wed, 30 Nov 2022

'Free State teenage pregnancy stats frightening' | News Article

Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela left officials and other stakeholders shocked after revealing provincial teenage pregnancy stats on Tuesday 29 November 2022.

Speaking at the Public Service Commission (PSC) Citizen's Forum, which was held at one of the lodges in Bloemfontein, Ntombela revealed that girls aged 10 to 14 gave birth to 148 children between April 2020 and March 2021, 147 children from April 2021 to March 2022, and from April until June 2022, they gave birth to 36 children. 

She further revealed that between April 2020 and March 2021, girls aged 15 to 19 gave birth to 6 195 children, while 6 500 girls gave birth between April 2021 and March 2022 - and that's just in the Free State. Ntombela said that most of these teenage girls who gave birth are receiving government grants, together with their children. Ntombela also raised concerns over young people who are ignored and have resorted to drugs and substance abuse due to a lack of job opportunities.


“We are busy blaming each other, pointing fingers at each othe, criticising each other, pulling each other down, while the future of this country is slowly vanishing. We are not going to live forever, it is impossible. There is one thing that we cannot dodge, that is death. One day all of us will be gone but the problem is what is it that we are leaving behind, including our own children,” said Ntombela.

ALSO READ: Ntombela set to address drug issues

She further revealed that 867 girls aged 10 to 18 terminated pregnancies between April 2020 to March 2021 and between April 2021 to March 2022, 1 025 terminated pregnancies. 

While those above 20 years recorded 6 025 between March 2020 and April 2021, from April 2021 to March 2022 6 812 girls in this group terminated pregnancies and from April to June 2022, 1 857 recorded pregnancies were terminated.

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