1 000+ pregnant girls
2007-11-27 14:32
Nelspruit - In the past 10 months, more than 1 000 schoolgirls fell pregnant in and around Nelspruit.
According to statistics gathered in Mpumalanga's Ehlanzeni district, 994 girls at 110 high schools fell pregnant from January to October, while 58 girls from 31 primary schools also fell pregnant in that period.
The highest number of teen pregnancies are in the Mgwenya education circuit, which includes KaNyamazane township outside Nelspruit, where 168 girls at 10 high schools are pregnant.
In the White River circuit, 147 girls at eight high schools and four girls at three primary schools are pregnant.
Mostly orphans
The Nkomazi West Circuit south of Malalane has 111 pregnant girls at eight high schools and 26 pregnant girls at seven primary schools.
A 16-year-old orphan who is in Grade 11 at Inkomazi high school said she fell pregnant so she could apply for a government child support grant.
"I fell pregnant because I needed the money. The money can help me get clothes and food," she said.
The girl, who asked not to be named, lives with her 11-year-old sister and said there was no other household income for them.
"Most of the teenage mothers at our school are orphans and deliberately fell pregnant to get the R200 grant. They believe they are going to use this money, but it's too little," said the girl.
Guidance teacher at the school, Zoliswa Makweyane, said the problem was so big, that class tests were not scheduled on days when social grants were paid out.
"We can't do anything on those days because they all go out to collect their money at the banks or at pension pay points and only return to school the following day," she said.
Schools with the highest rate of teen pregnancies are Jacob Mdluli high school in Pienaar where 48 girls are pregnant, followed by Inkomazi high school where 46 girls are pregnant, Mayibuye high school in Daantjie where 33 girls are pregnant, Skhwahlane primary school in Ntunda outside Malalane where 30 girls are pregnant and Khumbula high school in White River where 29 girls are pregnant.
"These are very shocking statistics. We introduced awareness programmes in March to try encourage school pupils to try abstain from sex, or at least practice safe sex," said the regional director for the education department's Ehlanzeni region, Mfana Lushaba.