A 14-year-old girl was among mothers who gave birth on New Year’s Day at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital.
The minor from New Village gave birth to a bouncing baby girl she named Sinenhlanhla Dlamini at around midnight.
The young mother said this was her first child, stating that based on the pain she went through before delivering her daughter, she would not have another child ever again.
She was the youngest of the five mothers who had delivered their babies by 11am yesterday. When probed about the father of her child, the minor asked not to talk about it, citing that the matter had already been discussed at other avenues.
Deputy Director of Social Welfare Department Marcelia Dlamini said impregnating a minor is a crime.
However, she mentioned that some healthcare workers do not report such cases to social workers to enable an investigation that may lead to prosecution of perpetrators.
Dlamini added that the healthcare workers adhere to the provisions of laws, which state that a patient, even a minor, should consent before their cases could be reported to third parties.
Dlamini decried that such provisions were not at par with the country’s Children’s Protection and Welfare Act of 2012, which treats pregnancies in young girls as statutory rape.
A 14-year-old girl was among new mothers who gave birth at RFM Hospital on New Year’s Day. Authorities have raised concern over rising teenage pregnancies and challenges in prosecuting perpetrators.
The deputy director stated that in some cases, the teenage mothers would withhold information relating to the men who had impregnated them due to fear that they could be arrested and prosecuted.
She said even when families were involved, there are those who would opt to discussing and resolving such matters at family level.
“We can assure the young mothers and their families that when social workers are involved, the young mother is given options, which may include having the baby cared for by the State while the teenage mother goes back to school,” Dlamini said.
She added that with this arrangement, the young mother gets visiting rights and may take her child after completing school and establishing themselves.
However, in the event the mother feels they are not ready for the responsibilities that come with having a baby, the State could also place the baby in foster care up to a point where they are adopted by willing families.
“If the mother’s family is willing to raise the baby, they are also allowed to do so even in the event that the perpetrator is sent to jail,” stated Dlamini.
She said her office would check if the 14-year-old girl’s matter was reported to the social welfare department in Manzini, before taking further action.
Meanwhile, Mbabane Government Hospital Senior Midwife, Sister Lindiwe Shongwe, recently raised concern on the rising number of teenage mothers as young as 14 years giving birth at the hospital.
She reportedly disclosed that the hospital’s statistics indicated that teenage mothers accounted for 14% of all births at the health facility, which she said was worrying.
This was after a 14-year-old girl gave birth to twins at the hospital on Christmas Day.
9 babies at Mbabane Government Hospital
BY XOLISILE SACOLO
Mbabane
Mbabane Government Hospital recorded nine New Year’s babies – seven girls and two boys.
During a visit to the hospital in the afternoon, Senior Nurse Mancoba Mavimbela said so far they had welcomed nine babies, with more expected.
“We are still in the process and hopefully by the end of the day we will have the final count,” he said.
Mavimbela said the babies were delivered from midnight to 10am.
He said he believed the full report would be ready by the end of the day and released by the ministry of health.
He noted that the start of a New Year is a time for celebration, and the arrival of new life adds to the joy of the occasion.
“The staff at Mbabane Government Hospital is dedicated to ensuring that each delivery is conducted safely and with the utmost care. As the day progresses, the hospital anticipates that more babies may join the nine already welcomed into the world,” he added.
One of the mothers, Thabile Dlamini, said she was happy to start the year on a high note after receiving her greatest blessing, a bouncing baby boy.
Thabile could not hide her excitement, smiling continuously despite having endured labour pains only a few hours earlier.
Another mother, who preferred anonymity, expressed her joy at giving birth to a girl, whom she named Iyabongwa Dlamini.
