​A 15-year-old father could not hold back his tears when he recalled the day when the doctors showed him his newborn baby in hospital.
*Thato, not his real name to protect his identity, was one of the young fathers who gave testimony of being a parent and learner during Teenage Pregnancy Learner-Parent Dialogue organized by the Gauteng Department of Social Development in partnership with the Department of Education and the Department of Health at Tlama-Tlama Primary School in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni.

Thato said he could not believe his eyes when he saw a small baby in his arms, he collapsed and was unconscious for hours. He was able to see his bundle of joy when he woke up from the hospital bed where his baby was born. About two hundred pregnant and young scholar mothers attended the dialogue.

Some came accompanied by their mothers as they were heavily pregnant while others were there to assist their daughters in carrying their babies. Despite the anxiety on their arrival, speakers on the day were able to encourage the learners to take their studies seriously since it was not the end of the world.

The Gauteng Department of Social Development, Ekurhuleni Regional Director Phumla Nkosi said each stakeholder invited had a role to play by giving support and channeling the young mothers in the right direction.

“Life should not stop here, and this could be the beginning of the journey and you can be a child who can break that cycle in the family and be a trendsetter,” said Nkosi.

“As parents, we should also be careful of what we say to our children including young mothers who are part of this dialogue. As a government, we are not only worried about pregnancy, but we are also concerned about STIs and HIV/AIDS. You are a generation that can talk to us and today we are allowing you to talk about anything,” added Nkosi.

School Governing Body representative, Kate Dlamini applauded the Department for organizing the dialogue, however complained about absent parents who failed to talk to their children.

Dlamini said parents are always at work and do not have time to listen to their children. 

Children end up searching for information on social media and friends. Teenage pregnancy has been a major social and economic challenge in South Africa for decades. Research shows that only a third of adolescent girls who become pregnant in South Africa return to school. In a study conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), more than 60% of pregnant teenagers did not return to school after two years, previously enforced by the Department of Basic Education. The number of children born to teenage mothers in South Africa’s most populous province, Gauteng has increased drastically post the COVID-19 pandemic.