By Johnathan Paoli
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has called for urgent empowerment of social workers, health workers, and caregivers to report cases of statutory rape, as alarming new statistics reveal that tens of thousands of school-age girls in the province fell pregnant in 2024.
DA Gauteng leader and official opposition leader Solly Msimanga said the figures underscored a growing crisis of child sexual abuse and statutory rape that is being ignored by authorities and too often normalised in communities.
“Statutory rape is a serious violation, and men who commit such a crime inflict lasting harm on a vulnerable individual. The failure by law enforcement agencies to take action against men who commit this offense is deeply troubling, as it compromises the principles of consent and respect, leaving young girls vulnerable to predatory individuals who have lost all sense of morality,” Msimanga said.
According to data disclosed by Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in the provincial legislature, 23,691 pregnancies were recorded among girls between the ages of 10 and 19, last year.
Of these, 18,851 resulted in deliveries at public health facilities, while 4,840 were terminated. Disturbingly, 521 of these pregnancies involved girls between the ages of 10 and 14.
While pregnancies among learners are rising, police reports of child rape and statutory rape are falling.
Gauteng’s Clinical Forensic Medical Services and Thuthuzela Care Centres recorded 474 cases reported to the South African Police Service in 2022/23, 257 cases in 2023/24, and just 242 between April and December 2024.
Msimanga said the discrepancy pointed to a breakdown in enforcement of Section 110 of the Children’s Act of 2005, which obliges teachers, healthcare workers, social workers, and caregivers to report suspicions or evidence of child sexual abuse.
“The failure to act enables predators to continue abusing children, while families are sometimes bribed into silence. This not only protects perpetrators but entrenches a culture of impunity,” he said.
The Gauteng Health Department’s statistics highlight that the problem cuts across the province.
Johannesburg recorded 7,245 cases of teenage pregnancy, followed closely by Ekurhuleni with 6,893, and Tshwane with 5,752. The West Rand and Sedibeng recorded 2,014 and 1,787 respectively.
The DA has requested further data on which schools reported the highest numbers of learner pregnancies and how many girls who gave birth managed to return to school.
However, Inside Education reached out to the Gauteng Education Department who admitted it does not keep such records.
Msimanga cautioned that poverty and inequality fuel the problem, with transactional sex between older men and vulnerable girls increasingly common.
In some cases, families accept money or goods in exchange for silence.
The DA is demanding that the provincial departments of Education, Health, Social Development, and Community Safety collaborate more effectively to equip and empower social workers, health professionals, and caregivers to report statutory rape to SAPS; ensure all reported cases are promptly investigated and prosecuted; provide education to girls that reinforces their right to refuse unwanted sexual advances, even from adults in positions of authority; and strengthen partnerships with parents and community leaders to create safe environments for children.
Msimanga added that the DA will also push for answers on the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and HIV among the affected age group.
The DA’s Gauteng intervention is part of a broader national probe into the child pregnancy crisis.
DA Social Development spokesperson Alexandra Abrahams recently revealed that in the Eastern Cape, 117 girls between the ages of 10 and 14 gave birth between April and July 2025, while 4,752 teenagers aged 15 to 19 delivered babies during the same period.
“These figures are only the tip of the iceberg. Pregnancies that end in termination or miscarriage, or those that go unreported, make the true scale far greater,” Abrahams said.
The DA cited the reported drugging and sexual assault of learners from Khomani Primary School in Diepkloof earlier this year as proof that some incidents occur beyond the direct oversight of teachers and parents.
Msimanga said a DA-led administration would ensure that professionals are trained to enforce the Children’s Act, statutory rape cases are properly investigated and prosecuted, and schools are staffed only with vetted teachers and officials.
INSIDE EDUCATION
