Bela-Bela school fingered in teenage pregnancy crisis

Bela-Bela High School has been identified as one of the schools with an increasing rate of teenage pregnancies in the province.

Following recent investigations by the DA in Limpopo, the school reportedly had 25 pregnant learners between 2014 and 2018.

The party conducted the investigations after learning of the teenage pregnancies and abuse on the rise in Limpopo schools.

The DA provincial spokesperson on education, Jacques Smalle, said it had been established that more than 600 schoolgirls fell pregnant every year in Limpopo schools.

He said a total of 42 cases of physical and sexual abuse had also been reported during the last three years.

In a written reply to the DA, the Department of Basic Education acknowledged the crisis and confirmed that 14 cases of sexual abuse were reported whilst 28 complaints of physical abuse were
levelled against the teachers since 2015

Out of the 42 cases, eight educators were dismissed but none of the cases were referred to the South African Council for Educators.

Smalle said Limpopo had recorded a 20% increase in learner pregnancies between 2014 and 2016.

He said an estimated 663 pregnancy cases were reported in 2014, 909 in 2015 and 803 in 2016 and districts such as Mopani, Vhembe and Capricorn had the highest figures.

Bela-Bela High School headmaster, Lucas Nukeri, said he was not aware of the information provided by the DA and that he did not know where they got their statistics from.

“I remember they did visit our school early this year but they did not talk about the issue. I do not recall having them at our school for an oversite visit,” he said.

— The BEAT