Over 400 Christmas babies born in Gauteng – Final numbers

The Gauteng Department of Health has revealed the final numbers of babies born on Christmas Day for 2021.

The statistics were released by the department on Sunday and the final number was 403 babies.

According to the stats, Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital had the most births in Academic Hospitals, with a total of 44.

In tertiary hospitals, Tembisa Hospital had the most births with 35, 20 boys and 15 girls.

Regional and district hospitals in the province welcomed a total of 216 babies on Christmas Day.

Community healthcare centres delivered 24 boys and 26 girls, bringing the total number of babies born on Christmas Day to 50.

Public healthcare facilities in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) saw the delivery of 59 babies on Christmas Day.

ALSO READ: 214 babies born on Christmas Day in Gauteng, so far

KZN saw a total number of babies born on Christmas Day in KZN was 91, made up of 53 boys and 38 girls.

The province’s health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane said the first Christmas baby was a boy, born at King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban.

The baby boy was born to a 39-year-old mother.

“He arrived on the stroke of midnight, weighing in at 2.82kg,” the MEC said.

Simelane also indicated that five mothers were aged 18 or younger, further expressing her concern over the teenage mothers.

“We are nevertheless concerned that the youngest among these mothers are two 16 year-olds, who gave birth at Nkonjeni and Itshelejuba Hospitals, both in Zululand district.

“We also have a 17-year-old and two 18 year-olds, who delivered at Itshelejuba, Benedictine (again in Zululand District) and Osindisweni Hospital, here in eThekwini.

“When you look at these cases, what becomes glaring is that these girls had sex when they were about a year younger than they are, which means girls aged 15, 16, and 17 years old were engaging in sexual intercourse,” she said.

Compiled by Sandisiwe Mbhele, additional reporting by Molefe Seeletsa.