KZN in crisis: Over 26,000 teen pregnancies spur premier’s bold crackdown on ‘sugar daddies’

Cape Town – The KwaZulu-Natal government has unveiled a new multi-sectoral masterplan aimed at tackling the alarming rise in teenage pregnancies across the province.

According to the provincial government’s statement, more than 26,000 pregnancies were recorded among girls aged between 10 and 19 between April and December 2024. Of these, 1,254 involved girls aged 14 or younger.

Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, who launched the Multisectoral Strategy to Curb Child and Teenage Pregnancies (2025–2029) at the Ugu Sports and Leisure Centre this week, said the situation had reached crisis levels.

“If we do not address the twin scourges of child pregnancy and HIV, KwaZulu-Natal cannot grow into the thriving province we know it can be,” Ntuli said.

He described teenage pregnancy as a societal failure that deprives young people of their childhoods and futures. “When a 12-year-old child becomes a mother, it is not a personal failure. It is our collective failure,” he said.

The new plan, developed through extensive consultation with government departments, academics, civil society, and traditional leaders, focuses on prevention, education, access to reproductive health services, and community mobilisation. It also emphasises the need to involve boys and men in efforts to curb early pregnancies.

The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Mr Thamsanqa Ntuli addressed the media during the launch of the Multi-Sectoral Strategy to curb Child and Teenage Pregnancy at the Ugu Sport and Leisure Centre, Port Shepstone in Ray Nkonyeni Municipality under Ugu District Municipality. pic.twitter.com/P5vODV1oxE

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“Our boys are not just part of the problem; they are an essential part of the solution,” Ntuli added. The premier also issued a stern warning to men who exploit young girls, saying the law would deal harshly with offenders.

“It is heartbreaking that the futures of these young girls are being stolen by older men who lure them with money and expensive gifts, then impregnate and infect them with diseases. Sex with girls under 16 is statutory rape. Those who do it must be jailed,” he said.

The provincial government said it aims for “zero pregnancies among children” by the end of the strategy’s five-year period.

Officials added that addressing teenage pregnancy requires coordinated efforts to fight poverty, improve access to education, strengthen family support systems, and ensure that young people receive accurate sexual and reproductive health information.