LETTER: Unreported teen pregnancies expose deep systemic failures

Dear Sir,

The Shaine Griqua Advice and Development Centre (SGADC) notes and supports the Commission for Gender Equality’s (CGE) recent decision to open a criminal case against the Northern Cape Department of Health’s head of department for failing to appear before an official investigative hearing. Such non-compliance is not a procedural issue; it reflects a wider pattern of neglect, particularly when our province is facing a deepening crisis of unreported teenage pregnancies.

Across the Northern Cape, we are seeing growing numbers of pregnancies among children between the ages of 10 and 14. These cases legally constitute statutory rape. Yet primary healthcare facilities continue to fail in reporting such pregnancies to social workers and the South African Police Service, despite this being a legal requirement.

When statutory rape goes unreported, perpetrators move on freely while young girls carry lifelong emotional and physical trauma. A system that is meant to protect children is instead failing them through silence, inaction, and a disregard for mandatory reporting laws.

The Department of Health’s refusal to attend the CGE hearing only deepens public concern. At a time when children are being harmed, the department should be demonstrating transparency, accountability, and urgency – not avoidance. Its conduct sends a message that the safety of children and the rights of communities are not being taken seriously.

We call on the Premier and the MEC for Health to urgently address this failure to co-operate with oversight bodies. We further call on the Department of Social Development, SAPS, and the South African Human Rights Commission to jointly investigate non-compliance at health facilities across the province. Mandatory-reporting protocols must be enforced, and front-line staff must receive proper training to fulfil their legal duties.

Protecting children is not optional. Civil society organisations, government departments, and communities must work together to ensure that minors are safeguarded, cases are reported, and survivors receive the support they deserve.

SGADC remains committed to providing psychosocial support and counselling, advocating for children’s rights, and holding institutions accountable for failures that place young lives at risk.

Yours sincerely,

Shaine Griqua

Director – Shaine Griqua Advice and Development Centre

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