By Foster Mohale
Health Departmental Spokesperson
The Department of Health joins mothers and families in welcoming 714 newborns delivered in public health facilities across the country between midnight and midday on Christmas day.
Parents are urged to invest in exclusive breastfeeding and child immunisation because they protect babies from preventable deadly diseases and improve survival especially in the first months of life.
The Department also commends the tireless health workers across the country for ensuring the safety of both the mothers and newborns.
The first 2025 Christmas baby was welcomed at Elim Hospital in Limpopo at midnight (00h00), followed by Tonga
Hospital in Mpumalanga and Elizabeth Ross District Hospital in Free State at 00h02.
The Department remains committed to strengthening maternal, neonatal and child health services, and ensure that mothers and newborns receive dignified, safe and quality care.
Meanwhile, the Department is concerned about the continued scourge of teenage
mothers with more than 30 teen mothers recorded so far, who now expected find
themselves juggling the demands of parenthood while still navigating adolescence.
A number of provinces have recorded numerous teen girls as young as 15 years old who were amongst Christmas mothers.
Breakdown of births per province:
Province Boy child. Girl Child Total
Easten Cape 56. 50. 106
Gauteng 111. 106. 217
Free State. 14. 18. 32
Limpopo. 53. 35. 88
KwaZulu-Natal 35. 39. 74
Mpumalanga. 44. 43. 87
North West. 25. 28. 53
Northern Cape 14. 11. 25
Western Cape. 11. 21. 32
Total 714
This is the total babies born between midnight and midday on Christmas
Day in public health facilities in all 9 provinces.
This number is subject to change
as more births are being recorded throughout the day.
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