Arrest warrant issued after Health no-show at commission

A WARRANT of arrest was issued for the acting head of the Northern Cape Department of Health after officials failed to appear before the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) this week.

The Chapter 9 institution was in Kimberley to investigate the alarming rate of school drop-outs as a result of teenage pregnancies in the province.

SAPS Northern Cape spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane confirmed that the Kimberley Detective Unit was investigating a case of contravention to comply with a notice issued in terms of the Commission for Gender Equality Act.

“A case was registered at the Kimberley police station after an official from a department allegedly failed to appear before the Commission on November 17. The investigation is continuing,” he said.

CGE deputy chairperson Prabashni Subrayan-Naidoo said the Department of Health had confirmed attendance on November 11.

“The department sent a letter of apology on November 12, informing us that they were invited to an oversight visit by the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature in the Frances Baard District. On November 17, the department advised the CGE between 12-1pm that they would be delayed and that they would make an appearance at 3pm. However, they did not arrive, and criminal proceedings were instituted,” she said.

Conflicting statistics on teenage pregnancies 

The Northern Cape  Department of Education indicated that 7,391 teenagers had fallen pregnant between 2023 and 2025. The majority of pupils were reported to reside in the Frances Baard District, followed by John Taolo Gaetsewe and ZF Mgcawu.

The provincial Department of Social Development (DSD) said it was currently aware of 3,300 teenage pregnancies in the Northern Cape, based on statistics obtained from the Department of Health.

Social workers investigated cases of child and teenage pregnancies involving abuse or deliberate neglect relating to physical, sexual or emotional abuse – including 45 cases in Frances Baard, 13 in Namakwa, nine in ZF Mgcawu, nine in John Taolo Gaetsewe and nine in Pixley ka Seme.

Two cases were closed in Namakwa without any criminal cases being opened, after individual counselling and psycho-social services were declined.

Five of the nine cases in ZF Mgcawu were not reported to the police.

In Pixley ka Seme, eight cases were not opened because the children were in relationships with the boys who had impregnated them.

In several instances, families refused to lay criminal charges.

The mother of a 16-year-old girl in Prieska declined to report her daughter’s pregnancy because she approved of the relationship.

DSD indicated that a 17-year-old girl allegedly lied about being raped while she had been engaged in consensual sexual relations with her boyfriend.

The department explained that older men often exploited young girls by providing for entire households, with parents reportedly “selling” their daughters for money.

It was stated that no specific centres exist for adolescent mothers in the province.

NC ranks second for teen pregnancies

CGE Commissioner Dr Charnell Naidu pointed out that, after KwaZulu-Natal, the Northern Cape had the second-highest concentration of teenage pregnancies in the country.

“Non-cooperation is not enough – the police are falling short of their duties. It is a sad indictment when children give birth to babies. That the SAPS are not aware of the 7,391 teen pregnancies in the province is shocking, to say the least, even if the cases are not reported. Our children are not being protected.”

She also questioned why school staff were not properly vetted.

Naidu advised that the public needed to be educated that child support grants were “not even enough” to buy baby formula for a month.

CGE Commissioner Advocate Thando Gumede raised concerns about the lack of support for LGBTQI and disabled victims of sexual offences.

“They often go to other provinces to seek assistance. It is disappointing that the conviction rate of reported cases is not available. It is clear that there is no regard for child rights.”

Mpumalanga legal officer Sandile Useni added that it was commonplace for young girls to be “sold” by poverty-stricken families for as little as R250.

High number of unreported cases

The police indicated that late reporting hampered the collection of DNA, while many cases were not reported because the perpetrators were often family members or people known to the children.

SAPS provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola pointed out that there was a high number of unreported cases, and that the police had records of only 215 cases of statutory rape over the past three years.

“The Department of Education has yet to provide us with the relevant case numbers of the other cases. We hold awareness campaigns for boys and girls, but are they listening? Children go to shebeens, taverns and clubs, where they become involved with adults.”

She said families frequently tried to resolve matters internally, which perpetuated illegal practices, while social stigma also discouraged reporting.

“Information is withheld and police officers are regarded as interfering in private matters. Families who are financially dependent are reluctant to open cases or withdraw charges against breadwinners.”

Otola said kidnapping and rape charges had been opened against perpetrators who forced girls into cultural marriages.

“Minors who are arrested for sexual crimes are released back into the care of their parents or guardians as they cannot be kept with adult offenders.”

She added that the Department of Education was responsible for vetting school staff.

“There was a paedophile employed at a primary school. We do not know how he was appointed, because he was previously arrested at a high school for the same crimes.”

She warned that parents could be charged with neglect if a baby was raped while the mother was not at home or was intoxicated at the time of the offence.

“Mothers can be charged if they prevent a child from reporting their fathers for rape.”

Otola added that child support grants were often misused.

“Instead of the money being used for the baby, it is used to do hair and nails while the grandparents are expected to take care of the child,” she said.