By OBAKENG MAJE

15 September 2025- Young girls in Gauteng face a bleak future as sexual assault and teenage pregnancy reach pandemic levels in the province. Meanwhile, many child rapists remain free due to a lack of reporting to the police and the failure to pursue criminal charges.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng demands that the Education, Social Development, Health, and Community Safety departments empower health and social workers to report child and statutory rape to the police to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. The DA said over 23,691 cases of teenage pregnancies has been reported in Gauteng from January to December 2024.

DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education and Member of Provincial Legislature in Gauteng, Sergio Isa Dos Santos said 521 babies were delivered by girls between the ages of 10 and 14 years in a facility, 23,170 babies were delivered by girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years, while 4,840 girls between the ages of 10 and 19 years underwent a Choice on Termination of Pregnancy. Dos Santos said this information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Health, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, in a written reply to the DA’s question in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

“The high number of pregnancies in this age group is deeply concerning, as this is statutory rape. However, the data provided by the MEC reveals a low number of cases reported to the SAPS: 474 in the 2022/23 financial year, dropping to 257 in 2023/24, and only 242 reported between April and December 2024.

“The failure by those required by the Children’s Act to report cases and handle child rape and statutory rape inevitably results in this kind of criminal conduct being normalised and concealed. In fact, perpetrators frequently manage to sidestep accountability for their actions by offering monetary bribes to the affected families,” he said.

Dos Santos further said the ongoing backlog of DNA cases poses a significant obstacle to bringing these issues to light. He added that statutory rape is a serious violation and men who commit such a crime inflict lasting harm on a vulnerable individual.

“The failure by law enforcement agencies to take action against men who commit this offense is deeply troubling, as it compromises the principles of consent and respect, leaving young girls vulnerable to predatory individuals who have lost all sense of morality.

“The DA demands that the Social Development, Education, Health, and Community Safety Departments stop passing the buck and collaborate in empowering health workers, social workers, auxiliary, and caregivers to report child and statutory rape to the South African Police Service (SAPS) as per the Children’s Act of 2005,” said Dos Santos.

He said teenage girls must be educationally empowered to know that no one, not even a teacher or a parent, is allowed to force themselves upon them at any given time. Dos Santos said they have tabled questions to ascertain the measures in place to deal with this crisis, and the current statistics of teenage pregnancies, arrests and convictions of the perpetrators.

“We will also write to the MEC for Health seeking answers on reported cases of STIs, HIV amongst the group of ages mentioned above. Child rape is not only a legal issue; it is a social issue. We urge parents and society at large to be actively involved in protecting our children.

“The recent Khomani Primary School incident in Diepkloof, where learners were reportedly drugged at school and taken to another location where they were allegedly sexually assaulted, proves that some of these incidents of statutory rape are happening beyond the direct control of teachers or school authorities,” he said.

Dos Santos said a DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would ensure that health workers and Social Workers are trained and equipped to implement the provisions of the Child Protection Act in child and statutory rape cases. He said they would ensure that matters referred to the police are investigated and successfully prosecuted without delay.

“We would vet all teachers and staff and involve parents and community leaders to create safe environments for young girls. The DA will continue to put pressure on all relevant Gauteng departments to ensure that the children are protected in terms of the Children’s Act,” said Dos Santos.

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