Umamah Bakharia | ub@radioislam.co.za

2 min read
30 December 2022 | 08:00 am CAT

The Department of Health has confirmed that 432 babies were welcomed into the world by midday on Christmas day.

Photo credit: iStock

The department says provinces that recorded the first childbirths included Limpopo and Mpumalanga where healthy babies were born at midnight at Voortrekker Hospital in Mokopane and Temba Hospital in Kabokweni outside Mbombela.

In the Eastern Cape, the first baby was born a minute after midnight at Sipetu Hospital in Mount Frere.

Speaking to Radio Islam, Gauteng’s department of health communications officer, Motalatale Modiba says the department is delighted by the arrival of the Christmas day babies.

“We are excited to have welcomed all these new additions to many families,” says Modiba.

However, he appeals to parents to get their newborn immunised: “It is important that the children are taken through an immunisation process to protect your child against illnesses.”

Meanwhile, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) says that more than 60% of the births registered in the country were completed without the details of the babies’ fathers.

The health department says this remains a big concern as children grow up without identification documents.

“We still have an issue with birth registrations, you find that some children grow without having proper identification, this does not have to be so because at many of our hospitals we have home affairs offices. So parents are encouraged to ensure that their little ones are registered so that they can be issued with a proper birth certificate,” says Modiba.

The Department of Health congratulated the parents and offered them gifts in celebration.

Listen to the full interview Radio Islam conducted with Gauteng’s department of health communications officer, Motalatale Modiba: