Girls' pregnancies soar

This is a crisis with significant health and socioeconomic implications Bosa.

- Zanele Mbengo

South Africa is grappling with an escalating teenage pregnancy crisis, particularly in rural areas like KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape which have the highest number of girls aged 10-14 who have given birth in the past few months.

This alarming trend revealed not just a spike in numbers but deep-seated systemic failures and inadequate protections for young girls. Build One South Africa (Bosa) has drawn up a petition demanding speedy public access to the National Register of Sexual Offenders in South Africa.

Bosa deputy leader Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster stressed the importance of public access to the National Register for Sexual Offenders. "The current restricted access to the register allows perpetrators to evade detection and accountability," she said.

"Making the register public would enable parents and guardians to screen individuals around their children and prevent potential offenders from slipping through the cracks."