It was joy and tears as more than 260 Christmas Day babies were born across the country at midnight.
Gauteng province seems to be in the lead, with 184 bundles of joy delivered at public health facilities across the province from 00:00 am until 12:00 pm today.
The gender includes 105 boys and 79 girls.
Some of the babies were welcomed by MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko with gifts at the Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital.
“Congratulations to all the families.
We would also like to encourage parents to ensure that their bundles of joy are immunised at specified dates set out on the road to health care booklet to protect them against diseases such as polio, tuberculosis, hepatitis, measles, and meningitis.
Immunisation is free at all public clinics and community healthcare centres in the province,” said Nkomo-Ralehoko.
From 00H00 until 12H00, 50 healthy babies were delivered in public health facilities across the North West province.
Bojanala district, the biggest in the province, have thus far, delivered 22 babies, followed by Dr Kenneth Kaunda District at 11, Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati at nine and Ngaka Modiri Molema district at eight.
The Health MEC Sello Lehari congratulated the proud mothers for delivering bouncing healthy babies, with no complications reported thus far.
“This is a demonstration that we have capacity, we have specialists and people who really know what they are doing.
We are proud of this auspicious moment, we will educate these new mothers thoroughly from here on how to care for them before we discharge them.
I want to say Merry Christmas to them.
The more the merrier,” said the elated Lehari, who visited the Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital complex as part of the celebrations and shared gifts with mothers and their newborns.
Of the new mothers, the youngest is 16-year-old who gave birth to a baby boy at Klerksdorp/Tshepong Tertiary Hospital.
The Eastern Cape recorded 44 newborns thus far, including 26 boys and 18 girls.
KwaZulu-Natal recorded 47 bundles of joy born thus far.
The department said the newborn are 26 girls and 21 boys, including twins.
Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane however expressed concern over teenage girls that gave birth and called on such incidents to be reported to the police.
The Western Cape welcomed 18 babies, made of ten girls and eight boys.
“On this joyous Christmas Day, I want to extend my warmest congratulations to the families welcoming their precious little ones into the world.
To the new mothers, I wish you all the love, health, and happiness as you embark on this incredible journey of motherhood.
May your baby’s arrival bring even more joy and light to your hearts,” said Health and Wellness MEC, Mireille Wenger.
She however highlighted that the number may increase as the day progresses.
The Free State Province welcomed 24 babies born at its public health facilities between 00:01-08:00.
According to the provincial department of Health, of the number of babies born, 15 are boys and nine are girls.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister Nzuza, has urged the mothers of the newly born babies to ensure that their babies are registered with the Department of Home Affairs immediately after birth through offices across all public hospitals.
“The entry into the national population register is through birth registration, without it, those children cannot fully access service.
Through our collaboration with the Department of Health nationally we have made it easier for parents to register their children by opening Home Affairs offices within health facilities,” explained Nzuza.
