The Eastern Cape Health Department has launched an investigation after a 12-year-old girl gave birth at Frontier Hospital in Queenstown on Wednesday.This is by far the youngest recorded mother to give birth in the province, as it welcomed 44 newborns on New Year. It has since emerged that the father of the newborn, is 17-year-old. The Eastern Cape Health MEC, Ntandokazi Capa“We are making a follow up on that as the department, together with that of social development.A social worker has been sent to the child’s family. We have agreed that we’re not going to release the mother until we get to the end of it. We’ll meet with the family tomorrow (Thursday), and we’ve roped in the Social Development department,” said Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa.The incident comes after a 13-year-old girl gave birth in Limpopo, and the 28-year-old father of the child has since been arrested and remanded in custody after appearing at the Seshego Magistrates Court in Polokwane. Meanwhile, in the North West, Premier Lazarus Mokgosi has urged law enforcement agencies to investigate a case of statutory rape after a 16-year-old girl gave birth at one of the health facilities at the Kagisano Molopo Local Municipality on New Year’s Day.It was also revealed that the teenager first gave birth at the age of 14. The Premier expressed concerns over cases of teenage pregnancy in the province.“We are seriously concerned that we do have a high rate of teenage pregnancy in the province.And today as we are here at the Joe Morolong Memorial Hospital, and we picked up that among the four mothers who gave birth, one is about 16 years old,” said Mokgosi.Moreover, the premier instructed that a thorough investigation be conducted. “We’ve given an instruction that social workers attached to the maternity ward must finalize all the investigations that relate to this case.Once information has been established correctly so, we’ll then have to allow the processes to be followed including the law enforcement agencies,” explained Mokgosi.In addition, the premier said a multifaceted approach is needed to attend to this social ill and emphasised that action must be taken against individuals who violate children.Meanwhile, the provincial Department of Health said about 59 bundles of joy were borne at government health facilities between midnight and 18H00 on New Year’s Day and the number is expected to increase.