Teen impregnates three fellow pupils

31 girls at school carrying babies

Police have been deployed to a Limpopo school where at least 31 pupils have fallen pregnant, three of them by the same boy.

The officers, according to Mukhwantheli Secondary School principal Mashudu Maboho, had been summoned to conduct random searches for illegal substances.

The school in Dididi village outside Thohoyandou made headlines this week after the provincial department of health revealed the shocking number of pupils who had fallen pregnant.

The school faces many problems including a high number of pregnancies and pupils involved in illegal activities.

Maboho said he was worried about the high number of pregnancies in his school.

“The high number of pregnancies by pupils leads to dropouts and absenteeism,” he said. “We have also engaged the services of psychologists to help with counselling to the pupils.

“I can speak without any fear of contradiction that there are no blessers taking advantage of our pupils. The pupils do this all by themselves.”

Maboho said the majority of pupils’ parents work in Gauteng and do not show up for school meetings.

The school caters for pupils from the villages of Tshiulungoma, Dididi, Tshitomboni and Tambaulate.

A grade 10 male pupil at the school was found to have impregnated three girls.

Speaking to Sowetan, the 17year-old boy said he would take care of the girls he had impregnated.

“I do odd jobs such as plumbing and electrical wiring during weekends and I hope to use the money to look after my children and their mothers,” he said.

Two of the pupils have given birth while the third is due for delivery in December.

A teach er who spoke on condition of anonymity blamed poverty for the high level of teenage pregnancies.

“Villagers take advantage of the poverty levels of the area and use any means to convince the pupils to fall for them,” said the teacher.

The school has 952 pupils from grades 8 to 11, and 197 pupils in matric.

Chairperson of the school governing body, Thakhani Munyai, said they did not know about the pregnancies until the visit by the department on Tuesday.

“It’s so sad that our children have fallen pregnant while at school. We are going to call parents to participate in the activities of the school with a view to assist the situation.”

Education department spokesperson Sam Makondo yesterday said they were alarmed at the school’s high rate of teenage pregnancies.

I do odd jobs and hope to look after my children

/ ANTONIO MUCHAVE Mukhwantheli Secondary Schoool in Dididi village outside Thohoyandou has been rocked by a scandal of teenage pregnancies after it was discovered that 31 of the pupils had fallen pregnant, 20 of whom have already given birth this year.