Teenage Pregnancy

This week, Siyayinqoba Beat It! looks at how unplanned teenage pregnancies fundamentally change the lives of two young parents, Siyathemba Ndlovu, who fell pregnant when she was thirteen and Ayanda Finger, who became a father when he was eighteen. Especially in financially vulnerable families, this poses a considerable economic challenge for the babies' grandparents and jeopardizes the teenage parents' school careers and future prospects. It also puts teenagers and their unborn babies at greater risk of being exposed to HIV.

In South Africa one in three girls falls pregnant before the age of 20. Siyathemba Ndlovu was just thirteen when she fell pregnant. She doesn't blame anybody else for what happened to her, she says she was just having fun and trying to fit in with the crowd. She wanted to be part of a group at school called the "Top Girls" and have "a handsome boyfriend." She realizes now that this was wrong but didn't know better at the time. She didn't think that she would fall pregnant, nor was she aware of the risk of HIV. She tested during her pregnancy and fortunately the result was negative. Only since falling pregnant has she started to use condoms.

When we first meet Siyathemba she is busy getting ready for school. Now eighteen, she juggles motherhood and school, more or less successfully, but is still heavily reliant on her mother Busisiwe's support. She finds the responsibility difficult and depends on the money her mother provides from her pension and the sale of handbags she crochets. Her mother also reminds her of her responsibilities: "I'm trying to teach her how to look after the baby ... You can't expect a child to look after another child." Busiswe's wish is for her daughter to successfully complete high school, go to university and get a job that will allow her to support her child.

In cases where children fall pregnant it often ends up being the grandmother or the mother who are left to raise the baby while boys often get away free. This is not always the way though, as our CJs learn when they visit Ayanda Finger in KZN. Ayanda too was a teenager who just wanted to fit in. He felt pressured by some of his peers who already had children - they laughed at him because he had a girlfriend but no children. When he was 18 he too became a father.

Across South Africa, denial of paternity is common so a teenage father taking responsibility is the exception rather than the norm. Ayanda has embraced his role, diligently packing his school bag in the morning while getting his son Akhona ready for the day. Still though the pressure is tough and trying to be a father and passing grade 10 proved too much for Ayanda. "I couldn't concentrate on my studies because having a baby disturbed me. One of the things that happened is that I failed. I had to repeat grade 10."

In order to earn some money, he uses his sound system to deejay at weddings and parties. Before becoming a father, he used to get money from his mother. "My life was very simple before I had a child. I got everything I wanted," he says. He was scared initially that he would have to give up his dreams. For his mother and grandmother the pressure to support the baby financially was immense. Ayanda's advice to his peers is to "Go to school and focus on achieving your goals. After that you can get married and have children."