Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga has showered the first babies born on Christmas Day in the capital with gifts. Among them is baby Eva Tshabalala, the first baby to be born in the city.
She was born at the George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Ga-Rankuwa outside Pretoria just after one in the morning.
Msimanga will be visiting seven hospitals in the city where 135 babies are expected to be born on Tuesday (25 December).
By midday, 57 babies had been delivered in the whole of Gauteng. 29-year-old Thandeka Tshabalala from Tembisa, east of Johannesburg delivered a healthy 3kg baby.
The hospital has already delivered seven babies and is expecting to deliver 22 Christmas babies in total. 29-year-old Lorraine Khoza from Atteridgeville west of Pretroia also delivered a healthy baby boy in the early hours of the morning.
“I’m a proud mom loving and caring. I was expecting the baby even though it was hard. At least I made it. Thank you for the hamper, I appreciate it very much” says Khoza.
To welcome the babies in style Mayor Solly Msimanga had special gifts for mother and child.
“Well, its baby hampers. It’s essentials you would need on the first days of the child being born; your nappies, blankets, toys, all formula you might need. We felt that is good to give something back to our future MEC’s, presidents and doctors and nurses. We need to plant a seed and that’s what we’re doing today,” explains Msimanga.
Hospital CEO Dr Freddy Kgongwana has praised the work done by the staff in the maternity ward.
“Those are the brave ones because we deliver about 10 000 babies a year, and these ladies are just awesome. They are out of this world, and we’re asking our community to pray for this team. We’re asking four our prayers,” says Kgongwana.
Mothers who have delivered Christmas babies in various public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal say they are beyond happy holding healthy babies. Some were earlier given birth certificates of their babies at the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital by the Minister of Home Affairs Siyabonga Cwele.
The province of KwaZulu-Natal had three teenage mothers. These mothers say they will be raising their children with love.
Free State Health MEC Montsheng Tsiu says the department has beefed up security at hospitals to prevent any attempt to steal new borns.
Tsiu has showered mothers of the Christmas babies with gifts and has expressed satisfaction that mothers have already received birth certificates for their babies.
