A joyous and exciting festive season was on the cards for the families of 273 babies who made their long-awaited arrival on Christmas and New Year’s Day at health facilities in the Western Cape.
A total of 172 cherubs were born at facilities of the provincial Department of Health and Wellness on Christmas Day, while 101 newborns rung in the New Year at provincial facilities on Wednesday 1 January.
Among these were babies born at Helderberg Hospital and Macassar Midwife Obstetrics Unit (MOU).
However, the department could not provide the exact number of newborns at the two local facilities at the time of going to print.
But it confirmed a beautiful baby girl was born to mom Maudy Tirivangani at Helderberg Hospital on Christmas Day.
The New Year also started on high note for a local mom, who gave birth to a healthy baby girl at Macassar MOU at 00:20, the second little one born in the province in 2025.
The baby girl weighed 2,89 kg at birth.
The department also announced the birth of three sets of twins in the province on 1 January, two sets born at Tygerberg Hospital and one set at Groote Schuur Hospital.
Remarkably, no babies were born at Mediclinic Vergelegen on either days, while Busamed Paardevlei Private Hospital no longer has a maternity unit.
Mireille Wenger, provincial minister for Health and Wellness, congratulated the parents of all the province’s newborns, reminding them to embrace the services offered at local clinics to support babies’ early development, especially for the first 1 000 days of their lives.
Clinic visits provide access to essential services such as immunisations, health education and regular check-ups. These services are designed to help families start well, ensuring their children have the strongest foundation for a bright future.
“The birth of a child is a moment of great joy and hope, symbolising new beginnings. We celebrate with families welcoming their little ones today and urge parents to access the support available to them through our clinics,” Wenger said.
“Together we can ensure every child starts life with the care they deserve. Thank you to our health-care workers for being the backbone of our health system.”
