Pretoria - South Africa has about 905 453 maternal orphans, many of whom have lost their parents to Aids.
This accounts for about 4 percent of all children living in South Africa, a surveillance study by the Department of Social Development and UNICEF revealed on Thursday.
Of the 905 453 orphans, 226 759, or 26 percent, were in KwaZulu-Natal. The province is followed by Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, where the numbers of orphans are estimated to be 147 136 - about 17 percent - and 142 444 - 16 percent - respectively.
The Northern Cape has the lowest number of maternal orphans at 24 769, followed by the Western Cape at 38 537.
The study used data consisting of birth and death files from the population register and excluded paternal orphans - meaning children who were without a living biological father, as the fathers' details are optional in birth registration processes.
Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini said these numbers needed to be addressed with utmost urgency.
Speaking at the unveiling of the study in Umzinyathi Discrict Municipality, which has 13 558 of KwaZulu-Natal's orphans, Dlamini said a collective effort was needed to address the needs of these children, such as food, shelter and education.
"These children remain an important part of our society and everyone in this community and other communities throughout the country has the responsibility to nurture and protect them."
The minister noted that the rate of increase in the number of orphans has levelled. She expects the number of maternal orphans to decrease as a result of government interventions, such as the expansion of access to anti-retroviral treatment for people living with HIV and Aids.
Dlamini said she would share the valuable information in this study with other government departments and community based organisations to ensure coordinated planning and responses.
"Through this study, we are able to know the geographical location of vulnerable children, their living conditions, and whether they do access government services or not," said the minister.
They would also be able to monitor the well-being of the orphans, who usually drop out of school and were vulnerable to all sorts of abuse.
"This enables us to see children not only in statistical terms, but to intervene in their lives in a way that will make a meaningful impact," said Dlamini, adding that it would also serve as an effective planning tool for government, particularly at the local level.
Dlamini said the major underlying causes of the spread of HIV in the country were gender inequity, gender-based violence and poverty.
In this light, the minister called on South Africans to fight the scourge of violence directed at women and children.
"We cannot continue to remain silent and apathetic as women and children suffer at the hands of merciless criminals. This is another epidemic that we cannot allow in our country."
