Katima mulilo: A total of eight New Year babies were born at Katima Mulilo District Hospital on Thursday. Senior Midwife at the hospital, Sister Chipo Katsande, shared the details with Nampa on Friday morning, highlighting the arrival of the first New Year baby, a girl, at 00h42, weighing 2.735 kilogrammes (kg).

According to Namibia Press Agency, Sister Katsande reported that the second baby, a boy, was also delivered at 00h42, weighing 3.210 kg. This was followed by the birth of a girl at 01h28, weighing 3.760 kg. The series of deliveries continued with a boy at 06h30, weighing 3.275 kg; a girl at 07h05, weighing 4.725 kg; another girl at 15h18, weighing 4.350 kg; a boy at 18h04, weighing 2.93 kg; and the final New Year delivery, a girl weighing 2.990 kg. Sister Katsande confirmed that all births were normal deliveries.

One of the mothers, forty-two-year-old Muti Kachocho, expressed her happiness to Nampa about delivering her sixth child on New Year's Day. Despite being unemployed, she is uncertain if her family will expand further. "I now have four girls and two boys in total - I don't know about the future," she said.

In a related event, on the previous Thursday, Christmas Day, the district hospital welcomed five Christmas babies. These included three girls and two boys, adding to the festive spirit at the hospital.