Author: Njih Favour

When Klaas Ledwaba’s family admitted him to the psychiatric ward of  Philadelphia Hospital in Dennilton, Limpopo last week, they didn’t expect that just a few days later, he would be dead. Ledwaba, 33, was shot and killed at the weekend in a gruesome attack. But the circumstances surrounding his death are unusual.  Gruesome attack According to sources, in the early hours of Saturday, 8 March, another patient in the ward, a 45-year-old man, allegedly went into a rage and started attacking those around him. Police were called to de-escalate the situation, but were met with a gruesome scene.  “A male…

One of Johannesburg’s oldest hospitals, Helen Joseph, is in disarray. Lack of security, non-payment of food service providers, dirty linen piling up in the corridors, decaying infrastructure and poor governance and leadership are just some of the challenges highlighted in two reports released by the Health Ombud and Office of Health Standard Compliance (OHSC) during a media briefing on 10 March.  The reports share the findings of an investigation prompted by a Facebook Live video by former broadcaster Thomas Holmes, also known as Tom London. In the video, which went viral on social media, London complained about disrespectful hospital staff,…

Parents whose children attend Dr AT Moreosele Secondary School in Mabopane, north of Pretoria, say the toilets at the school have been out of order since March last year. Around 2000 learners, they say, are expected to use toilets with no running water.   “The toilets are not working, they are filthy and always blocked. There is no privacy as most of them do not have doors. To add salt to injury, children have to bring water from home to drink as taps run dry after the lunch break. When we ask why, the principal tells us the water bill is…

The BRILLIANT Consortium was awarded about R829 million in 2023 to develop an HIV vaccine. (Photo: Gerd Altmann/Pixabay) News & Features 10th March 2025 | Catherine Tomlinson A groundbreaking project to study potential HIV vaccines in several African countries has been derailed by an abrupt cut in funding from the United States government. As a result, several promising vaccine candidates might not be tested in clinical trials. A group of leading African researchers trying to develop effective vaccines against HIV is trying to figure out how to salvage their ambitious research after losing funding due to the Trump administration’s cuts…

Patients in Botshabelo in the Free State say they’ve been denied healthcare by staff at Potlako Motlohi clinic. Since mid-February clinic staff have been telling them that they cannot be helped due to the data-capturing computer system being offline.    Tshokolo Sanda says on Thursday 20 February, he and other patients spent more than eight hours at the facility before being turned away.   “I suspect workers were only punishing us, how can they leave us from 6 o’clock in the morning to late at 3pm and tell us to come back the next day when the system is working. Then they…

Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. (Photo: GCIS) Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. (Photo: GCIS) The abrupt halt of PEPFAR (the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) funding to South Africa threatens the country’s fight against HIV, putting thousands of healthcare workers’ jobs at risk and disrupting treatment for millions of patients. The big picture With 7.8 million people living with HIV, South Africa now faces a funding shortfall of around R8 billion that could upend progress made in reducing infections and deaths. Addressing Parliament on Thursday 6 March, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi outlined events since US President Donald…

The Universal Health Care Access Coalition (UHAC), an affiliation of health professionals, founders, and advocacy groups, argues that the government’s focus on pricing alone will not reduce the high cost of private healthcare. The coalition was responding to the government’s announcement last week of measures being adopted to implement recommendations made by the Health Market Inquiry to address the high prices in the sector.  Why this matters The cost of private healthcare in South Africa has long been under the spotlight. Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has repeatedly said that addressing this issue is a pre-condition for the National Health…

South Africa’s HIV testing programme has been a huge success over the last decade, largely due to the use of rapid tests. (File photo: Unicef) News & Features 6th March 2025 | Ufrieda Ho Amid major disruptions caused by aid cuts from the United States government, the health department aims to enrol a record number – an additional 1.1 million – of people living with HIV on life-saving antiretroviral medicine this year. Experts tell Spotlight it can’t be business as usual if this ambitious programme is to have a chance of succeeding. Government’s new “Close the Gap” campaign launched at…

by Dr Sharon Nyatsanza, Deputy Director, National Council Against SmokingThis year marks the 20th anniversary of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) coming into force. This critical milestone in global health progress has become one of the most rapidly and widely embraced treaties in United Nations history. Since its adoption in 2005, the FCTC has united countries in implementing policies to combat the tobacco epidemic, focusing on measures like tobacco advertising bans, taxation, and public smoking restrictions.In 2003, South Africa was one of the first signatories to this Treaty.   We now stand on the…

Health organisations warn of a severe crisis if US pulls funding. Some US-backed services have already closed. (Illustration: Lisa Nelson) News & Features 11th February 2025 | Jesse Copelyn A coalition of health service organisations has warned that patients will lose access to life-saving treatment if the US withdraws health funding to South Africa. Certain HIV and TB-related health services are continuing for now under a limited waiver. But the waiver has failed to cover organisations that provide services, including HIV care, specifically to LGBTI people and people who inject drugs. Two PEPFAR-funded harm reduction centres have already closed their…