Author: Njih Favour

By the numbers: 10.1% of young South Africans live with depressive disorders. 6.7% experience anxiety disorders. 17.6% have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).These findings come from a systematic review by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), released ahead of World Mental Health Day. The big picture:Globally, mental health challenges are among the leading causes of illness and disability in young people. In South Africa, these pressures are intensified by poverty, violence, and limited access to care. What they’re saying: “Young people are navigating a critical phase of human development during which they experience heightened vulnerability to environmental factors that shape their mental health,” said Prof. Carrie Brooke-Sumner, Specialist…

FROM THE ARCHIVE Taking a drive down Klipfontein Road in Cape Town can be a herculean task depending on the time of the day. Pedestrians, taxis, Golden Arrow buses and cars all compete for pole position on the road. Hawkers dipping and diving through the busy race, trying to sell fruits, vegetables or other wares. After passing through Athlone, and crossing Jakes Gerwel Drive, you eventually arrive at the gates of the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children (SBC). The gates sit just on the edge of Manenberg, a large community in the Cape flats. The facility is a…

#InsideTheBox is a column by Dr Andy Gray, a pharmaceutical sciences expert at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Co-Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Pharmaceutical Policy and Evidence Based Practice. (Photo: Supplied) Comment & Analysis 9th October 2025 | Andy Gray In several countries, the public is given an opportunity to share their views with regulators before new medicines are registered or to engage with those choosing essential medicines. In South Africa, however, opportunities for such public participation remains limited. In his latest #InsideTheBox column, Dr Andy Gray takes a look at how public participation is handled elsewhere and…

This project is funded by: Several incidents were reported, including the hijacking of vehicles transporting ARVs(Photo: X/SoulCity_SA) Several incidents were reported, including the hijacking of vehicles transporting ARVs(Photo: X/SoulCity_SA) In the Durban township of Umlazi,  the fight against HIV includes a battle against crime. People receiving antiretroviral (ARVs) treatment are being robbed of their medication. This happened to 24-year-old Ntokozo Ntuli in June this year.   “I was walking home from the clinic when two young men approached me and took my medication. I didn’t file a police report, but I did inform the community policing forum (CPF),” Ntuli says.  She…

Karlena Matthyzer scooping samp in the Pebbles Kitchen, which produces between 2 200 and 2 400 meals daily. (Photo: Biénne Huisman/Spotlight) News & Features 7th October 2025 | Biénne Huisman Despite the country’s relative wealth, South Africa has shockingly high levels of childhood malnutrition and stunting. Spotlight spent some time with a small team who have made it their business to bring solutions to the table and to get nutritious meals to the kids of farm workers in the Western Cape. At the Pebbles Kitchen at Klein Joostenberg outside Stellenbosch, Karlena Matthyzer is scooping boiled samp into plastic packets. These…

23-year-old Othandiweyo Mkula from Tsolo in the Eastern Cape is on a mission to help prevent more young people in his community from acquiring HIV.  Mkula tells Health-e News that when he tested positive for HIV in 2021, it felt as if his world were crumbling. As a gay person living with HIV, he has faced stigma and discrimination that have severely impacted his mental health.  “People can be cruel and say all sorts of nasty things that may break you if you are not a strong person,” says Mkula. “The fact that I grew up gay was a challenge…

By Dr David R. Katerere, Dr Ntamo T. Lechaba and Dr Kumbirayi I. Mateva In early 2025, South Africa’s Minister of Health issued a government notice banning the sale, production, and import of food products containing cannabis, including hemp seed oil and flour. The ban was based on the 1972 Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act. After public backlash and threats of legal action, the notice was withdrawn for further consultation. While widely understood as a ban on “cannabis edibles”, the incident highlights deeper inconsistencies in South Africa’s cannabis and hemp laws. Rather than being a setback, the controversy offers an…

It’s been 28 years, but Thabisile Gumede remembers the day she first experienced a schizophrenic episode. She was just 17 years old and visiting her grandmother’s farm in KwaMhlabauyalingana in the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal.  “I heard a voice saying: ‘I’m so pathetic. Do you really think anyone cares if you’re sad?” Gumede recalls.  “I didn’t know where it came from. I looked around, and I couldn’t see anyone, but this voice kept talking to me. I got scared. I just ran home because I was out in the field. I thought I could just hide in my room, and…

Dr Deidre McPherson is one of ten women trauma surgeons in South Africa’s public healthcare sector. (Photo: Discovery Foundation) News & Features 3rd October 2025 | Biénne Huisman Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town has one of the busiest emergency centres in the Western Cape. As it turns to the public to raise R20 million for the opening of a new emergency centre, Dr Deidre McPherson chats to Spotlight about the hospital’s trauma frontline. Deep into the night while most of Cape Town is asleep, trauma surgeon Dr Deidre McPherson slips into work scrubs, hitting the highway to Groote Schuur…

This project is funded by: The gold mine dumps towering over parts of Soweto are a familiar landscape. But for those living in their shadow, these landmarks pose a serious health threat. “Growing up in Diepkloof next to a mine dump was normal, as the mine dump was seen as a natural mountain,” says Michael Lelaka.  “However, growing older, we saw that the mountain was yellow in colour. And during the dry season, it is unbearable living in Diepkloof. The gold dust will cover the yard with a fine yellow dust. You’ll find this dust inside the house, on the…