Author: Njih Favour

Three years ago, Zibuyile Ntuli’s life turned upside down. In  April 2022 she lost her home and six of her immediate family in one fell swoop when KwaZulu-Natal experienced some of the worst flooding on record. Close to 500 people lost their lives, over 4000 homes were destroyed, and 40 000 people were left homeless. Only one body from Ntuli’s family was recovered and buried. The rest remain unaccounted for.  “The pain is unbearable,” she tells Health-e News. “I almost collapsed when police told me earlier this year that they were officially closing the case, meaning they would stop searching…

Researchers from South Africa and Indonesia have joined forces on an ambitious study on asymptomatic TB. (Photo: Shutterstock) News & Features 6th November 2025 | Elri Voigt Over the last decade, there’s been growing evidence that people can have TB without having any symptoms. But there is still much uncertainty over how such asymptomatic TB functions in the body and how infectious it is. An ambitious study, set to be conducted in South Africa and Indonesia, is trying to find some answers.  Tuberculosis (TB), a diseased caused by a tenacious bacterium, has plagued the world for many centuries, with no…

For over three weeks, Jubilee District Hospital in Hammanskraal, north of Tshwane, has been facing a severe water crisis – part of the broader water supply problems due to infrastructure issues and cable theft.  The hospital’s water shortage has resulted in patients being unable to bathe, access clean drinking water, or use functioning bathrooms. Patients and staff describe conditions at the facility as unhygienic and inhumane.  “The wards are dirty and they stink, and there are uncontrollable flies. The toilets are not clean enough,” says a patient who wished to remain anonymous. Another patient told Health-e News his wound was…

Jaishree Raman, National Institute for Communicable Diseases South Africa, Botswana, and Eswatini are among 25 countries identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as having the potential to eliminate malaria by 2025.  But now this goal is out of reach. And it’s slipping further away.  The Africa Centres for Disease Control recently raised the alarm over the unexpected and significant increases in malaria cases and deaths in several Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, including Eswatini and Botswana.  South Africa has not experienced any recent malaria outbreaks, but it has also not managed to stop the local transmission of malaria.…

The cancellation of US aid funding to South Africa is harming the country’s HIV response. (Photo: Ahmad Ardity/Pixabay) Comment & Analysis 4th November 2025 | Marcus Low and Nathan Geffen The number of HIV viral load tests is significantly lower than expected, according to an analysis of data from the National Health Laboratory Service which Spotlight and GroundUp obtained through the Promotion of Access to Information Act. The number of HIV viral load tests recorded by the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) is significantly less than expected since February 2025. We are aware of no compelling reason to explain this…

An estimated 56 000 people died of TB in South Africa in 2023, according to the most recent WHO figures. (Photo: Shutterstock) News & Features 3rd November 2025 | Biénne Huisman Evidence has been mounting that poor nutrition impacts both someone’s risk of falling ill with TB and how well they do once ill. But as the World Health Organization (WHO) releases new guidelines on TB and nutrition, it is unclear to what extent the South African government is ready to invest in providing people with nutritional support as part of the fight against TB. That TB and malnutrition often…

by Dr Bulela Vava, President of the Public Oral Health Forum On 26 October 2025, the Eastern Cape Department of Health concluded a three-day oral-health blitz, a belated celebration of Oral Health Month. Partnering with Operation Smile, Colgate-Palmolive, and others, the campaign delivered oral healthcare services to nearly a thousand people, including life-changing cleft surgeries for children. These efforts deserve recognition. They shine a light on oral diseases and their human toll. But they also reveal something more uncomfortable: in South Africa, oral health is at risk of becoming a seasonal spectacle, not a routine service provided in a functional healthcare…

For two years, Xolani Mngomezulu from Indlovu Village in Mtubatuba, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, took at least eight pills a day and endured painful kanamycin injections after being diagnosed with multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB, a hard-to-treat form of the disease. “Taking TB drugs was the hardest part. They made me nauseous and exhausted. But I survived a disease that has killed many, so I feel like a winner,” she says. Despite her diagnosis in 2014, the 42-year-old mother-turned-TB activist didn’t have the usual symptoms such as coughing, chest pain, night sweats, or weight loss. This form of the disease is known…

National Health Insurance is a scheme that aims to address healthcare inequity in South Africa. (Photo: Rosetta Msimango/Spotlight) News & Features 29th October 2025 | Jesse Copelyn The NHI Act is facing a slew of legal challenges from multiple organisations. For this special series, Spotlight combed through court papers, and spoke with legal experts to pin down what specific arguments litigants are betting on. In part one, we focused on the claim that the scheme is unaffordable and therefore unreasonable. Here, in part two, we discuss the argument that the NHI will unjustifiably compromise people’s right to access healthcare services.…

By Dr Patrick Ngassa Piotie, Chairperson of the Diabetes Alliance South Africa In South Africa, two people can live with the same chronic condition yet face vastly different realities. One may rely on a continuous glucose monitor that sends real-time readings to a smartphone, helping them keep their blood sugar in range. The other may test sporadically with strips – if they’re available – relying on symptoms to guide care. One may use an easy-to-use pen for their insulin injections, while another may use a syringe and a vial – less convenient, less practical, and less safe. Both are living…