Author: Njih Favour
This project is funded by: EASTERN CAPE: Residents of Cefane Hoek, a rural village near Ngcobo, Eastern Cape, say they have been cut off from clinics, schools and emergency services after floods washed away the only bridge connecting their community to nearby towns. The bridge, which connects the village to Ngcobo and Elliot, was destroyed during heavy rains that hit part of the province last month. Villagers say the bridge was washed away by the recent floods. (Photo: Siyabonga Kamnqa) Elderly residents say the situation has made it even harder for them to access medical care. Seventy-four-year-old Nosakhele Godlwa has…
Finding hearing loss in children as early as possible helps them develop and learn at the same pace as other children who can hear normally. (Photo: Shutterstock) News & Features 9th March 2026 | Hannah Abrahams Despite the proven benefits of newborn hearing screening and early intervention, universal screening is not yet mandated in South Africa and is only available at a few public hospitals. Thousands of babies are born with hearing loss in South Africa each year, however, most are often diagnosed only after the crucial early years for learning language. Hearing loss is the most common sensory impairment…
Sharon Mbonani grew up frequenting clinics in eMbalenhle, a township in Mpumalanga, seeking treatment for chronic sinus infection. In 2015, she attended a training workshop organised by the environmental advocacy group, Greenpeace, and learned how pollution affected her sinuses. “I thought it was something that comes with the seasons,” says the 30-year-old mother of one. “It affected me my entire life. I took a lot of pills for sinus disease and medication for allergies.” Sinusitis, which causes the spaces inside the nose and head known as sinuses to become inflamed and swollen, is a respiratory infection that can be caused…
This project is funded by: An eight-year-old boy from Muyexe village near Giyani, Limpopo, drowned in an abandoned borrow pit filled with rainwater, prompting calls for authorities to be held responsible. A borrow pit is an excavated area where material has been dug for use at another location. Grade 4 learner Siyabonga Maluleke, from Muyexe Primary School, was buried at the weekend after his body was recovered on 19 February. Siyabonga Maluleke (8) was buried last week. “At around 2pm, (on 18 February) my child returned home from school and then went out with his three friends,” says Obet…
Maryke Bezuidenhout checks her patient Qhamkile Gumede’s wheelchair during a home-based visit. (Photo: Thom Pierce/Spotlight) News & Features 5th March 2026 | Sue Segar Maryke Bezuidenhout is constantly on the road in rural, northern KwaZulu-Natal visiting and helping people with disabilities where they live. As part of Spotlight’s new Rural Health Heroes series, writer Sue Segar and photographer Thom Pierce tagged along with her. On a sweltering Wednesday morning in Makwakwa in the far north of KwaZulu-Natal, about 20 kms from the southern border of Mozambique, a bakkie drives up to a small home in the middle of the bush.…
This project is funded by: Health authorities have confirmed a tuberculosis (TB) outbreak among homeless people staying in North Beach, Durban. Nearly 200 people who currently live in tents at North Beach tested positive for TB, sparking urgent public health interventions. KZN health mobile TB screening. (Photo: Phumzie Mkhungo) The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has deployed screening teams to the site to test residents and begin treatment for those who test positive. This is part of the national TB recovery plan to mitigate disruptions caused by COVID-19 lockdowns. Contact tracing is also underway to limit further spread of the infectious…
A team of trainee sprayers learning how to cover indoor surfaces with insecticide. (Photo: SAMRC). News & Features 4th March 2026 | Joan van Dyk Get to know South Africa’s malaria experts as they outrun hitchhiking mosquitoes and pollution-hardy bugs while navigating a regional funding collapse and a spiralling climate crisis. A month after deadly floods hit parts of South Africa, Thabiso Ledwaba is still on edge. Others in Limpopo’s provincial government are picking up the pieces of a deadly crisis that has already happened, but for Ledwaba, the disaster only begins once the floodwaters recede, and it unfolds in…
This project is funded by: For nine months, since May 2025, Kgorathuto Secondary School in Botshabelo in the Free State had ongoing water shortages, making the toilets unusable. Learners arrived at school for registers to be taken, and were then sent home. “We cannot be satisfied that our kids don’t get an education. Teachers are getting paid to work, yet they don’t do their work because each day after morning prayers, kids are let to leave. This has been happening for a long time, and it needs to stop”, says a parent, Mpho Tseisi. Following numerous demonstrations staged by parents,…
If someone living with HIV is not on antiretroviral therapy, the virus can cause inflammation in, among other places, the brain. (Photo: Shutterstock) News & Features 3rd March 2026 | Biénne Huisman Antiretroviral therapy has shifted HIV from a fatal to a chronic condition. But neuropsychiatrists say it is imperative for people living with the virus to start treatment immediately as the “duration of untreated exposure” may cause irreversible brain damage and impact long-term cognitive health. It has been recognised for decades that cognitive impairment is a potential complication of HIV infection. Questions over how likely and how serious this…
Researchers say sanitary pads and pantyliners sold in local stores may increase the risk of health problems like fertility issues and certain cancers over time. Menstrual products have been at the centre of online conversations this past week, after a study by researchers from the University of the Free State (UFS) found chemicals in 16 brands of pads and eight types of pantyliners sold locally. Researchers say the chemicals were found in small amounts, but repeated exposure over many years may increase the risk of health problems such as fertility issues and certain cancers. The findings have left many women…