Author: Njih Favour

Tuberculosis (TB) remains South Africa’s deadliest infectious disease, claiming 56,000 lives in 2023, despite new cases declining sharply in recent years. “Over the years, we’ve been struggling with this. We still see a lot of patients continue to die from tuberculosis,” says Norbert Ndjeka, Chief Director: TB Control and Management in the National Department of Health. He was speaking at the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society (SAHCS) conference in Cape Town this week.  South Africa is among the 30 countries that have the highest TB burden in the world. In 2023, around 270 000 people had the disease. More than…

Research for impact has guided Dr Nomathemba Chandiwana’s career in public health research. (Photo: Supplied) News & Features 20th August 2025 | Ufrieda Ho The obesity epidemic will hit South Africa hard on top of our high HIV burden, but advocate researcher and scientist Dr Nomathemba Chandiwana says she is ready to fight back harder. She speaks to Ufrieda Ho about her journey from working in state hospitals to transitioning into obesity medicine, and her move to Cape Town. For the briefest moment, Dr Nomathemba Chandiwana could have had a career in music – guitar in her arms, singing songs…

This project is funded by: Zodwa Ngubo*from Embo, west of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal’s Ugu district is currently seven months pregnant. The 33-year-old drinks a herbal tonic, isihlambezo, daily as she believes it will help her avoid a caesarean-section delivery and any complications during childbirth.  She sought the mixture from a local woman, “Gogo Mdlalose”*, who isn’t a traditional healer, but is known for mixing isihlambezo in her community. When asked to disclose the ingredients used, Mdlalose declined, saying it’s a “family legacy”.  This isn’t Ngubo’s first time using isihlambezo prepared by Mdlalose. “She is well-regarded in our community. I’ve never…

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in South Africa, despite the disease being largely preventable through vaccination and regular screening. Each year, around 10 700 women in South Africa are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and about 5 870 lose their lives to the disease. It is mainly caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Almost everyone who’s sexually active will be exposed to HPV at some point, often without even knowing it. Most strains are harmless and disappear on their own, but a few high-risk types can cause genital warts or develop into cancers of the…

Phola, a community situated near Eskom’s Kendal power station, has long been exposed to the health risks associated with coal pollution. (Photo: Thom Pierce/Spotlight) News & Features 18th August 2025 | Sue Segar Despite a landmark court judgment three years ago that upheld the right to clean air, air pollution remains rife in South Africa’s coal country. For part 2 of this Spotlight special series, journalist Sue Segar and photographer Thom Pierce travelled to meet some of the activists on the ground in Mpumalanga. About a decade ago, whilst playing football with his friends in the community of Phola in…

When Simamkele Selem was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism in January 2024, at the age of 21, she knew nothing about the condition.  What followed was something that she never expected. She needed assistance with daily tasks because of muscle weakness caused by long-term hospitalisation and oxygen use. There were multiple follow-up appointments with cardiologists, a series of tests, a heart attack, surgery and physiotherapy for recovery. Selem was also exhausted from having to travel from East London to Cape Town for treatment.  Today, Selem is raising awareness about the life-threatening condition.  “Coming from a small town called Alice in the…

When 21-year-old Simamkele Selem from Alice in the Eastern Cape, started feeling dizzy, breathless, and coughing blood, she had no idea her life was about to change. After much persuasion, she was finally admitted to Life St. Dominic’s Hospital in East London, where she was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism – a life threatening condition where a blood clot travels to the lungs and blocks blood flow. This stops oxygen-rich blood from reaching the brain and other vital organs. After emergency care, a heart attack, and a major open-chest surgery in Cape Town, Simamkele is now on a steady path to…

This project is funded by: Noxolo Mthembu (68) and her family of 12 have been living in a make-shift shack in Inchanga, north of Durban, since they lost their home during the 2022 floods.  The family, which includes nine children aged between four and 17, lost all of their belongings, including identity documents and clinic cards. As a result, they have been living without access to basic health and social services. “I have 9 children that I live with. I wish they were getting grants, but they don’t have birth certificates,” says Mthembu. “I’ve struggled a lot with all of…

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi announced that National Treasury has allocated funds to offset the impact of US funding withdrawals. (Photo: Kopano Tlape/GCIS) News & Features 14th August 2025 | Jesse Copelyn In response to US funding cuts for South African health services and research projects, National Treasury has provided the National Department of Health with hundreds of millions of rands in emergency funds. Spotlight and GroundUp look at how precisely the government intends to spend this money. Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi recently announced that National Treasury had released roughly R753 million to help plug the gap left by…

This project is funded by: For 15 years, residents of Mahonisi Waterval village in Elim, in Limpopo’s Vhembe District Municipality, have been living with the harsh reality of sewage leaks in their neighbourhood. Rhulani Chavalala, a community leader and member of the African People’s Convention (APC), speaks about the long-standing issue.  “Since 2009, this sewage has not been repaired. Councillors have come in and changed, but no one cares about the sewage,” he says. According to Chavalala, some residents have been writing letters for over a decade, but “the municipality has not helped, and the residents have not received any…