Subscribe to Updates
Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.
Author: Njih Favour
This project is funded by: In Embo, a small community outside Hillcrest, northwest of Durban, Maxwell “Starring” Nxele (56) is changing lives, one punch and leg lift at a time. Maxwell “Starring” Nxele wants to give back to his community. (Photo: Sandile Mbili) The karate sensei and professional fitness trainer who’s a branch chief of the World Kyokushin MMA Federation in South Africa, uses his skills to get people moving by hosting aerobic exercise and training classes at a local hall. In January this year, the father of five started free group fitness classes because he wanted to ‘give back…
Huge gains have been made in reducing the number of children who acquire HIV, yet this progress seems to have stabilised in recent years. (Photo: Note Thanun/Unsplash) News & Features 26th May 2025 | Elri Voigt Massive gains have been made in reducing new HIV infections and deaths in children. Yet, many of the statistics for children still look worse than those for adults. Spotlight asked experts why this is the case and what factors prevent children living with HIV from starting and staying on the treatment that can keep them healthy. Of the 157 000 children living with HIV…
by Dr Bulela Vava, President of the Public Oral Health Forum The ongoing Human Resources for Health policy review, led by a Ministerial Advisory Committee appointed by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, offers a crucial opportunity to disrupt and redesign the future of leadership in South Africa’s healthcare system. Yet, with disappointing predictability, the same outdated patterns continue to play out. For instance, the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) is looking to fill the position of Executive Manager: Health Standards Development, Analysis and Support; a strategic, high-level leadership role tasked with shaping the metrics by which quality and safety in…
22 May SAHPRA Approves First WHO EUL Mpox Test Kit Pretoria, 22 May 2025 –The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), having applied Reliance on the World Health Organization (WHO) PQ assessment under Emergency Use Listing, has listed the first mpox (monkeypox) in vitro diagnostic (IVD). This serves as an important step in improving global access to mpox testing by using a reliance process. The emergency use approval of the Alinity m MPX assay, developed by Abbott Molecular Inc. and licensed to Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd, represents a critical advancement in expanding diagnostic capacity amid mpox outbreaks. Rapid and accurate testing is essential for early detection, timely treatment, and effective containment of the virus. “For…
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has described the state of public hospitals in South Africa as a serious concern that requires the collective efforts of all political parties and levels of government. Delivering the third iteration of the 2025 budget speech on Wednesday, Godongwana announced targeted budget allocations to improve public health infrastructure, including hospitals and clinics. The health department’s total budget will increase from R277 billion in the 2024/25 financial year to R296 billion in 2025/26. Before presenting the health budget, Godongwana read an emotional open letter from Sarah Stein, a young medical student at the University of Cape Town.…
OPEN LETTER | Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi, please explain the HIV numbers • Spotlight
Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. (Photo: GCIS)Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi’s recent claim that over half a million people have been newly started on HIV treatment in less than six months has raised eyebrows in health circles. In this open letter, Anna Grimsrud and Sibongile Tshabalala-Madhlala, associated with CHANGE – South Africa, ask the Minister to explain numbers that, on the face of it, seem contradictory. We write to you in response to your 15 May 2025 press statement and subsequent remarks in Parliament on the current status of the national HIV, AIDS, and TB campaign. You stated that…
A 30-year-old mother from Praktiseer near Burgersfort in Limpopo wants nurses at Dilokong Hospital to take responsibility for their alleged negligent treatment. Karabo Magabe says her baby, Onthatile, is lucky to be alive. (Photo:Supplied) On Thursday 8 May Karabo Magabe started getting contractions and was rushed to Dilokong Hospital. When she arrived at the hospital the doctor said she was experiencing false labour and wanted to admit her to the antenatal care ward. But Magabe tells Health-e News that she refused, as she knew was ready to give birth. She was admitted to the labour ward where she started to…
The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) stipulates that junior doctors should work 40 hours per week, with a maximum of 20 hours overtime, and rest periods, including a 12-hour break, between weekend shifts. However, in practice, these regulations are often ignored. In the country’s overburdened public health facilities, junior doctors routinely work between 80 and 120 hours per week. “While standard contracts may list 40 to 60 hours a week, this excludes the excessive overtime that is almost always required due to chronic understaffing,” Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa, chairperson of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), tells Health-e News.…
He leads with heart and hustle at Groote Schuur but money is a big problem, says nursing boss • Spotlight
Aghmat Mohamed is the first male Director of Nursing Services at Groote Schuur Hospital, where he manages 1 700 nurses. (Photo: Biénne Huisman/Spotlight) News & Features 20th May 2025 | Biénne Huisman Groote Schuur Hospital’s first male nursing manager, Aghmat Mohamed, reflects on the pressures of nursing in South Africa. Ahead of International Nurses Day and the release of a major global report on the state of nursing, Biénne Huisman chatted to him about his decades on the front lines of healthcare. Nurses cradle new life with tender hands and soothe those at the end of it. Yet through tireless…
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major public health concern in South Africa, with over 8.2 million people reported to be living with the condition. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa, hypertension affects around 45% of men and 48% of women over the age of 15. Despite its high prevalence, many people remain unaware of their condition. Shonisani Nephalama, nutrition lead at the Heart and Stroke Foundation, says only about 19% of men and 29% of women are aware they’re hypertensive. According to Nephalama, a staggering 91.1% of people with hypertension are either unscreened, undiagnosed, untreated,…