Author: Njih Favour
Karen Mara Moss with a group of children from a dance group during an awareness campaign. With them, back right, is Mpumelelo Mhlongo, a Paralympic Champion in sprinting and long-jump, who was born with clubfoot. (Photo: Supplied) News & Features 13th August 2025 | Sue Segar When Karen Mara Moss’ son was diagnosed with clubfoot, she travelled to the US in search of a life-changing treatment. She made a promise to bring it home and two decades on, her non-profit is at the heart of a remarkable success story. “I looked at those tiny feet. They were turned over and…
Patients at the government-run Free State Psychiatric Complex in Mangaung have been without care since Friday after hospital staff went on strike. Nurses, ancillary and laundry workers accuse the government of cheating them by shortpaying, not paying for overtime and failing to convert some workers’ contracts into permanent positions, as they were promised. Eric Mothae, a nurse, says that the facility’s management is flouting labour practice, warning that “the complex’s hospitals might be closed since there is no basic occupational safety practice”. “We are witnessing other health facilities being closed down by the labour department throughout the province due to…
Residents in at least three provinces say they have been coerced into doing HIV testing at various government health facilities. People Health-e News spoke with in the Free State, North West, and Gauteng say the testing is done without counselling before or after. It is further alleged that in some of the clinics, an HIV test is a prerequisite for receiving any health services. Most of the healthcare users spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being refused medical treatment in future. Many say they are not opposed to being tested for HIV, but took issue with not being…
Rows of home-made coal left out to dry in the sun are a common feature in Tsakane’s Extension 10 in Ekurhuleni. The roughly 500 families were relocated from areas such as Germiston and Benoni in 2005, but the area was never connected to the electricity grid. Ismael Mahlangu (56) was one of the first residents to settle in Extension 10. The father of three explains how circumstances forced him and his neighbours to come up with alternative means for cooking and keeping warm during Johannesburg’s harsh winters. “Coal is expensive, so we taught ourselves to make our own using duff,…
Two Eastern Cape emergency medical service (EMS) workers were left stranded in Cape Town last week with no place to sleep after driving for almost 14 hours from Mthatha. On Wednesday evening, Bonginkosi Vinjwa and Simon Tsala were tasked with transporting a one-month-old infant from the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha, to the Red Cross Hospital in Cape Town. “We arrived in Cape Town on Thursday morning around 11 am. We took the child to the Red Cross Hospital. He was admitted and everything was fine; we managed him well on the way without challenges,” Mvinjwa tells Health-e News. …
Dr Princess Anne-Sheilah Makhado celebrates her PhD in advanced nursing science, conferred at the University of Venda’s spring graduation ceremony in September 2024. (Supplied) News & Features 6th August 2025 | Biénne Huisman With humour, warmth and steely resolve, Princess Anne-Sheilah Makhado speaks to Spotlight about her long journey as a nurse, of creating solutions in the public health system, and her burning passion for motivating women and girls to unlock their talents. Princess Anne-Sheilah Makhado has worn many hats: that of midwife, professional nurse, motivational speaker, farmer, seamstress, mother, and author. Her latest achievement was graduating last year with…
This project is funded by: Over 800 households in Muungamunwe Village, Ward 3, in Limpopo’s Makhado Municipality aren’t connected to the power grid and live in the dark. The village has never had electricity. A few families have managed to install small solar systems at their own expense. But the power generated by these solar installations is only enough for powering lights and charging cellphones. Those who have no solar system have to walk about 2.5 kilometres to the next village just to charge their cellphones. Not having electricity means forgoing basic amenities like having a fridge. Muungamunwe residents say…
This project is funded by: The Free State health department has officially opened wards and sections of the National District Hospital in Bloemfontein that were gutted by a fire in July 2024. Despite a year-long investigation, the cause of the fire is still unknown. It’s suspected it may have been caused by a cigarette. “We are still not sure what caused the fire. We are still waiting to hear from law enforcement agencies. But we only hope that the ordeal doesn’t repeat itself,” says Health MEC Viceroy Mahlasti, who was addressing the media at the hospital’s Gateway Clinic this week. …
This project is funded by: For years, residents in the mining community of Nyakallong in Allanridge in the Free State have been living with the overflow of polluted water from the Voelpan Dam, which is used to store waste from the nearby Harmony Target 1 mine. This has made living conditions hazardous. According to a 2023 community monitoring report, the rising dam levels have submerged the power station, flooded streets and caused nearby houses to collapse. The report, which was supported by the Benchmarks Foundation, states the water spilling into people’s houses is contaminated with toxic substances. Tests done on…
Pastor Moses Vilane lives in Masakane. In the background is the Duvha Power station, one of 12 coal-fired power stations in Mpumalanga owned by Eskom. (Photo: Thom Pierce/Spotlight) News & Features 4th August 2025 | Sue Segar Emissions from power stations and dust from coal mines in South Africa’s “energy mecca” are making many people in the area sick. For the first article of a new Spotlight special series, writer Susan Segar and photographer Thom Pierce travelled to Mpumalanga to get first-hand accounts of what people living in the Emalahleni local municipality are going through. If you drive along the…