Author: Njih Favour
The Treatment Action Campaign’s General Secretary Anele Yawa speaking at the release of a Ritshidze report. (Photo: TAC) News & Features 22nd October 2025 | Adiel Ismail Ritshidze, South Africa’s powerhouse community-led healthcare monitor, is on the brink of shutting down. Experts warn its collapse could unravel years of progress in our clinics – just as worrying new data points to a decline in HIV services. Tucked away in a modest office in the heart of Johannesburg’s Central Business District lies the nerve centre of the world’s largest community-led health monitoring system. It’s from here that the Ritshidze team has…
Illegal mining has scarred the landscape of Thabo Village, Duduza in Ekurhuleni. Over the years, illegal miners have dug out sand to resell, leaving behind rows of open craters or pits that have become death traps. The rainwater that collects in these holes has become a playground for children from nearby communities who swim in these pits. In the past six months, four children have drowned after attempting to swim; the most recent were two children, both aged five, who drowned at the beginning of October 2025. Now, residents are demanding that urgent action be taken to prevent further tragedy.…
A Free State community is up in arms and demanding justice following the death of a young woman who was refused care at Bophelong Clinic in Welkom. On the morning of 7 October, 17-year-old Mpho Vanessa Staal woke up not feeling well. She had severe stomach cramps and decided to visit Bophelong Clinic in Thabong, Welkom. But after waiting for about an hour to be seen, the nurses said she wasn’t sick. They accused her of being an attention-seeking teenager, saying she should just go and take care of herself at home. Mpho loved acting. (Photo: Supplied) This is the…
The key idea of the Mentor Mother Programme is to engage capable women in the task of improving the lives of families in their own communities. (Photo: Supplied) News & Features 20th October 2025 | Sue Segar Mothers and babies in South Africa can easily fall through the cracks and end up going hungry and not getting the healthcare they need. Sue Segar spent time with an innovative project that is helping thousands such women and kids in parts of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape. Their model has been adopted by organisations in several other countries. In a large…
17 Oct Khanyisile Nkuku: Revolutionizing Healthcare Access while Bridging Science and Humanity Posted at 14:20h in News & Updates by Ntokozo Msiza Picture a young girl watching her parents navigate the daily maze of diabetes management- checking blood glucose levels, calculating insulin doses, searching for affordable medications, and hoping that tomorrow’s treatment will be accessible. In that quiet observation lies the seed of a revolution, the birth of a leader who would one day shape healthcare policy for an entire continent. Read the full article Source link
15 Oct SAHPRA and HPCSA sign MOA to streamline Collaboration Posted at 09:40h in News & Updates by Ntokozo Msiza Pretoria, 15 October 2025 – The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on 18 August 2025 for five years. The main objective of this MOA is to enable collaboration and cooperation between the two bodies to promote the health and well-being of all South Africans. The signing of this MOA signals the following: Information-sharing and collaboration to protect South Africans, in terms of receiving…
What began as a horrific road tragedy has now morphed into a pharmaceutical crime mystery. Authorities are investigating how bags packed with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and other prescription medication ended up among the wreckage of a bus that overturned on the N1 near Makhado in Limpopo on Sunday, killing 43 people and injuring 48 others. Officials say the discovery of unlabelled buckets containing large quantities of ARVs and other medicines has raised serious alarms. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has confirmed that a probe is underway to determine whether the drugs were part of an authorised consignment or were…
In South Africa, there is no law preventing toxic chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) from being used in most food packaging, even though research shows that exposure can begin in the womb and continue to harm children’s development long into adolescence. In most households, plastic plates and cups are a staple for children as parents see them as practical, unbreakable, and easy to clean. But for a Johannesburg mother and IT specialist Kuhle Lephole, glassware is the only option for everyone in her home. Her two daughters, Mphonyane and Seithathi, both under the age of 10, mostly eat and drink…
This project is funded by: A wall depicting the “rainbow” flag representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) pride at the North West University (NWU) Mahikeng campus was vandalised at the weekend. Known as the pride wall, the structure was spray-painted with the words “we not gays”. This is the second such incident to happen at the institution in the space of a month. In September, the pride wall at NWU’s Potchefstroom campus was also vandalised, raising serious concerns about the persistence of anti-queer sentiments at the institution. “The recent vandalism deeply saddens and disturbs me. That wall was…
South Africa’s Health Product Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) is expected to make a decision on whether to approve the use of the twice-yearly HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir by the end of October. SAHPRA’s approval is a prerequisite for the country to start rolling out the drug, which is expected to be available around April 2026. South Africa is among the first countries that will receive doses of lenacapavir through a donation facilitated by the Global Fund and PEPFAR. With around two million people having started on the daily HIV prevention pill since 2016, South Africa has the biggest pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)…