Author: Njih Favour
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…
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…