” My father was only 35 years old when we lost him. He and his brother were shot in a robbery,” recalls Chantel Grodes. She grew up in Hanover Park on the Cape Flats. “When we got to the scene…
South Africans are facing tough economic times this holiday season. Poultry producers have warned of an increase in the price of chicken and eggs. This carries major concerns about the nutritional needs of poor and working class families who rely…
The health sector has taken a knock following finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s announcement of cuts to the HIV programmes as well as spend on health infrastructure in the medium term budget policy statement on Wednesday. The minister’s speech gave a…
Ten Limpopo municipalities have three months to show detailed plans of how they’re going to provide residents with water, or face court action. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says failure by municipalities to provide basic services can no…
The child support grant is not enough to meet basic needs. More than half of the child grant recipients still live in poverty. A recent review by the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town shows seven million of…
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) recently announced that it would lift patents on the life drug bedaquiline. Bedaquiline is a key component in the cocktail of drugs used to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) which develops when the TB bacteria…
Ten Morgan community members in Winterveldt, north of Pretoria, are up in arms. They have had to contend with a “fly infestation” for more than a month now. Residents say the pests come from the nearby poultry farm. Philly Khoza…
It’s a sunny midweek afternoon and the streets of downtown Johannesburg are buzzing with people, hooting taxis and hawkers on the pavements. On the corner of Klein and Koch street in Hillbrow, Health-e News meets Nelson Khethani, an old man…
Access to water is a constitutional right in South Africa. Safe and readily available water is also important for public health. According to the World Health Organisation access to safe and adequate water supply is the cornerstone to preventing infections. Without enough water people are…
Elizabeth Masinge struggles to get the wheelbarrow over the rocky gravel road near her home in Bode Village, outside Giyani in Limpopo. The 69-year-old zig-zags across the road, trying hard to control the load: two 25-litre containers full of water. …
Patricia Maluleke* is fraught with worry. The unemployed 29-year-old from Thohoyandou, in Limpopo, recently had a baby girl and it’s been a struggle. “My daughter is only four-months old, but I am already facing uncertainty whether I will be able…
In the past 30 days, Johannesburg’s air pollution has reached the highest level since 2018. According to the South African Air Quality Index, the average PM2.5 concentrations have been at 72 micrograms per cubic metre. This is almost five times…
For years, residents of Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, have complained about poor quality water and an unreliable water supply. For years, nothing has been done. This week, amidst a cholera outbreak that’s claimed the lives of 22 people, the Department…
Better funding and an environment that makes it easier for people to make healthy choices are key for South Africa to overcome its hypertension and diabetes burdens. A recent study by the University of Stellenbosch points to the detrimental impact…
Pregnant women living in areas that are air pollution hotspots are at increased risk of giving birth to children with a cleft lip and palate (CLP). In a recent study, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRP) examined cases of…
