53-year-old Patricia Nhlapo has gone more than four months without her diabetes and other chronic medication because she cannot afford the R400 return trip to Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg. Nhlapo lives in Meriting informal settlement in Lenasia South and…
When Minenhle Mofokeng was 4 years old, her mother became worried about her daughter’s poor health, as she was constantly losing weight and had no appetite. She took her to several doctors before she finally got a diagnosis. Tests confirmed…
A 60-year-old woman from Meriting informal settlement in Lenasia South fears losing her remaining eyesight after developing eye complications associated with diabetes. Ayanda Ndlovu*, who has Type 2 diabetes, lost sight in her right eye after her vision deteriorated while…
Managing a chronic condition like diabetes requires clear guidance, but a lack of adequate patient education in local clinics is turning routine daily treatments into dangerous hazards. More than four million South Africans are living with diabetes – a condition…
53-year-old Moipone Mahonko, who is partially blind, has suffered burns and cuts while cooking over an open fire since a prolonged electricity outage left 116 households in Lakeside Estate in Midvaal, Gauteng without power for more than four months after…
A Soshanguve mother says her daughter suffered serious head injuries after allegedly being assaulted by a teacher in 2018 when she was six years old. The girl, now 14, requires specialised education and ongoing medical treatment after allegedly suffering serious…
24-year-old Regomoditse Kgomo has struggled to access specialist treatment for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) and endometriosis through Gauteng’s public healthcare system since losing her medical aid in 2023. Despite repeated clinic visits and three requests for a referral at…
For 47-year-old Jonas Molefe Motau, who is blind, getting to work means navigating rocky roads, potholes and a busy road without a pedestrian crossing in Stinkwater, Hammanskraal. Motau walks more than four kilometres to and from his workplace at the…
64-year-old Josephine Nyama says when she received a call from neighbours at 6am on New Year’s Day, she heard the shocking news that her brother had been found dead on live wires used for illegal electricity connections in Meriting, Lenasia…
The old mine dumps surrounding Slovo Park in Springs on Gauteng’s East Rand are difficult to miss. Three of the mine dumps rise high behind people’s homes, forming part of the landscape of the small community between Bakerton and Welgedacht.…
A year after the City of Johannesburg announced a R150-million project to rehabilitate the decommissioned Kya Sands landfill, residents living nearby say recurring waste fires and smoke from illegal dumping continue to affect their daily lives, with some reporting breathing…
Indoda Wednesday, an initiative adopted by the City of Johannesburg Health District in April last year, is bringing together men and boys to talk about violence, mental health and other social issues. More than 1,000 men have been reached in…
A programme educating young girls about sexual and reproductive health in Ratanda, Heidelberg has mentored more than 120 girls since its inception in Gauteng six years ago. Organisers say there have been no pregnancies among participants since the launch of…
For 15 years, Maria Sikhosana from Orange Farm has relied on family members to take phone calls, listen to messages and help her communicate when she needs healthcare. The 43-year-old single mother of 12-year-old twins says she lost her hearing…
Joel Raphiri lives by the Northern Sotho adage ‘letsema le ema ka mong’, meaning a group effort only succeeds if the person who initiated it takes the lead and puts in the work first. For more than a decade, the…
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