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…
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…
A pregnant woman says she was left waiting for up to 30 minutes at the entrance of the Frontier Hospital in Komani in the Eastern Cape after security guards allegedly refused to open the gate for the ambulance carrying her…
Residents of Mafarafara village outside Burgersfort in Limpopo are again struggling to reach healthcare after a makeshift bridge across the Steelpoort River, also known as the Tubatse River, was washed away by heavy rains. The community-built crossing, made from corrugated…
Informal gold miners working around old mine dumps between Nyakallong and Allanridge in the Free State say they risk exposure to mine dust, mercury and other chemicals while trying to earn enough money to support their families. At 48, Thabo*…
Sewage is still spilling into the yards of residents in Nyakallong in the Free State despite a High Court ruling against the municipality, intervention by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the municipality being placed under administration. Residents…
For the past five years, more than 800 learners and staff at Seetsa sa Kgwedi Primary School in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, have been living with recurring sewage spills on the school grounds. School governing body (SGB) chairperson, Kehwile Ramaru…
When Health-e News first shared the story of 110-year-old Koko Violet Ramadimetsa, her birthday wish was not cake or presents. It was a simple wish to walk safely and live with dignity. Koko Violet, who lives in Hammanskraal, Tshwane, had…
One year after Health-e News reported on Stinkwater’s sanitation crisis, residents say conditions have worsened. For thousands of residents in Stinkwater, near Hammanskraal north of Pretoria, pit toilets remain the only form of sanitation nearly 60 years after the settlement…
A recent Health-e News publication of a 20-year old Limpopo mother who alleges that doctors removed her womb without her knowledge or consent after childbirth, has raised questions about when an emergency hysterectomy may be necessary and what patients’ rights…
For residents of Mafarafara village outside Burgersfort, reaching the nearest clinic means crossing the Tubatse River on a makeshift bridge and then walking another 1.5km up a steep, bushy gravel road. The village has no clinic of its own. Residents…
Healthcare workers, humanitarian organisations and migrants are warning that South Africa’s anti-migrant campaign is beginning to disrupt access to healthcare, raising concerns about interrupted chronic health treatment and broader public health. The warnings follow the 30 June deadline set by…
Nompilo Maleka is no ordinary granny. The 115-year-old great-grandmother from Driekop outside Burgersfort in Limpopo still wakes up early in the morning, makes her bed, washes dishes and cooks. A copy of her green ID book, seen by Health-e news,…
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise in South Africa. The exact numbers are hard to come by, but regional data paint a worrying picture. In Cape Town around 4 000 patients per month sought care for STIs in…
Menstrual products have been at the centre of online conversations this past week, after a study by researchers from the University of the Free State (UFS) found chemicals in 16 brands of pads and eight types of pantyliners sold locally.…
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