Health-e News

Health-e News Health-e News is a non-profit, online publication focused on pressing health issues in South Africa.

We centre community voices through our network of nationwide community journalists.

For residents in Nyakallong, the sewage keeps coming back.Mmeme Mothae says she has lived with sewage in her yard since ...
04/09/2026

For residents in Nyakallong, the sewage keeps coming back.

Mmeme Mothae says she has lived with sewage in her yard since 2022 and worries about her young daughter.

Thabo Maseng says sewage has filled his backyard, leaving him unable to plant vegetables or use the space as before.

“My 22 year old daughter and I are using asthma inhalers, we both grew up without it but now we have it,” he says.

Residents near the Voëlpan Dam say the problem continues despite court action and government intervention.

Plans are now underway to relocate the sewerage pumping station.

But residents say they are still waiting for a permanent solution.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Thabang Thembani
SA Human Rights Commission

[OPINION] Millions have access to HIV treatment. But what happens when there is no food to take it with?South Africa has...
03/09/2026

[OPINION] Millions have access to HIV treatment. But what happens when there is no food to take it with?

South Africa has made major progress in making HIV treatment available to millions of people. But for many people living with HIV, food insecurity can make it harder to stay on treatment.

Some people are taking their medication on an empty stomach.

Without enough food, the body can struggle to absorb medication properly and can become more vulnerable to infections. For children living with HIV, not getting enough food can also affect growth and development.

Dr Nombuso Madonsela of AHF South Africa says food security needs to be part of healthcare.

👇 Full story in the comments

03/09/2026

[WATCH] “I feel like a failed or incomplete project. This body is uncomfortable.”

”Those are the words of 33-year-old Lerato Sikhosana from Orange Farm, who says medical procedures performed on her as a child have left her with physical and psychological consequences.

Sikhosana was born inters*x in 1993. Inters*x is a term for people born with s*x characteristics that don’t fit typical definitions of male or female bodies.

Medical records seen by Health-e News show she underwent several procedures as a child.

The available records do not establish when the procedures happened, why they were considered necessary or what consent was obtained from her mother.

Sikhosana says she was raised as a boy until the age of eight and later received hormone treatment, which she says she only learned about years later.

🔗 More at the link in bio.
✍️ Via Lerato Kodisang

03/09/2026

[WATCH] More than 10 inters*x adults have approached a South African support organisation since 2020, saying they underwent surgery or other irreversible medical interventions as children without informed consent.

One of them is 33-year-old Lerato Sikhosana from Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg.

Born inters*x in 1993, Sikhosana underwent several procedures as a child, according to medical records seen by Health-e News.

Inters*x is a term for people born with s*x characteristics that don’t fit typical definitions of male or female bodies.

The available records do not show when the procedures happened, why they were considered necessary or what consent was obtained from her mother.

Sikhosana says she was raised as a boy until the age of eight and later received hormone treatment. She says she only learned years later that she had been receiving hormones.

Today, she says she lives with physical and psychological consequences.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Lerato Kodisang

*x

Some days the bleeding is so heavy that leaving the house is not an option for Tiisetso Lekgetho.The 25-year-old from Ts...
02/09/2026

Some days the bleeding is so heavy that leaving the house is not an option for Tiisetso Lekgetho.

The 25-year-old from Tsetse village outside Mahikeng in the North West, has multiple uterine fibroids. She has been waiting for surgery at Bophelong Provincial Hospital since last year.

The wait has also affected her ability to look for work.

"I can’t look for work properly because I never know when I’ll be down for days. It’s draining me physically and mentally.”

Her surgery is now scheduled for 11 November after an earlier date in May passed without the operation.

This is not the first time patients at Bophelong Provincial Hospital have faced lengthy waits for surgery.

While she waits she has turned to traditional remedies to ease the pain.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Bakang Bakiano Ditibane

: IN PHOTOS | What’s on your plate?For some families, it’s pap and spinach. For others, chicken and bread has to stretc...
01/09/2026

: IN PHOTOS | What’s on your plate?

For some families, it’s pap and spinach. For others, chicken and bread has to stretch across a household of 12.

As part of our Hungry for Change series, Health-e News asked people across South Africa to show us what they’re actually eating.

Registered dietitian Helen Donkin from ADSA, analysed seven meals and found that while some provide enough energy to fill you up, they can still be low in important nutrients.

From Lenasia South to Limpopo, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and the Free State, these seven plates show different sides of food insecurity.

👇 Full story in the comments.

Today, he is cycling, taking photos and studying to become a chef.Matthew was born with Tetralogy of Fallot and severe p...
31/08/2026

Today, he is cycling, taking photos and studying to become a chef.

Matthew was born with Tetralogy of Fallot and severe pulmonary atresia. By the age of 13, he had already had several heart surgeries and other medical treatment.

At 13, he was placed on the waiting list for a heart and double-lung transplant.

Then, in 2017, the call came.

Matthew received his transplant at Busamed Gateway Private Hospital in Umhlanga in October 2017.

He says he is now able to do things he could not do before, including sports and being active.

But many people in South Africa are still waiting for an organ.

In a March 2026 article published by Stellenbosch University, nephrologist Professor Yazied Chothia writes that around 6 500 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in South Africa. This includes 2 300 waiting for a kidney.

August is National Organ Donor Awareness Month in South Africa. Would you consider becoming an organ and tissue donor?

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Sandile Mbili Mbili
Organ Donor Foundation of SA

"I was born and bred in Musina and this sewage flow has been there for more than 10 years," says Tshiraho*, a resident.M...
28/08/2026

"I was born and bred in Musina and this sewage flow has been there for more than 10 years," says Tshiraho*, a resident.

More than a year after the Public Protector found that Matswale township's sewage infrastructure was not being properly maintained by Vhembe District Municipality and Musina Local Municipality, residents say the problem is still affecting them.

VDM says sewer pipelines have been upgraded and that further improvements are planned.

But during Health-e News’ visit, wastewater was still flowing towards the N1.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Bernard Chiguvare

“It’s become more of a dumping site than a park.”In Saulsville, west of Pretoria, children are still using Forest Park d...
25/08/2026

“It’s become more of a dumping site than a park.”

In Saulsville, west of Pretoria, children are still using Forest Park despite sewage flowing through the space, rubbish being dumped across parts of the site and most of the playground equipment having disappeared.

The park on Chauke Street also has no fencing. Community activist Brian Mabasa, who has lived in Saulsville all his life, says it was last well maintained more than a decade ago.

Residents say they have repeatedly asked for the park to be fenced and protected from vandalism and illegal dumping. Mabasa says discarded medication and syringes can be found among the waste.

More than 100 children and adults are estimated to use the park each week, despite its condition.

City of Tshwane | Official (Page) says the park was maintained in July as part of its rotational maintenance schedule. But during Health-e News’ August visit, sewage was still flowing through the park.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Chris Gilili

Three medicines alone cost Brandon’s family R6,316 every month.At 21, Brandon Booysen from Randfontein is bedridden with...
24/08/2026

Three medicines alone cost Brandon’s family R6,316 every month.

At 21, Brandon Booysen from Randfontein is bedridden with end-stage kidney disease and severe bone complications after living with chronic kidney disease since childhood.

He receives haemodialysis at home three times a week because travelling to a dialysis centre has become too difficult and could cause further damage to his fragile body.

His mother, Lucille, is his primary caregiver and does not work because Brandon needs assistance throughout the day.

When their medical aid savings run out, the family struggles to cover essentials such as rent, food, electricity and Brandon’s medication. They also owe about R8,000 for blood tests that were not covered by their medical aid.

The family hopes Brandon can be reassessed for a kidney transplant.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Adina Mologadi Aphane
Nkfsa (National Kidney Foundation of SA)

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