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.

29/04/2026

[WATCH] 65-year-old Joseph Ntshala says he waits at least 7 hours at Finetown Clinic for his hypertension medication every month.

“I haven’t eaten anything; I’m shaking from hunger,” he told Health-e News at the time we visited.

Patients spend hours waiting, with long queues stretching through the passage and waiting area.

Gauteng Health Department has still not answered our questions.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Lerato Kodisang

When 42-year-old Sizwe Mthembu bought two s*x enhancer pills for R15 from a street vendor in Durban, he didn’t expect wh...
28/04/2026

When 42-year-old Sizwe Mthembu bought two s*x enhancer pills for R15 from a street vendor in Durban, he didn’t expect what would happen next.

After taking them, he developed a painful er****on that lasted more than 24 hours.

A doctor later diagnosed him with priapism, a condition he had never heard of.

Health experts warn that unregulated s*x pills can be dangerous.

Because their ingredients and dosages are unknown, they can cause side effects like severe headaches, dizziness, very low blood pressure, and in some cases, prolonged er****ons that need urgent medical care.

Despite the risks, these products are still widely sold at taxi ranks, spaza shops and informal markets and many men continue to use them.

Some say it’s about performance. Others say it’s pressure.

Experts warn that what seems like a quick solution could come with serious health risks.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Sandile Mbili Mbili

*xualhealth

27/04/2026

[WATCH] Thousands of doses of a new HIV prevention injection, Lenacapavir, recently arrived in South Africa.

There's been a lot of excitemnt around the arrival of the first shipment, which is now being rolled out in June instead of the intended March/April.

But are people aware of what it is? We took to the streets to find out.

👇 Find out the latest on Lenacapavir in the comments.

27/04/2026

[WATCH] Thousands of doses of a new HIV prevention injection, Lenacapavir, recently arrived in SA.

There’s been a lot of excitement around the arrival of the first shipment, which is now being rolled out in June instead of the intended March/April.

But are people aware of what it is? We took to the streets to find out.

🔗 Link in bio for more on Lenacapavir.

: Malaria is still a big problem across Southern Africa, with about 78.9 million cases and nearly 39,000 deaths every y...
25/04/2026

: Malaria is still a big problem across Southern Africa, with about 78.9 million cases and nearly 39,000 deaths every year in SADC.

But health experts are now watching something new: early signs that the malaria parasite may be starting to resist treatment in some places.

Right now, medicine still works in most areas. But in a few countries, there are warning signs and in some places, malaria is coming back after years of progress.

Instead of waiting for things to get worse, countries are now trying to act early.

Dr Stephanie van Wyk from the University of Cape Town led Mitigating Antimalaria Resistance Consortium for Southern and Eastern Africa and Dr Donnie Mategela from the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme, say this early action is important.

Because if resistance spreads widely, treatment becomes harder to rely on.

👇 Full story in the comments.

Gauteng is seeing a rise in malaria cases but here’s what’s important to understand:The mosquitoes that transmit the dis...
24/04/2026

Gauteng is seeing a rise in malaria cases but here’s what’s important to understand:

The mosquitoes that transmit the disease are not found in the province.🦟

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), most of the 414 confirmed cases recorded in Gauteng in the first three months of 2026 were imported.

This means people were infected in malaria-endemic areas like Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, or while travelling outside South Africa and were only diagnosed after returning to Gauteng.

So while the cases are being recorded in Gauteng, the infections did not originate there.

👇 Full story in the comments.

[OPINION] Heavy rains are bringing malaria back into the spotlight.Dr Jaishree Raman from the National Institute for Com...
23/04/2026

[OPINION] Heavy rains are bringing malaria back into the spotlight.

Dr Jaishree Raman from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases says climate change, combined with La Niña, is driving extreme rainfall across Southern Africa and it’s undoing progress made to eliminate malaria.

In early 2026, countries like Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe saw unusually high rainfall, with some areas getting a year’s worth of rain in just days.

Flooding damaged infrastructure, displaced communities, and strained already fragile health systems.

Now, malaria cases are rising again

Floodwaters leave behind stagnant water, which becomes breeding ground for malaria mosquitoes.

At the same time, damaged roads and clinics make it harder for people to access testing and treatment.

Dr Raman says urgent action is needed, from stronger health systems to better planning in flood-prone areas, and community efforts like draining stagnant water and supporting indoor spraying.

Without this, malaria elimination in the SADC region could slip further out of reach.

👇 Full story in the comments

There’s been a lot of excitement around SA receiving its first shipment of lenacapavir. But the rollout hasn’t started y...
22/04/2026

There’s been a lot of excitement around SA receiving its first shipment of lenacapavir. But the rollout hasn’t started yet.

Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale says the jab is now expected to be rolled out in early June 2026.

This is later than the original plan of March or April, after logistics took longer than expected.

Lenacapavir has shown to be nearly 100% effective in preventing HIV. But the first batch is limited, just 37 920 doses and will be used for people most at risk of getting HIV.

South Africa will roll it out in phases across more than 350 sites. A full list of sites is still to come.

Groups like adolescent girls and young women, s*x workers, and men who have s*x with men are expected to be prioritised.

But some organisations warn this approach must be handled carefully.

Sisonke National Movement says past HIV prevention rollouts increased stigma, especially for s*x workers, who were sometimes targeted by police for carrying PrEP.

They are calling for a rollout that is equal and doesn’t single people out.

Even with the delay, government says its priority now is to build demand for the doses already available.

👇 Full story in the comments.
✍️ Via Ina Skosana

[OPINION] South Africa is being told to celebrate a breakthrough that hasn’t happened yet.Lenacapavir, a long-acting HIV...
21/04/2026

[OPINION] South Africa is being told to celebrate a breakthrough that hasn’t happened yet.

Lenacapavir, a long-acting HIV prevention injection, has been described as a turning point.

The plan is to reach more than 400,000 people over 2 years. But right now, the doses aren’t fully in the country, and a large-scale rollout hasn’t started.

A new process to manufacture the drug locally has also been announced. But it’s not a quick solution.

Companies must apply, be shortlisted, and then negotiate licences with Gilead Sciences, the company that holds the patent.

If Gilead does not agree, nothing moves forward.

Founder of The African Alliance, Tian Johnson and founder of the Health Justice Initiative, Fatima Hassan, say there’s still no clear timeline for when locally made doses will be ready.

No details on how many doses will be produced, what they will cost, or who will be able to access them.

Meanwhile, South Africa continues to record hundreds of new HIV infections every day.

👇 Full story in the comments.

[OPINION] South Africa has received its first batch of , a twice-yearly HIV prevention injection that is celebrated as ...
20/04/2026

[OPINION] South Africa has received its first batch of , a twice-yearly HIV prevention injection that is celebrated as a breakthrough.

But providing it to about 450,000 people over 2 years is not enough, say founder of The African Alliance, Tian Johnson and founder of the Health Justice Initiative, Fatima Hassan.

In a country still recording hundreds of new infections every day, they argue that limited coverage is unlikely to slow the epidemic in a meaningful way.

Right now, access will be restricted to around 300 clinics across 23 districts. Where you live could determine whether you get this prevention tool at all.

They warn that without large-scale access, South Africa risks repeating past patterns, where scientific breakthroughs don’t translate into real public health impact.

👇 Full story in the comments.

Mahikeng has no rehabilitation centre and for people trying to recover from substance abuse, that makes the journey eve...
17/04/2026

Mahikeng has no rehabilitation centre and for people trying to recover from substance abuse, that makes the journey even harder.

For nearly a decade, 34-year-old Thapelo Phiri from Dibate village lived with a nyaope addiction that he says “controlled” his life.

“I was living a dark life of drugs. I almost lost my family and friends,” he says.

His turning point came in 2022, when he met Ressurection Hope Foundation during their Friday visits to substance abuse hotspots. The NPO offers food, prayer, education, and helps people access rehab outside the town.

Across the North West, there are only two functional government facilities, in Potchefstroom and Taung.

After a year with the organisation, Phiri got a spot in rehab. He nearly left after two weeks, but says a conversation with Oliphant helped him stay and finish the programme.

Today, he is recovering and still being supported to find work after a hand injury.

But many others are still searching for help.

“They come to us asking for anything to keep them busy,” Oliphant says.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Kagiso Keipopele

16/04/2026

[WATCH] At 110 years old, Violet Ramadimetsa has lived through war, hunger, loss and decades of change.

She celebrated her birthday on Sunday, 12 April 2026, surrounded by family but her daughter says the milestone also comes with one wish: for her mother to live with dignity.

Voilet's mobility and hearing have worsened over the past two years.

Her daughter, Elsie Maluleka, says watching her mother struggle has been painful.

“She used to be very talkative, always sharing stories. Now people get frustrated and raise their voices when she can’t hear.”

The City of Tshwane | Official (Page) says it does not provide assistive devices or home-based care directly and has referred Violet’s family to the Health Department and local NPOs.

The Department of Health did not respond to our query,

Maluleka is appealing to local businesses and community members to help provide hearing aids and crutches so her mother can maintain her independence.

“I know she is old, but I am not ready to lose her.”

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Keletso Mkhwanazi

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Health-e News is South Africa's only independent health news agency, supplying the country with news from cities and villages via a network of citizen journalists and experienced, award-winning TV and print journalists.