Dr Dewald van der Walt

31/12/2025

Dr van der Walt will not be working on Friday 02 January 2026, but will be in Empangeni the entire time from now and over the New Year, until the schools start. In other words from 5 January 08 am until every Friday 16:30-17:00 PM the practice willbe covered by a doctor.

As a practice we are extremely grateful and indebted for Dr Suné Liebetrau, who could assist while i was on 3 months long term rehabilitation from a traumatic brain injury since early in August. Dr Liebetrau joined the practice permanently, since October 2025 and will be working in her own consultation room, speeding things up and bringing her expertise to the practice, as well as facilitating practices and procedures, requiring two doctors.

For any emergencies over the new year, PLEASE, do not hesitate to call, and i will be happy to help out.
Have a safe and blessed 2026. And for those on the roads pleas travel safe and be cautious

Please remember it is extremely hot and humid at present, and our venomous snakes are out and about. They are mostly placid, calm creatures by nature but incidends involving , dogs, children and untrained handlers happen. Keep entrances to rooms closed.

The picture below is a tyical example of a Mozambique spitting cobra hunting at night and the patient in this case was woken up by the bite at 23:00. Swift care from Mounties Ambulance Services and the reserve staff had us meet before his airway was compromised and gave time for the intra-venous steroids and antihistamines to work before the potentially life threatening Anti-Venom was given. The patient did not react at all to any drugs an only had to have a single organism abscess drained.

31/12/2025

To all our Zululand Patients - we wish you good health, a prosperous and blessed 2026 and especially for those on the road safe travels!!!

13/12/2025

To all the wonderful patients we had the privilege of treating in Mtunzini, may you have a wonderful festive season, a Merry Christmas, filled with blessings, and an abundant new year.

As of December 2025 Dr van der Walt and Dr Liebetrau will not be coming to Mtunzini on a Wednesday any longer. We encourage our patients to seek early medical advice, either with one of the resident doctors in Mtunzini, at our rooms in Empangeni, or at the hospital of your choice.

It was a real privilege to be part of Mtunzini’s healthcare since April 2024, and I am extremely grateful for the people I met during this time.

Kind regards,

Dewald van der Walt

27/10/2025

We regret to inform you that both dr Suné and dr Dewald will not be able to attend to the Mtunzini practice on Wednesday, 29 October because of other medical requirements in Empangeni. Should you need any assistance please phone us and schedule an appointment in Empangeni.

Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience.

23/07/2025

23/07/2025

Two more Wednesdays where I will consult in the tranquil town of Mtunzini, with it’s lovey people, at the expense of the Empangeni Practice. From 1 August patients are welcome to book from 08:00-16:30 in Empangeni, Monday- Friday.

19/07/2025

We are very excited at Addison Medical Centre to have Dr Suné Liebetrau join us permanently from the month of August 2025. Dr Liebetrau will initially work the full day on a Wednesday when I consult in Mtunzini, and cover the morning shift on a Monday (08:00-13:00) as well as the afternoon shift Thursday (12:00-16:30).

Suné will cover 14-30 August on her own, both in Empangeni and Mtunzini, and then take up permanent residency from the end of August when the construction of her own consulting room had been completed.

Watch this space for exciting services during Women’s Month with the ever dynamic Dr Liebetrau!

Dr. Suné Liebetrau completed her MBChB degree at the University of the Free State in 2018.
Thereafter she completed her internship at the world-renowned Groote Schuur Hospital in
Cape Town, where she had the opportunity to learn from world class specialists in various
disciplines. From Cape Town, she moved to rural KwaZulu-Natal, where she completed her
community service year at Gamalakhe CHC, working in the HIV and TB clinic, medical
outpatient clinic, as well as the 24-hour emergency unit. It was here that she developed a
passion for public health and primary health care, experiencing firsthand the positive
difference that quality primary health care can make.
In 2022 Dr. Liebetrau relocated to Richards Bay, Zululand, where she worked full time at the
Africa Health Research Institute Clinical Trials unit in Somkhele. Here she was involved in
clinical trials focusing on the prevention and treatment of HIV and TB. She was part of the
team that worked on the now world-famous PURPOSE-1 trial, which demonstrated the
effectiveness of Lenacapavir, a 6-monthly injectable antiretroviral medication, in preventing
HIV infection in HIV-negative women. She also completed her Diploma in Public Health from
the University of Pretoria in 2025, gaining valuable knowledge about public health research
and policy.
In 2025, after the birth of her son, Dr. Liebetrau decided she wanted to return to the primary
health care setting. She is passionate about health prevention and education, and believes in
a team approach, where the health care providers and the patient work together to improve
health outcomes.
She follows a holistic approach and prioritises thorough examinations for all patients. She
specifically enjoys treating chronic medical conditions, empowering patients to take
ownership of their own health and celebrating good outcomes with them. She also has a
keen interest in psychiatry and paediatrics in the primary health care setting.

09/07/2025

Are you constantly suffering from urinary tract infections or burning urine?
Are you tired of visiting your GP monthly for an antibiotic script for a UTI, and then dealing with the side effects?

If you experience 2 or more UTI’s in 6 months, or 3 or more UTI’s in a year, you meet the criteria for recurrent UTI’s, and you should seek advice from your doctor. Recurrent UTI’s are multi factorial, and hence further examinations and management will differ.

Since Woman’s month is coming up in August, let’s talk about alternative ways to control UTI’s on a more natural and sustainable way.

D-Mannose powder is the natural and safe treatment and prevention of bladder and lower urinary tract infections, that are recurrent in women, with up to 88% being caused by the natural occurring gut bacteria, nl. E. coli.

So what exactly is D-Mannose powder?

D-Mannose powder is a natural-occurring sugar that occurs in certain fruits, especially red berries, which helps in the treatment of chronic bladder and lower urinary tract infections. The compound prevents the bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall and causing a urinary tract infection. D-Mannose powder can be safely used in almost all patients, either as the treatment for a urinary tract infection or chronic urinary tract infection prevention, or as an adjunct therapy combined with antibiotics for the treatment of bladder infections and lower urinary tract infections.

How does D-Mannose powder prevents UTIs?

A UTI is an infection of the bladder, the urethra, and the lower portions of the ureters, which facilitate the movement of urine from the kidneys to the bladder. Up to 88% of urinary tract infections are caused by a specific bacteria known as E. coli. D-Mannose powder naturally binds receptors on the E. coli attachment proteins, which wil normally facilitate adherence to the bladder wall, and lower urinary tract. This adherence of bacteria to the bladder wall and lower urinary tract, with subsequent bacterial proliferation causes urinary tract infections. D-Mannose attaches to these bacterial proteins, which prevent them from attaching to the urethra, the bladder wall, as well as the ureters. By preventing attachment of E. coli to the lower urinary tract, infection is prevented and the lower urinary tract expels the bacteria naturally with the aid of hydrating well and urinating frequently.

How do I take D-Mannose powder correctly?

When treating an active infection: 2g (one flush table spoon) three times daily for at least five to seven days. Your doctor might also prescribe a once off dose of antibiotics, mixed in water, as well as a probiotic for up to 7 days.

Maintenance dose for chronic and recurrent bladder infections: 2g twice daily for at least a month, however, D-mannose powder can safely be used on an ongoing basis as prevention of recurrent bladder infections, and often yields excellent results in bedridden patients.

Instructions: Drink the indicated dose diluted in a glass of water twice or three times per day. Ensure adequate hydration during the day, in other words at least two to three litres of water per day. Avoid bladder irritants like smoking, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, vitamin C, alcohol and carbonated beverages.

Which patients are specifically at risk of developing recurrent UTI’s that can benefit from D-Mannose powder?

The elderly, especially the less mobile they are.
Incontinent patients.
Patients who had one or more vaginal delivery or multiple pregnancies.
Patients with any sort of prolapse, irrespective the severity.
Patients with any structural anomaly to get bacteria into their bladders.


How do I get hold of D-mannose powder?

The following outlets all keep stock of D-Mannose powder from North Coast Natural Medicine.

1. Addison Medical Centre in Empangeni

2. Dr Dewald van der Walt and Amy Mathew Physiotherapist in Mtunzini.

3. Earth Spa in Empangeni.

01/05/2025

01/05/2025

Patients with asymptomatic heart disease.

Today I'd like to talk about all those patients that are asymptomatic and unaware that there might be anything wrong with their heart, as well as a useful screening method we have to pick up if they have any coronary artery disease.

I was reminded again less than a month ago with a patient who had absolutely no symptoms of chest pain, exertion on exercise, or any cardiac symptoms and who ended up receiving stents for severe occlusion of multiple coronary arteries.

The test that I want to talk about is called a coronary calcium scan. It's got various names all across the world. Some people call it a heart scan, some people call it a calcium scan. The crux of the matter is that the scan is non-invasive. Hence, a patient walks into the radiology department with a referral from his GP and most medical aides pay for the test, if the patient has any risk factors for heart disease. The patient will on the same day receive a CT scan of the heart and something similar to a 3D reconstruction showing calcium deposits will show up on the scan. Our specialized radiologists will then look at those results and the computer will work out a score for the patient, determining the patient's risk of having a myocardial infarction.

I want to make it very clear that any patient that is symptomatic of heart disease, in other words, a patient that tells you he has got chest pain when he is walking his dog or a patient that tells you he has got chest pain when doing minor exertion working in the garden or anything similar to that, is not a candidate for this screen. That patient should go to a cardiologist and the cardiologist will work him up by means of doing an angiogram which is inserting a catheter into his arterial system, looking at the coronary arteries, and if they are blocked, open up the blockage with a stent, or plan heart surgery.

The role of the coronary calcium scan is for the asymptomatic patient with lots of other risk factors. These risk factors include the following:
• a family history of heart disease, especially in all direct male relatives.
• Having a disease like diabetes mellitus
• Gout
• Central obesity
• A sedentary lifestyle and doing no exercise at all.
• Tremendous stress over a long period of time.
• A very unhealthy diet containing very processed and very high cholesterol foods.
• A high blood cholesterol measured on annual or biannual blood tests.

There are certainly many more but these are common ones we find in GP practice. It is a very, very good idea to send that patient to your local radiology department. In our case in Empangeni, Dr. Chris Stoyanov and Dr. Carey McKenzie, the two radiologists are both excellent at performing these tests and reporting back to us.

The advantages of the test is that it is completely non-invasive, it can be done at the moment that the GP orders it, it takes a fraction of the time of an angiogram, it doesn't do any harm to the patient and we get an answer regarding the patient's coronary blood vessel health on the same day. The CT scan picture will basically show up bright white calcium plaques occluding coronary blood vessels, and what is very important to take into mind is those calcium plaques occluding the blood vessels, do not include the soft cholesterol plaques that further occlude the blood vessels and reduce the flow of blood and the very necessary oxygen to the heart muscle. These are only the hard plaques so the soft plaques are not shown illustrated in the picture.

In the last month I treated a patient who met several risk factors and was sent for a coronary calcium scan. He scored incredibly high as is indicated on the picture. He was immediately referred to a cardiologist in Durban, Dr. Dirk Pretorius and he was seen, prepared for angiogram and subsequently stents were placed into the areas where his coronary blood vessels were mostly occluded. The second picture illustrates how the coronary arteries are much bigger after the insertion of the stent. In the case of this patient, it was certainly a life-saving procedure as he was completely unaware that he had any heart disease and it just proves the point yet again that as general practitioners we need to be very cautious of symptoms not presenting, always examine our patients thoroughly, encourage our patients to screen for all preventable diseases, and always think further than the main complaint.

All credit for the successful outcome goes to Dr Stoyanov radiologists and Dr Dirk Pretorius, and his team in Gateway Hospital

Picture one: Calcium visibly occluding the coronary arteries

Picture two: Live saving oxygen- rich blood now has an unobstructed passage to the patients heart muscle.