Health

New contraceptive is so popular that stocks are running dry

Such was the demand for a newly-introduced female contraceptive implant that stocks ran dry in the Ilembe district a week before the month's end in April. After stalling for three weeks, the programme restarted when stocks were replenished in the second week of May.

Ruth Atkinson

News | 3 July 2014

Help! People are breathing here

Breathing air that does not damage health is one of the most important constitutional rights. But some municipalities on the polluted Mpumalanga Highveld are battling to enforce the Air Quality Act, writes Robyn Hugo.

Robyn Hugo

Opinion | 1 July 2014

Mother of four battles to survive

HIV-positive Zuziwe* from Nyanga is worried about how she is going to survive this winter because she says she doesn’t have enough food or blankets for her children.

Pharie Sefali

News | 1 July 2014

Apartheid’s Nuclear Shame

During apartheid, a nuclear weapons programme at Pelindaba used workers from nearby settlements. Decades have gone by and millions of rands have been spent on investigations, yet questions remain and hundreds of workers who claim to have become ill after exposure to hazardous material are still fighting for compensation.

Mandy de Waal and Jon Pienaar

Feature | 27 June 2014

Dust unsettles mining community

Every day at 4pm the small community of Pullenshope in Hendrina is shaken by a loud explosion, earth-shaking tremors and clouds of dust. Situated less than a kilometre from the Eskom-owned Hendrina Power Station, residents say respiratory illnesses are on the rise.

Barbara Maregele

News | 23 June 2014

Mining town residents voice health concerns

Polluted water, shattered windows and cracked walls were among the concerns voiced by Middelburg residents during a workshop hosted by the Centre for Environmental Rights on 18 June.

Barbara Maregele

News | 19 June 2014

The environmental legacy of mining on the Mpumalanga Highveld

The pungent smell of burning coal as one flies over mining plants and power stations in close proximity to each other on the Mpumalanga Highveld area is testimony to the dangerous effects these industries have had on the people who live in nearby communities.

Barbara Maregele

News | 18 June 2014

How we’re fixing the health worker shortage in rural hospitals

Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) is a non-profit organisation with a simple mission: address the shortage of qualified healthcare staff in rural hospitals. Why? To improve healthcare delivery to these underserved communities.

Jen Strydom

Opinion | 18 June 2014

The environmental legacy of mining on the Mpumalanga Highveld

The pungent smell of burning coal as one flies over mining plants and power stations in close proximity to each other on the Mpumalanga Highveld area is testimony to the dangerous effects these industries have had on the people who live in nearby communities.

Barbara Maregele

News | 18 June 2014

Why is there such great demand for illegal abortions?

Why are illegal abortions so widely advertised and used in South Africa? Ruth Atkinson has been investigating. She shares some of her insights here.

Ruth Atkinson

Analysis | 10 June 2014

Three infants die from polluted water in Northwest: Justice must be done

In early April 2014, violent service delivery protests erupted at Boitumelong at Bloemhof in Northwest. Residents, accusing Lekwa Teemane municipality councillors of corruption, maladministration and nepotism, torched the house of the mayor and demanded the municipality to be disbanded.

Melissa Fourie

Analysis | 9 June 2014

Fix our healthcare system so that we may live!

Access to the Constitution and constitutional education in isiXhosa is not an an added extra—it is a constitutional right, argue Tim Hodgson and Mluleki Marongo.

Tim Hodgson and Mluleki Marongo

Opinion | 4 June 2014

Sewage from blocked Khayelitsha toilets overflows into family’s yard

A Khayelitsha mother fears her children’s health is at risk as the sewage from the newly installed toilets metres from her home constantly overflows into her yard.

Barbara Maregele

News | 2 June 2014

City to fix filthy Khayelitsha toilets

The foul smell of stagnant sewage water and the sight of vandalised toilet seats covered in faeces are part of the daily lives of residents of PJS section in Khayelitsha who live close to the toilets.

Barbara Maregele

News | 30 May 2014

How South Africa is faring in the provision of free basic services

Many poor communities are still not getting adequate access to free basic services. This is despite the government’s set of policies aimed at helping municipalities to provide these services.

Koketso Moeti

News | 26 May 2014

Why should South Africa decriminalise sex work?

Two recent events brought the question of decriminalisation of sex work into the public eye. The first was the leaking of a draft policy document developed by Amnesty International advocating for decriminalisation of both the buying and selling of sex.

Ayesha Krige and Marlise Richter

Opinion | 23 May 2014