Health

South Africa’s real nutrition problems

Based on how much of our public space Tim Noakes and the Banting diet occupy, you might think that one of the most important nutrition problems facing South Africa is the carbohydrate vs fat intake in our diets. It just isn’t.

Ashleigh Furlong

News | 2 October 2015

How bureaucracy is delaying Virginia’s dream of being a doctor

Virginia Sibanda, like thousands of youth across South Africa in November 2014, was hunched over a desk, pen in hand, taking her matric exams. Her years of accumulated academic trophies and certificates culminated in these papers. She had attended tutoring sessions, practiced the past exams, and had applied to universities to pursue her dream of studying medicine.

Sarita Pillay

Feature | 1 October 2015

I’ve been raped. What do I do now?

“There are so many things that rapists and communities do that feed myths and false notions about rape,” says Rape Crisis director Kathleen Dey.

Barbara Maregele

News | 28 September 2015

The banal evil of drug pricing

Martin Shkreli was the most hated man on the internet for a brief time this week. His company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, pushed up the price of a medicine, pyrimethamine, used to treat a life-threatening disease from $13.50 (approx R185) to $750 (approx R10,250) a pill.

Nathan Geffen

Opinion | 23 September 2015

Barcelona’s garbage finally collected

The City of Cape Town has begun collecting the rubbish that has been piling up in front of people's homes in Barcelona informal settlement.

Bernard Chiguvare

Brief | 18 September 2015

Capetonians rally to help family with epilepsy

People from various parts of Cape Town have rallied to help a Site C family with a disabled teenager who, like her father, has epilepsy.

Pharie Sefali

News | 17 September 2015

The harm of quackery

There are at least three clear ways in which pseudoscience or bad science can harm consumers.

Jacques Rousseau

Opinion | 16 September 2015

USN sues consumer activist

R2 million. That’s how much sport supplement company Ultimate Sports Nutrition (USN) wants consumer activist Harris Steinman to pay for calling its owner, Albe Geldenhuys, a “scam artist”, “liar”, “quack”, “fraud” and “snake oil salesman”.

GroundUp Staff

News | 16 September 2015

Changing your gender in South Africa

“I have some very vivid memories of when I was really young, say four or five years old, my grandmother would dress me in women’s clothing and say, ‘Look at my granddaughter’, but also in a playful way,' says Sandile Ndelu, a transgender woman, who is a law student at UCT.

Ashleigh Furlong

Feature | 15 September 2015