The obsessive pressure being put on the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to approve ivermectin is extraordinary and dangerous… writes GroundUp editor Nathan Geffen. There are circumstances when early – or even illegal – access to drugs is justified. In the early 2000s I worked with the TAC to import fluconazole, a life-saving […]

On Wednesday and Thursday, a heroes’ farewell was given to the five exceptional human beings who died last week, in a Netcare helicopter crash, on their way to save a life. On Wednesday the families of the fallen heroes, as well as colleagues, were transported in a convoy to the scene of the tragedy near […]

World renowned South African singer Sibongile Khumalo sadly passed away earlier today, at the age of 63. A family spokesperson said Dr Khumalo died from stroke-related complications following a “lengthy period of illness”. Tributes have poured in, led by South African music legend Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse who tweeted: “Gutted my dear dear friend Sibongile – […]

The construction of a multimillion-rand Lottery-funded old age home in a rural Limpopo village has been abandoned. Now thieves are stripping the buildings and stealing material from the site. R26 million was given to a mystery non-profit organisation by the National Lotteries Commission to construct an old-age home in rural Limpopo. The home is half-built […]

Many South Africans have taken to social media, using the hashtags #SArejectsXiaomeiHavard and #NoChineseInSAPaliarment (deliberately spelt incorrectly) to express their outrage and resistance to the deployment of Xiaomei Zhang Havard, in Parliament to replace Minister Jackson Mthembu, who passed away last week from Covid-19. Popular SA Twitter user Tumelo Warona said in a tweet that […]

The DA has called for an urgent probe into “shocking allegations” before the Zondo Commission this week that the State Security Agency (SSA) colluded with Africa News Agency (ANA) to skew news reporting in favour of former President Jacob Zuma and the ANC government. Zakhele Mbhele MP – DA Shadow Minister of Communications & Digital […]

Shonisani Lethole was young, had no co-morbidities, and a fair chance to live. However, due to negligence at the Tembisa Tertiary Hospital – including not being fed for 100 hours – the Gauteng businessman who called himself Shoni did not make it. These are some of the chilling findings contained in the 202-page report of […]

FREE STATE – The South African Police Service (SAPS) are searching for a missing couple and their 5-year-old son, from Odendaalsrus in the Free State, who have not been heard from since Friday, 22 January 2021 when they made desperate calls for help to buy food. The missing family of three include Victor Bosman (55), […]

“Emotionally, we are not coping. Seeing death at this rate every day is not normal,” says Mosima Doreen Mabeba, a nurse working in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a provincial hospital in Limpopo. Many health professionals are battling to cope emotionally with the surge in Covid-19 cases. Some feel they are not getting adequate […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa says poor countries desperately need COVID-19 vaccines as much as other nations that have already started vaccinating their citizens, and – without holding any punches, has asked wealthy nations that have ordered or hoarded excess vaccines to please release them. “We are all not safe if some countries are vaccinating […]

President Joe Biden has today signed a Proclamation suspending the entry of travellers from South Africa into the US from 30 January… due to the increased risk of transmission of the Covid-19 variant identified in South Africa. The Proclamation also immediately suspends the entry of travellers from the UK, Ireland, Schengen Area and Brazil effective […]

The Kruger National Park has reported heavy rains overnight, with the Sabie River “flowing strongly”. KNP issued a warning alert that “Crocodile Bridge gate closed due to rivers overflowing”, but informed visitors that the Punda – Shingwedzi tar road is now accessible again. The area is feeling the effects of ex Tropical Cyclone Eloise, which […]

The South African National Parks (SANParks) has begun evacuating and closing camps, as it warns that the situation with Tropical Cyclone Eloise approaching is creating flood conditions in the Kruger National Park, despite the cyclone being downgraded to a tropical depression. The heavy rains and powerful winds of up to 130km/hour have already caused devastation […]

Between 3 May 2020 and 16 January 2021, the number of excess deaths in South Africa was more than 106,000. This is the estimate of the latest weekly Medical Research Council mortality report. These excess deaths are, either directly or indirectly, due to the Covid-19 epidemic. Some of those deaths may be because people with […]

Disaster teams in the Kruger National Park, and external role players, have been put on high alert as Tropical Storm Eloise approaches. The South African Weather Services (SAWS) has warned that various parts of the Kruger, particularly in the far north, will be affected by major rainfall and strong winds over the coming weekend, specifically […]

Jackson Mthembu’s death on Thursday, from Covid, has left South Africans reeling with an outpouring of tributes for a man who was deeply loved, and known for his sense of fun, loud laughter, and desire to always put people at ease. The Minister’s final tweets on 12 January show the humble man he was, and […]

The young doctor who died in the Netcare helicopter crash in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, yesterday, had earlier been called to help save Minister Jackson Mthembu’s life. The Minister in the Presidency succumbed to Covid-19 on Thursday. Hours later the cardiac anaesthetist, who tried to save him, perished in the Netcare helicopter tragedy near Bergville, on […]

A Netcare helicopter tragically crashed on Thursday afternoon near Bergville in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, killing all five on board including crew and healthcare workers who were heralded as “healthcare heroes” by Netcare’s devastated CEO. It was only nine hours ago that Netcare911 had tweeted a photo of one of  their specialised helicopter ambulances saying […]

It is with huge sadness that we share the news of the Covid-related death of Jackson Mthembu, yet another high profile South African taken by the coronavirus pandemic. Just ten days ago, on 11 January, the popular SA spokesperson revealed that he had tested positive for Covid-19, saying: “Today I visited the Military hospital in […]

South Africa logged over 12 000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time this week, after recording fewer than 10 000 infections a day in the past few days. Update Thursday afternoon: Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu has sadly died from Covid. According to the latest data, the total number of COVID-19 cases identified […]

Two doctors have written a scathing letter in the South African Medical Journal, criticising the United Kingdom for hiring a disproportionate number of health workers from foreign countries. Professor Johannes Fagan from the University of Cape Town and Professor Mahmood Bhutta from the Royal Sussex County Hospital wrote: “The UK already has one of the […]

The government’s failure to be transparent with its Covid-19 vaccine implementation plan could see Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma face court soon. AfriForum and Solidarity are preparing court papers against the minister, they announced in a joint-statement on Thursday. According to AfriForum, Dlamini-Zuma failed to respond to a letter of demand that was issued to her by […]

The Dutch government has become the latest country to impose a flight ban on all flights to the Netherlands with passengers from South Africa, the UK and various countries in South America due to continued Covid-19 safety concerns, following more contagious variants being found in SA, England and Brazil. The ban will be effective from […]

South Africa’s COVID-19 cases have risen to 1 356 716 after 9 780 patients were confirmed to have contracted the virus on Tuesday. Meanwhile, 839 additional deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, which brings the tally to 38 288 since the outbreak. According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, the high number of […]

The National Education, Health Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) held a wreath-laying ceremony in tribute to nine frontline health workers who died last week from Covid-19 in Edendale hospital in Pietermaritzburg, according to the union. The National Education, Health Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) held a wreath-laying ceremony at Edendale Hospital in tribute to nine health workers […]