Hundreds of patients were turned away from at least one Gauteng Department of Health clinic in Soweto this week after nurses refused to work any more overtime until they were paid. The nurses at Zola clinic are expected to work 33 hours of overtime a week in addition to their 40 regular hours.

Residents of Thembelihle squatter camp near Lenasia, south-west of Johannesburg, attacked the Azara Secondary School with rocks and petrol bombs and students had to be evacuated under police guard. Police were called in to stop the disruption and escort the children home.

As United Nations and world attention is focused on the looming famine in South Africa’s neighbouring states, a similar tragedy within the country’s borders is already in the making. A staggering 12,8-million people will be affected by severe shortages in staple foods.