North West province has set aside R14-million for laboratory tests to diagnose tuberculosis (TB) and get patients on treatment as soon as possible, the provincial health department said on Tuesday. A departmental spokesperson said every month at least 2Â 100 new TB patients start treatment in the province.
A 38-year-old man’s leg was amputated when he fell under a train at the Roodepoort railway station on Tuesday night, paramedics said. Netcare 911 spokesperson Mark Stokoe said the man was standing close to the doors of the train when it pulled into the station at 6.20pm, en route to Johannesburg.
Restive South African miners are likely to go on strike in coming months, but the relatively tight platinum market may have already priced in the effects of limited disruptions. Gold prices could see a brief psychological lift if miners walk off the job, but South Africa’s share of global output is waning and that market is less sensitive to supply issues.
As the wife of the United States president tours Africa, she will be shining a spotlight on malaria as well as Aids. While the former does not grab the same headlines, it far outstrips Aids as the continent’s biggest child killer, claiming one young life every 30 seconds.
President Thabo Mbeki is to deliver the opening address at the African National Congress’s policy conference in a bitterly cold Midrand, Gauteng, where delegates started arriving on Wednesday morning. The conference takes place against intense behind-the-scenes jockeying over the leadership of the party, and coincides with a bitter public-service strike.
Many residents of Gauteng woke up on Wednesday morning to a layer of snow turning lawns, rooftops and cars white, while the South African Weather Service predicted a freezing day with temperatures staying below eight degrees Celsius in Johannesburg. A number of roads in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal were closed to motorists due to snow on Wednesday morning.
<i>The Media</i> magazine has announced the two finalists for the overall 2007 Vodacom Women in The Media Award. They are: GenderLinks executive director Colleen Lowe Morna and CEO of Media24 Magazines Patricia Scholtemeyer
As the miracle-healer descended from the sky in an immaculate white helicopter, his disciples cheered with joy: ”Hallelujah! Praise Jesus.” Gospel songs thundered through the speakers as televangelist Benny Hinn landed outside Uganda’s national stadium last month, before addressing 40Â 000 enraptured faithful.
Is mandatory HIV testing for all what South Africa needs to fight the epidemic? Statistics show that there are about 1 500 new HIV infections a day. The call for mandatory testing, which is now finding greater space in the public discourse, took me back a few years, when a close friend died of Aids. He died despite having the best information on treatment and support., writes Pholokgolo Ramothwala.
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