Bhekisisa Centre For Health Journalism
latest news & developments
The spirits, the marabouts and the 11 psychiatrists in Burkina Faso
In Burkina Faso, more than 70 languages are spoken, armed conflict continues to escalate and half the country’s psychiatrists have left. With few mental health services…
How a boy born on World TB Day helped turn the tide on SA’s deadliest TB
Norbert Ndjeka was born on World TB Day. Decades later, he would reshape how South Africa treats the deadliest forms of the disease
Our advertising regulator is funded by the food and beverage industry. Should it be allowed to block public health messaging?
A pending court complaint alleges bias after the regulator voted to block radio advertisements about the dangers of sugar
What will HIV funding look like in 2026?
After a year of US funding cuts across global public health, including South Africa’s hard-hit HIV programmes, new realities are settling in
‘Call me Tumi’: Meet the young woman who heads SA’s medicines regulator
Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela leads the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) — a public entity few people knew about until the Covid-19 pandemic hit
‘I thought it’s just what fathers do’: How sex education can tackle child abuse
Thousands of children are abused by someone close to them but are unable to report it, because they’re either too scared or don’t realise they’re being abused. Here’s how…
Your guide to side effects: What you can expect after a Covid-19 jab
Soon, South Africa will start with its mass vaccine roll-out. We take a look at what to expect when you get vaccinated.
‘None of us are okay’: Frustration as South Africa’s GBV initiatives stall
SA is in a rush to roll out its national GBV action plan. But as bureaucracy and the pandemic slow progress, violence against women continues unabated
Asked and answered: Six things you need to know about the new Covid-19 variant in South Africa
In December 2020, scientists announced that a new variant of the Covid-19 — called 501Y.V2 — had been identified in South Africa. Here’s a look at what we’ve learnt in the past…
Behind the masks: Meet the people who keep Gauteng’s Covid-19 field hospital going
Get to know the cleaners, plumbers and therapists who work at the Nasrec field hospital. Plus, find out what happens to newspapers, food and medical equipment used at the…
From ‘academic boys’ to ‘sex-jaros’: What it means to be a black boy in a South African township
Toxic masculinities help drive everything from HIV infection rates to gender-based violence. But before we ask, what does it mean to be a ‘man’ in South Africa, should we wonder…
Q&A: 9 things to know about Africa’s first Covid-19 vaccine trial
In about a year we’re likely to know if a candidate vaccine we’re beginning to test this week is effective against a virus that has devastated our country
Why the public-private partnership to build Lesotho’s only specialist hospital floundered
It was hailed as a revolution in private investment in healthcare in Africa, but almost a decade after it was opened, Lesotho’s only specialist hospital takes up almost a third…
Can you pause a pandemic? Inside the race to stop spread of Covid-19
Tracing the close contacts of people who test positive for coronavirus disease is a delicate dance. Here’s why these health workers wait for the cover of darkness to take action
Risks & benefits: new HIV drug combo could change the course of SA’s epidemic
South Africa’s next chapter in HIV treatment holds amazing promise, but unlocking it rests on having the right kind of discussions with women