Author: Laura Grant
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Death trap: Timeline of the Life Esidimeni tragedy
Life Esidimeni, a psychiatric hospital, had been contracted for 30 years by the Gauteng department of health for the long-term, specialised care of mental healthcare patients. Despite warnings from experts, the department ended the contract in September 2015. Its aim was to deinstitutionalise the patients and save costs by moving them to non-profit organisations. What…
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Cholera surges in Africa: Over 110,000 cases in 5 months
More than 110,000 cases of cholera were reported in Africa in the first five months of the year. This is half of the total reported in 2023 and more than all the cases in 2022. Last year, a cholera outbreak in South Africa claimed the lives of 47 people. The disease spread quickly in areas…
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Cholera outbreaks highlight the need for Africa to make its own vaccines
There is a worldwide shortage of cholera vaccines, and only one WHO-approved producer in the world, EuBiologics in South Korea. In February 2024, Doctors Without Borders, a medical humanitarian organisation, reported that the global cholera vaccine stockpile had been exhausted. Already in October 2022 a decision was made to temporarily reduce the dosage of vaccine…
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Poll shows SA’s workforce is surprisingly enthusiastic
Anyone who runs a startup or small business understands the value of highly engaged employees. These individuals drive high performance and innovation, which are essential for business growth. However, Gallup’s latest State of the Workplace report shows that fewer than one in four (23%) employees globally are engaged. In the Sub-Saharan African countries included in…
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Internet access still lags in Africa despite massive mobile uptake
African countries have leapfrogged fixed-line technology and gone straight to mobile. There are 89 mobile phones for every 100 people living in sub-Saharan Africa, but fewer than one landline (0.6) per 100 people. Some countries are well over the world average of 108 mobile phones per 100 people. South Africa has about 167 per 100…
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Only 65 of 1,000 Nobel prizes awarded to women
And more than half of them have been in the past 20 years.
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What Census 2022 tells us about migration in SA
About 1 in every 4 people living in Gauteng was born in another part of the country.