- COP29 is over, but the destruction of climate change continues.
- Residents of Snake Park in Soweto link their lung problems to a nearby mine tailings dam, where toxic waste is stored. And with more frequent floods and winds because of climate change, the dam could burst.
- They’ve even blamed the dam for cerebral palsy among children in the community.
- It’s possible, say scientists, while Environment Minister Dion George says it’s time for dirty industries to come clean.
- Travel with us to Snake Park and hear what the minister has to say about Cape Town’s beaches — and if you’d be paying tax for driving a petrol or diesel car soon.
In today’s newsletter, our Health Beat team finds out whether our new Climate Change Act will make a difference to those affected by air pollution. Sign up for our newsletter today.
Anna-Maria van Niekerk is Bhekisisa’s news editor. She joined the centre after six years as the managing editor of the investigative television show, Carte Blanche. Anna-Maria has an extensive career in in-depth health and human rights reporting and has been named both the Vodacom Journalist (2002) and Discovery Health Journalist of the Year (2010) for exposés on the selling of human body parts for muti in Limpopo and the devastating consequences of HIV denialism.
Mia Malan is the founder and editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa. She has worked in newsrooms in Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington, DC, winning more than 30 awards for her radio, print and television work.
Jessica Pitchford is Bhekisisa's TV and multimedia editor. She's been a journalist since the early nineties and has reported on some pivotal events in South Africa’s political history, such as the country’s transition to democracy and the work of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission.
Hannah Glaser is a student at the Craig Newmark School of Journalism at City University of New York. She interned with the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism from June to July 2024.
Astra Rincón Montañez is a student at the Craig Newmark School of Journalism at City University of New York. She interned with the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism from June to July 2024.
