Features

This is an ode to the women whose names made it into news outlets between 2018 and 2020. It’s also a tribute to those who didn’t – the faceless, nameless women whose stories will remain untold. This project is a collaboration among Bhekisisa, Media Hack and the Canon Collins Trust.

Linda-Gail Bekker says researching infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and HIV is like a colossal round of the murder mystery cluedo. Follow the story of the scientist with the purple pixie-cut from a farm in Zimbabwe to her inauguration as the first African president of the International Aids Society and beyond.

Driven by a more infectious new COVID variant, the second wave of South Africa’s coronavirus pandemic has seen considerably more infections than the first wave. This meant health workers have had to deal with more hospitalisations and deaths — and pressure. Bhekisisa visited George Mukhari Academic Hospital north of Tshwane to document the second wave realities experienced by doctors and nurses.

Yvette Raphael describes herself as a ‘professional protester, sjambok feminist and hater of trash’. Government officials would likely refer to her as ‘a rebel’. She’s fought for equality her entire life, she says. And she’s scared of no one.

When it comes to leadership and innovation, there's much that industrialised nations can learn.

A study among adolescents and young women in South African universities found that girls who had experienced sexual violence were more likely to report an unintended pregnancy compared with those who had never experienced sexual violence.

We take you on the new coronavirus's journey through the country — and tell you how it got it.

The pandemic’s impact is long-term: the UN warns that it could lead to 13 million more child marriages over a decade.

25,000 grave violations were committed against children in conflict in 2019, says the UN, which hopes to highlight issue with new international day.

As South Africa enters level two of its national lockdown, international travel remains restricted. One of the few exceptions are repatriation flights, which require a mandatory quarantine period. But the toll of mounting stress and isolation may have long-term consequences on people’s mental health.

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 facility. 

Reporters for independent outlets, many in rural areas, say pressure won’t deter them from covering embarrassing stories.

An app, a few volunteers and buy-in from doctors can make the frontlines a kinder place for patients, staff and families.

From grandmothers to gravediggers, the sudden, suffocating deaths of the coronavirus pandemic is affecting people in all sectors of South African society. Here’s one Cape Town family’s story of life after death. 

Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa was clear: COVID-19 funds have been stolen and misused, food parcels have been diverted from households in need and government officials and service providers have colluded to steal money. But will anti-corruption messages fix this?

In South Africa, two outbreaks are colliding and one thing may shape the future of both.