News and analysis

Reporting on Covid-19 and HIV in South Africa is like day and night, Mia Malan, who has reported on both epidemics, writes.

Are e-cigarettes dangerous? Are they safer for you than smoking? The World Health Organisation lays out what you need to know about your favourite vapes.

Local tobacco companies’ market share quadrupled during the country’s temporary sales ban in 2020, overtaking Big Tobacco’s pre-ban monopoly on South Africa’s tobacco industry.

As South Africa considers booster vaccines for some, the United States medicines regulator has approved the “mix and match” use of COVID vaccines. Data shows those who got Johnson & Johnson to begin with are better off with a Pfizer or Moderna jab in round two.

Are you living with HIV, diabetes, high blood pressure or TB? Find out what the new coronavirus outbreak means for you and your health.

Nearly 90% of terminations of pregnancies are performed in developing countries such as South Africa and Nigeria.

Anyone can be accused of witchery, but older women in South Africa’s rural areas are the most common victims. Now, the South African Law Reform Commission argues a new law could help to protect people from violence while respecting their right to religion and belief.

From “sinister sexual behaviours” to “lies” and efforts to “manufacture ignorance”, Joan van Dyk looks at the high-stakes fight to decide what students are taught about their bodies and about sex.

South Africa’s laws allow for the government to implement mandatory COVID vaccinations but these mandates won’t necessarily infringe on individual rights.

Powerful governments, including the European Union and the UK, are resisting a proposed deal that could enable companies in less developed countries to legally manufacture COVID products developed by large pharmaceutical companies.

Take a look at the results of our latest national survey of how many state ambulances South Africa has on the road.

South Africa’s decision against the AstraZeneca vaccine marked the first time South Africa departed with WHO's advice in its COVID-19 pandemic response.

The HIV and TB epidemics are being exacerbated by a chronic shortage of health workers in prisons.

Women’s mortality rates have been on the decline since 1950. But progress for men has been much slower. Here’s why lack of action among policymakers has led to trailing improvements in deaths among young men aged 10 to 24 years old.

To speed up the country's delivery of qualified doctors, Western Cape Health MEC Theuns Botha says private medical schools are necessary.

Local governments back many projects where people can grow vegetables in urban areas. But researchers say that it’s not enough to curb hunger in South Africa’s growing cities.