Latest news with #Lebo
SowetanLIVE
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- SowetanLIVE
Clive Mathibe and Lebohang Toko prove that you can't hurry love
Film director Clive Mathibe and musical-theatre multi-hyphenate Lebohang Toko seal their 17-year love story with an epic celebration. The meeting Lebo: I thought he was an arrogant little somebody on campus, the senior who is so full of himself. Our love story took shape four years later in Grahamstown in James Ngcobo's Touch My Blood play. On the first night, we saw each other and I was like, 'Not this guy again.' Clive: We went to Tshwane University of Technology and I was ahead of Lebo by three years. I was doing my drama degree and Lebo was at the musical-theatre department. When we saw each other after four years, I was like, 'Oh my god, this guy is so hot.' He wore a black velvet tracksuit. I told the friend who was with me that I was in love and was going for him. The dating life Clive: I drove back to Joburg with two of my friends, one of whom was the actress in the play I was directing in Grahamstown. I remember thinking I needed to see him again, and called him. Lebo: He asked me out to dinner and we never stopped seeing each other. Dating was fun; he would pick me up after my show and we would sing along to Beyoncé, go out, eat, party — and neither of us was broke because we were both working in the industry. The lightbulb moment Clive: We were back together after a seven-month breakup and had finished eating dinner at Lebo's place. As we were washing the dishes, we got into a real conversation. I told him that I wanted this and wanted us to go to the next level and build a life together.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
South Africa is at the heart of the HIV pandemic. What happens now the money has been cut?
Lebo is very afraid. She used to go to a clinic where sex workers such as her could get HIV medication without facing discrimination. But the dispensary, in Johannesburg's run-down central Hillbrow district, shut down in January, when Donald Trump cut US funding to the global HIV response. 'I'm weak. I'm an old woman,' says the 62-year-old. 'So please, we need help; we are suffering.' Lebo, who only wants her first name shared, is now spending 30% of her monthly income of 1,500 rand (£62) on antiretroviral (ARV) medication. The situation in South Africa, the centre of the world's HIV pandemic, is a 'crisis', says Ramphelane Morewane, who leads the HIV/Aids response in the country's health ministry. Lebo will not go to a government clinic again, after being shouted at and refused treatment. 'They said, 'Go back, it's not your clinic. It's not me that said that [the sex workers'] clinic must close; it's not my problem.' I was crying,' Lebo says. • The countries of eastern and southern Africa are at the centre of the HIV/Aids epidemic, and are home to about half of all people living with HIV. • In 2023 the number of people living with HIV was 7.7 million in South Africa, about 12% of the population. Adult HIV prevalence exceeds 10% of the population in Eswatini, Botswana, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. • Globally, in 2023 there were 1.3 million new cases to add to the world total of about 39.9 million people. Of those, 53% are women and girls. Since the start of the epidemic in 1981, 42.3 million people have died of Aids-related illness. • In the early days, Aids denialism in Europe and North America caught on in South Africa and became a huge problem for medical professionals. The intervention of Nelson Mandela in 2000 is thought to have turned the tide. •The UN-agreed target (Sustainable Development Goal) is to end Aids as a public health threat by 2030 and to dramatically reduce new HIV infections, but it is not on track. In 2023, about 7.7 million people were living with HIV in South Africa according to UNAids, roughly 12% of the population. However, the government's approach to HIV in recent decades is a world away from former president Thabo Mbeki's denialism in the 2000s. New infections were less than a third of what they were in 2000, according to the UNAids data, while deaths were a fifth of the 260,000 seen at the epidemic's peak in 2004. But because of the loss of US aid, which the South African government said was meant to be 7.6bn rand (£316m) for the 12 months to March 2026, accounting for 17% of that year's funding for the HIV response, those gains are under threat. Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on US foreign aid, which included the 'president's emergency plan for Aids relief' (Pepfar), hours after taking office on 20 January. Within weeks, South African clinics serving 'key populations' – minority groups particularly vulnerable to contracting HIV, such as sex workers, trans women, men who have sex with men, and injecting drug users – that had been receiving Pepfar funding had to shut their doors. In February, Trump signed an executive order specifically cutting aid to South Africa, accusing it of racial discrimination against white minority Afrikaners. Unpublished South African government data obtained by Reuters showed that viral-load testing, which indicates whether people with HIV are preventing it from progressing to Aids, had fallen up to 21% in March and April for groups including pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants and 15- to 24-year-olds. Among those who were tested, the percentage who had successfully suppressed the virus fell 3.4% in March and 0.2% in April. Experts have accused the government of South Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, of not making up for the lost funds and downplaying the issue. 'We are seeing this from African governments across the region, and it's denial and it's completely predictable,' says Prof Francois Venter, a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand (known as Wits), adding: 'It's embarrassing when you're supposed to be able to run your own programmes. South Africa is particularly revolting, because they actually do have the resources.' Morewane says his department requested emergency funding from the treasury, which said it was evaluating the request. 'A recommendation will be made to the minister of finance once the process has concluded. Unfortunately, we do not have a timeline at the moment,' a spokesperson said by email. Morewane says that, in the meantime, government clinics have been following up individually to transfer patients of specialist services that have been shut down. Palesa Mafoko used to get her ARVs every three months at the 'hotspot' east of Pretoria, where she is a sex worker. She praised the mobile clinic run by the Wits reproductive health and HIV institute (Wits RHI), which had nine (now-shut) HIV clinics for sex workers and transgender people in four provinces. 'It was outstanding. They were very patient with me. They would ask how was I, how am I feeling today,' the 37-year-old says. In mid-February, Mafoko says, she and five other sex workers were turned away from a government clinic, with staff saying they needed referrals. Mafoko, who has been HIV positive for four years, is now no longer taking ARVs, which she said she cannot afford to buy herself. 'I do have blood just like anyone else. My choice of career is the one that gives me a bed. So I don't want to be denied services because of the choice of my career,' she says. South Africa's government cannot easily rebuild the networks among vulnerable communities that have been shattered, says Minja Milovanovic, a Wits researcher who is investigating the impact of the funding cuts. 'You've lost the trust of individuals who have been used to accessing your services,' she says. 'Trust takes years to build with some of the most vulnerable populations – which was literally destroyed overnight.' Amanda, 39, was employed as an outreach worker at the Wits RHI clinic in Hillbrow, in central Johannesburg, but she has been forced back to touting for clients. On a bench outside a nearby park, two women immediately started talking to her in a mixture of languages. 'HIV is going to kill us,' one says. Amanda is also HIV positive and does not want to go to a government clinic, where she fears rejection. Just as she was about to run out of ARVs, she managed to get a client to buy two months' worth of medication. 'I said it was for someone at home, because otherwise I would lose a client,' she says. Meanwhile, there are fears of a surge in new infections. Globally, Pepfar provided about 90% of the drug pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Taken correctly, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by 99%. 'There are people, unfortunately, who are going to fall through the cracks,' says Johan Hugo, who ran a now-shut clinic for men who have sex with men, metres from Cape Town's picturesque V&A Waterfront. 'I dealt with … someone who was chased out of the house, who was doing sex work to survive, who was doing drugs. I mean, how can you think that person is just going to be resilient?' Sparkle (not her real name), a transgender woman, lost her job with the Wits RHI transgender clinic in Hillbrow in February, along with a free supply of PrEP. She worries her boyfriend is having sex with other people and could infect her with HIV. She also lost access to gender-affirming hormones, which enabled her to grow breasts and feel like herself. 'It helped me a lot, to a point whereby I'm so proud when I walk in the community, whereby I'm not afraid of anything,' she says. 'It's taking me back again to say I don't have hormone pills.'
The South African
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
'Grateful to have fulfilled my dream': Lebo M gets engaged again
Music composer Lebo Morake, popularly known as Lebo M, is preparing to tie the knot once again—this time with his longtime partner, Malefu Ntsala. The Lion King composer proves that he still believes in love despite having been married four times before. He proposed to Malefu over the weekend during a dreamy engagement in Dubai, and the couple shared the exciting news on Instagram. 'The day we stop believing in love and possibilities is the day we stop dreaming. Absolutely grateful to have fulfilled my dream & begin this new chapter with you. Love always,' wrote Lebo. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lebo M Morake (@thereallebo_m) Many flooded the post with congratulatory messages, celebrating the couple on their engagement. Their romance was rekindled after a previous split. According to reports, the pair got engaged in 2020 and called it quits. This is after Lebo went back to his ex-wife Anela Ngani-Casara whom he had married twice. Although ZiMoja reported in 2024 that the couple had rekindled their romance, the acclaimed producer initially denied the claims. This came after he posted a photo on social media showing a woman's feet resting on his lap during a tour in Spain and Portugal, which sparked speculation. When questioned, Lebo M downplayed the photo, insisting it meant nothing and stating: 'I am single and currently enjoying my life.' 'There is nothing there, she is a colleague…Nothing there. If I was back in the dating game, I wouldn't have a problem confirming phela, I've been 'single' since July 2023,' he added. However, a source close to the situation revealed that the woman in the picture is indeed Lebo M's former fiancée. According to the source, the two had previously been engaged but parted ways due to Lebo's continued involvement with his ex-wife, Angela. 'They dated a few years ago and even got engaged but they broke up as Lebo was entertaining his ex-wife Angela. The woman could not take it and broke it off, but there was never bad blood between them. The woman just wanted him to get over his ex,' the source said. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON LEBO'S UPCOMING WEDDING? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
'To do him justice': Lebanon Police Lt. William Lebo's sacrifice remembered 3 years later
Before March 31, 2022, Lt. William Lebo would walk most days into work at the Lebanon Police Department. In inclement weather, the 40-year police veteran would often take his green and white striped golf umbrella. "He was just being prepared," Lebo's wife, Lora, said. "He was making sure that he was prepared for all alternatives. " The umbrella remained at the department even after his death and has become a symbol of his work within the community. It now sits at the department's new location on Cumberland Street. That's why Lebanon Police Chief Bret Fisher said it was ironic that it rained on Monday as police officers were in the midst of the memorial umbrella walk celebrating Lebo's legacy. "He took his umbrella so he wouldn't get wet, and here we all had an umbrella walk and didn't have that many of them," Fisher said. "So it will be a fond memory." Three years after his passing and despite a bout of rain, current and former Lebanon City Police Department officers gathered at Optimist Memorial Park Southwest and walked Lt. William Lebo's daily route to work Monday afternoon in remembrance of their fallen colleague and his service to the community. This year they were joined by members of the Lebanon County community, along with officers from various police forces including the Lebanon County Regional Police Department, The Pennsylvania State Police and the Lebanon County Detectives Bureau. Lora Lebo said her husband's walk home from the police station was a way to "wash the day" and be ready to sit down and enjoy time with his family. So when others wanted to join the Lebanon City Police Department's annual walk, Lora Lebo said it was an honor that her husband still deserves three year later. "It's remembering him, which is the most important thing," she said. "That he gave his life for this city, and he lived in this county his entire life and loved this county. So I want to do him justice." On March 31, 2022, Lebo, Officer Derek Underkoffler, Officer Ryan Adams and Officer Kris McCarrick responded to a domestic disturbance report. Lebo died in a shootout with a man who had broken into a home on the 1100 block of Forest Street. Officers Adams and Underkoffler were also injured and underwent emergency surgery that day. Adams left the department and works for the Lebanon County Detective Bureau. Underkoffler returned to the Lebanon City Police Department over the last two months. McCarrick was sworn in as a South Lebanon Township Police Department officer in November 2024. Lebo was a genuine "city cop," according to Fisher. The fallen officer would walk his beat and treat everybody like a person. "It's a grind working in a city, but he loved it," Fisher said. "I think it makes it a bigger tribute that he went 40 years as a city cop and was such a mentor to everybody." On May 7, 2024, then President Joe Biden signed House Resolution 3865, which would rename the 101 South 8th St. post office as the "Lieutenant William D. Lebo Post Office Building.' The post office is scheduled to be dedicated at noon at May 22. Since his passing, Lebo's sacrifice has resonated throughout the commonwealth and the nation over the last few years. The Beyond the Call of Duty Ride to Remember memorial stopped on Cumberland Street in front of the Lebanon City Hall on July 10, with volunteers joining with Lebo's family and members of the Lebanon City Police Department to hold a short remembrance service. On Oct. 23, Lebo was one of 12 Pennsylvania first responders honored for their service by Gov. Josh Shapiro with the Inaugural 2024 Keystone First Responder Award. These 12 heroes were honored for their service and sacrifice in Pennsylvania's law enforcement, fire, correction and EMS organizations, and all of them were killed or suffered a career-ending injury in the line of duty. "I think he deserves it, and I will advocate for him till my dying day," Lora Lebo said. "I think he deserves the praise. He was a good man, he was an ethical man. He did the right thing and he led by example." A sense of healing has been symbiotic over the last three years between Lebo's family and the city police department. The Lt. William D. Lebo Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit created to honor the late officer's memory, provides continuing education scholarships with applications open now with information on the foundation's website. Lora Lebo said she hopes her husband's legacy of community and positive proactive policing really extends beyond Lebanon County. "He was happy, he was kind, he was a good man and he just wanted the best for his county," she said. The Lebanon City Police Department is has a lot of young officers filling the ranks three years after Lebo's sacrifice, according to Fisher. The goal now is to get them following in the fallen officer's foot steps, getting them "out about in the community and talking to people." "Regardless of how many times we do this walk, it will always bring back memories of Lt. Lebo," Fisher said. "It's a reminder of our purpose as police officers. It's a reminder to live up to Lt. Lebo's legacy, to be a good community-oriented police officer, do your job how he would want you to do your job, be professional, always try to give back to the community and to do our best." To donate or volunteer for the William Lebo Memorial Foundation, visit the organization's website at Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ or on X at @DAMattToth. This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon Police Lt. William Lebo remembered 3 years after he was killed
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Valley Elementary to open this fall with data server room
The replacement Valley Elementary School is on track to open this fall with a server room to support the district's data and storage needs. Although that area of the replacement school is labeled as a 'data center,' Paul Lebo — the chief operating officer for the school district — said in an interview that 'that word probably sounds scarier than it really should be.' 'It's really a computer server room that's able to support more than just the school,' he said. Lebo said the server room is about 1,000 square feet, which is a bit larger than a typical classroom, and is in a separate part of the building. He added that the room does not take away from instructional space in the school. 'As we had construction going in the southwestern portion of the county, it was a good opportunity to expand and meet the growing demands that we have for computer storage to support all our instructional programs,' he said. Lebo said the server room can provide backup support to all schools in the district, and the room was included in the original educational specifications for Valley's replacement school. 'It's been part of the plan and part of what has been discussed and reviewed with the [school board] for many years,' he said. The Frederick County Board of Education on Wednesday approved an expense amendment that transferred $160,000 for the data server room out of the mid-level management expenditures category into the operations category. The funds were originally budgeted in the wrong category, and approving the expense amendment allowed those funds to be reported in the correct category, according to the school board's agenda. The replacement Valley Elementary School will be built on the same plot as the existing school, on Jefferson Pike. Construction began for the school in April 2024, and the state-rated capacity for the new building is 745 students. The state-rated capacity of the current building is 499, and according to FCPS' 2024 Educational Facilities Master Plan, the 2024 enrollment for Valley Elementary was 517. Lebo said replacement Valley and Green Valley elementary schools are scheduled to open for students this fall. 'It's going well with that project, and we're thrilled,' he said.
