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The Citizen
20 hours ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga silent on 21 000 missing HIV patients
About 21 000 HIV patients have disappeared from Mpumalanga's treatment system, yet officials remain unclear or deny the extent of the crisis. The Mpumalanga department of health seems uninterested in addressing the problem of about 21 000 HIV/Aids patients who were on treatment disappearing without a trace. During a recent interview with SABC News, health MEC Sasekani Manzini conceded that some patients were missing and said she was optimistic the newly launched HIV campaign 'will help trace people who defaulted on their HIV treatment. 'In this number of 21 000 are those people who have taken treatment before and defaulted and those who have never taken treatment.' About 21 000 HIV patients disappeared from treatment system Surprisingly, yesterday, Mpumalanga department of health spokesperson Dumisani Malamule said: 'The department is not aware of any 21 000 HIV/Aids patients that have disappeared from our database. 'The MEC launched a campaign on 16 May, 2025, in collaboration with the Mpumalanga Provincial Aids Council (MPAC) and other stakeholders in the health sector as part of the province`s ongoing interventions to enhance uptake of life-saving HIV treatment to ensure 95% of people diagnosed with HIV receive and adhere to antiretroviral therapy (ART) to achieve viral suppression.' ALSO READ: South Africa's health advocacy groups: 'Health failing to shield kids from HIV' 'The HIV treatment campaign objective is to close the gap by putting an additional 1.1 million people nationally, while Mpumalanga's target is 134 000, who are living with HIV but are not on treatment by the end of December. All our quality HIV/ Aids treatment care services are continuing very well,' said Malamule. Last year, MPAC chair Sonto Nkosi conceded that the province was facing a problem of patients disappearing. She called on government to locate them and offer the necessary support. DA spokesperson on health in Mpumalanga Bosman Grobler said the party welcomed the fact that the department launched a provincial campaign to get an extra 150 000 people on ARV treatment, but expressed concern about the 21 000 people who are missing. Concern over missing patients He said they would be encouraging people to be on treatment and those who had stopped must also be located. 'We are concerned about the 21 000 Mpumalanga ARV patients that have vanished from the system. This is troubling because the viral load of these patients will increase and it will be easy for them to infect their partners with the virus.' ALSO READ: Over 8 000 SA healthcare jobs lost – and more could follow – after US Pepfar aid cuts 'The DA believes that if these patients are not found as soon as possible, it might reflect negatively on the province's viral load and derail the action of getting more people on ARV treatment. At present, Mpumalanga has the second-highest HIV viral load in South Africa.' Grobler urged the department to conduct door-to-door and radio campaigns to teach about adhering to ARV treatment. He said the department must try by all means necessary to get the 21 000 missing patients to come back to their facilities so that they can get their treatment. Mpumalanga has highest HIV prevalence of all provinces According to the South African HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey released in 2024, Mpumalanga has the highest HIV prevalence of all provinces (17.4%), meaning that the province has 890 000 people living with HIV. The Mpumalanga department of health has reported that of the 890 000 HIV-positive people in the province, 630 000 are currently on ARV treatment. ALSO READ: Inside SA government's confused response to the USAid funding crisis Statistics show that South Africa has 7.8 million people living with HIV/Aids and at least 5.9 million are on ARV treatment.
The Citizen
a day ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Eastern Cape floods will not be used as a get-rich-quick scheme, says acting premier
The damage of the floods is estimated to be around R4 billion. Eastern Cape Finance MEC and Acting Premier Mlungisi Mvoko has cautioned that funds allocated to assist victims of recent devastating floods should not be misused for personal gain. A memorial service was held in Decoligny village, Mthatha, on Thursday following the loss of more than 90 lives due to heavy rains that swept across the province last week. The floods, which struck the OR Tambo and Amathole District Municipalities, have left many families displaced. Temporary shelters have since been set up, and essential items such as meals, clothing and hygiene products are being distributed to affected communities. Eastern Cape floods: Government pledges support Speaking at Thursday's memorial, Mvoko reaffirmed government's commitment to supporting those impacted by the disaster. 'Premier Oscar Mabuyane said this day shouldn't be for long speeches, but he said I should leave words of hope and the government's commitment in helping the victims of the disaster,' he said. The MEC highlighted the severe impact the floods have had on infrastructure across the province. 'The relentless rain, roaring winds and floodwaters have taken their toll not just on our infrastructure, but also on our people, our communities and our collective sense of safety. ALSO READ: Eastern Cape floods: Police vow to 'wake morals' of looters 'The floods have tested us, but rest assured, we will rebuild the affected communities. 'More than 4 300 people have been affected by the recent disaster in our province. Households are destroyed. More than 4 200 households have been destroyed.' According to Mvoko, 1 963 households have suffered partial roof damage. Additionally, over 400 schools have been affected, with more than 1 500 classrooms damaged – impacting over 40 000 pupils. 'We have not listed damaged roads, bridges, hospitals and water infrastructure, but for now we estimate the damage to be around R4 billion.' Watch the memorial below: 'Get-rich-quick scheme' With the Eastern Cape officially declared a disaster zone, Mvoko condemned those attempting to exploit the tragedy for personal or financial gain – a possible reference to reports of 'water mafias' obstructing the work of humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers. 'We have observed acts of cruelty where individuals want to benefit from this disaster…. People want to take advantage of disaster zones. They want to be the ones who benefit.' He stressed that corruption in the disbursement of aid would not be tolerated. READ MORE: Eastern Cape floods: Police vow to 'wake morals' of looters 'This tragedy should not and will not be used as a get-rich-quick scheme, where there are people who want to see money from the disaster. 'Any funds dedicated to it will be used prudently to help our people rebuild their lives. 'We ask representatives of government that when the money is received, which is meant to help people, it should be used for what it is intended for.' Mvoko further urged individuals to refrain from misusing or hoarding relief supplies, emphasising that food parcels should not be taken for themselves. Eastern Cape floods death toll Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane described the disaster as 'unprecedented,' with the current death toll at 92. 'We are deeply saddened by the horrific human tragedy,' she said. 'We don't want to count more numbers of people who have departed, but we appreciate that it is important for families to find closure,' Simelane continued. The minister said that efforts to restore water and electricity services are ongoing in the affected parts of the Eastern Cape, excluding the areas still too wet for access. 'The Department of Home Affairs is still on site giving assistance to all community members who need their paperwork,' Simelane added. She further confirmed that some pupils had returned to school. Additionally, public infrastructure, such as bridges, are being rebuilt. NOW READ: 'This is a catastrophic disaster': Ramaphosa visits devastated families after deadly EC floods
IOL News
a day ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Julius Malema to honour fallen EFF members at mass funeral following tragic bus accident
Julius Malema is expected to return to KwaZulu-Natal for a mass funeral of party supporters who died in a bus and truck accident recently. Image: EFF EFF leader Julius Malema and the top leadership of the party are expected to return to KwaZulu-Natal to attend the mass funeral of the party members that died in a bus accident. Ten party supporters died and scores of others were injured when their bus collided with a long-haul truck near Vryheid, north of the province, on Monday night. They were returning from the party's Youth Day commemoration rally, which was held at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, south of Durban, on Monday. Malema's return to the province was confirmed by the party provincial secretary, Vukani Ndlovu, on Thursday. According to Ndlovu, the party's top leadership would attend the mass funeral over the weekend in remembrance of the fallen heroes and heroines. 'We are expecting our Commander-In-Chief, Julius Malema, and the top national leadership to come back to the province to honour the funeral of our tragically departed fighters.' He said the funeral will take place on Saturday in Vryheid, but the venue still needs to be confirmed, adding that the party is finalising the preparations, including securing a ground or an open space to erect marquees. The party will also carry all funeral costs. Ndlovu said 37 injured people have been discharged, except four who are still in the hospital. Provincial Transport MEC Siboniso Duma visited the scene with department officials, visiting the hospital to see the injured passengers as well as the families of the deceased. Although police are still investigating the cause of the accident, it is believed it was caused by poor visibility in the early hours of darkness, which may have led the bus driver to not be able to see the truck. The MEC said both the SAPS and Road Traffic Management Cooperation will conduct a comprehensive investigation to establish the cause of the accident; however, he received conflicting versions about what happened from the survivors. 'There are allegations that the bus driver tried to overtake. Other survivors have alleged that the bus driver fell asleep at the steering wheel. We do not want to speculate at this stage. We are confident that the investigation will shed light. Critically, we have in the past expressed our concerns about accidents involving trucks,' said Duma. The MEC said trucks are not supposed to be on this road in the first place and should be using the N2, adding that many innocent lives have been lost due to a huge number of trucks on the roads. The truck was believed to be headed to the Richards Bay port to offload coal for export. Over 303,000 trucks, or almost 6,000 trucks every week on average, used the Richards Bay port in the 2024 fiscal year, according to Transnet, Duma stated. He said it has been stated that the port's infrastructure was originally designed for a much smaller volume of trucks, approximately 200 per day. 'Working with the national government, we are doubling our efforts to ensure that we strengthen plans to move cargo from road to rail,' concludes Duma. [email protected]
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga seals five-year trade deal in China
The Mpumalanga premier, Mandla Ndlovu, has signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Longnan Municipality in China. This is according to a statement released by the Mpumalanga Office of the Premier on Wednesday, June 18. Ndlovu is leading a delegation comprising the MEC for agriculture, Nompumelelo Hlophe; the director general, Maggie Skhosana; the head of the Department of Agriculture, Cain Chunda; and other senior officials from the Departments of Agriculture and Treasury. ALSO READ: Mpumalanga premier jets to China for a trade mission The MoU focuses on industrial collaboration, agricultural co-operation, infrastructure development, cultural and tourism promotion, as well as talent identification and development exchanges, among other areas. This partnership aligns with the outcomes of the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Co-operation Summit. Among the agreements is bilateral trade and market access, which seeks to expand and diversify trade between the two countries – including the facilitation of market access for South African agricultural products into China. 'As Mpumalanga we are responding to the vision of our president, Cyril Ramaphosa, when he signed this agreement. Through the MoU we entered into, we are defining a series of action plans and interventions to bring to life the accelerated access of trade to and from Mpumalanga and Longnan Municipality. 'This will be realised through the operationalisation of the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market which will benefit, among others, farmers from previously disadvantaged communities and our people,' said Ndlovu. ALSO READ: Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market misses deadline The visit will further focus on other economic activities aimed at improving the provincial economy and reducing the unemployment rate. Longnan Municipality's executive vice mayor, Li Rong, said that with the MoU signed, it is hoped this will not only be a beginning, but an expectation to set a new example for the in-depth and solid development of bilateral co-operation. 'Longnan will henceforth be your home in China. The relationship between China and South Africa is not just a win-win situation, but one of complementary advantages to create shared value together. It is hoped that this will be the beginning of a 'family + partner' relationship between the two sides,' said Rong. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
JRA allocated just 1% of amount needed to fix Johannesburg's roads
Johannesburg Roads Agency has been allocated R2.8 billion over three years despite an infrastructure backlog of R276 billion. The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) will be given almost a billion rand in the next financial year to fix the city's roads. An incoming R912 million capital investment is one part of a three-year R2.8 billion commitment to provide the city with drivable transport infrastructure. However, the three-year budget represents 1.01% of the amount needed to address the city's road responsibilities, according to figures given by Transport MEC Kenny Kunene on Tuesday. R273 billion short JRA have highlighted four key objectives that will receive a combined R550 million this year, while an undisclosed amount will be spent on new roads and gravel road upgrades. A resurfacing programme featuring pothole repair, patching and more will receive a R149 million allocation for the upcoming financial year. 'This includes upgrading high-traffic corridors that link townships to major economic centres, aiming to ease congestion and enhance connectivity,' stated JRA on Monday. Stormwater expansion in four Soweto suburbs will be prioritised at a cost of R189 million, while bridge rehabilitation in Soweto, Lenasia and Roodepoort will be allocated R152 million. ALSO READ: 80% of Johannesburg bridges in 'imminent danger' of collapse, says JRA Addressing traffic signal downtime along major routes through Randburg, Sandton, Roodepoort and Soweto will come at a cost of R60 million for the financial year. Kunene welcomed the allocation but stressed the city required at least R276 billion to address its road infrastructure backlog. The MEC stated that R90 billion was needed to expand the road network, R37 billion was needed for bridge rehabilitation and a further R144 billion was needed for stormwater infrastructure. Third-highest municipal budget The Johannesburg municipality has been allocated a total R26.2 billion for capital expenditure across all its entities over the next three financial years. National Treasury contributes 41.8% of that amount and loans account for 40.2%, with only 7.5% coming from the city's revenue generation efforts. ALSO READ: Fixing JRA traffic lights to cost R70 million, over 1 300 UPS units stolen JRA's allocation is the third-highest of the municipal entities, with Johannesburg Water and City Power to be given R5.6 billion and R4.6 billion over three financial years, respectively. JRA CEO Zweli Nyathi assured residents that the allocation would be spent wisely. 'We acknowledge that the magnitude of our ageing infrastructure requires substantially more investment. Every rand allocated will be utilised efficiently and effectively to make a tangible difference,' stated Nyathi. 'We appreciate the support and will strive to maximise the impact of these funds on maintaining and developing a safe and efficient road network for all,' added Kunene. NOW READ: JRA to take over province's role in fixing traffic lights in Joburg
