Diabetes has officially overtaken tuberculosis and HIV as South Africa’s leading underlying natural cause of death, highlighting the growing burden of non-communicable diseases on the country’s healthcare system.
Recent mortality data from Statistics South Africa shows that diabetes mellitus accounted for approximately 27 000 deaths in 2023.
The figures point to a significant shift in South Africa’s disease burden, with chronic conditions increasingly contributing to mortality.
Chairperson of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), Mvuyisi Mzukwa, says the development is a major concern and warns that diabetes should not simply be viewed as the result of individual lifestyle choices.
He identified factors including increasing obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets and high consumption of sugary drinks and processed foods as some of the issues contributing to the growing burden.
He also raised concerns that many people are diagnosed only after the disease has already caused serious complications.
“Chronic disease management must be strengthened at the primary health care level so that patients are diagnosed earlier and managed before they develop costly and life-threatening complications,” he said.
Mzukwa also says more young people are facing diabetes.
“The growing number of younger people developing metabolic conditions is another concern.
“The earlier someone develops diabetes, the longer they are exposed to the risk of serious complications,” Mzukwa said.
According to the International Diabetes Federation estimates approximately 2.3 million adults aged 20 to 79 in South Africa were living with diabetes in 2024, with the number projected to reach about 3.9 million by 2050 if current trends continue.
For people living with diabetes, however, the condition is about far more than statistics.
It can affect education, social relationships, mental wellbeing and everyday life.
One young South African knows this experience all too well.
Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in June 2020 while in Grade 10, Paballo Moffat was just 15 years old when her life changed.
By the time she was diagnosed, she says she knew that the condition had already been present in her body for approximately six or seven months.
During that period, she visited doctors several times, but her symptoms were initially attributed to other illnesses.
“I had been going to the doctor a few times before, and they assumed that it was the flu or COVID, perhaps,” she recalls.
She says her symptoms eventually became more severe and for about a month, she temporarily lost her eyesight every morning.
“When I told the doctor, that’s when they thought to test for diabetes because they would not have assumed that I’d be diabetic, and that was my first ICU experience,” she added.
At 15, she said, diabetes was simply not something people expected her to have, despite the symptoms she had been experiencing.
“Nobody would’ve ever associated me with diabetes, even though I displayed all the symptoms,” she said.
Her diagnosis also exposed her to widespread misconceptions about the condition.
Returning to school was particularly difficult because many people did not understand the difference between the various types of diabetes.
She said some people even believed diabetes could be transmitted through close contact.
She explained that type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the pancreas stops producing insulin, meaning people living with type 1 diabetes require insulin to survive.
“There are too many misconceptions about diabetes.
“Some people were under the impression that if they surrounded themselves with me, they’d also be infected, she said.
She believes one of the most important misconceptions to address is the idea that diabetes only affects older people or is simply caused by eating too much sugar.
“This can occur to anyone and has nothing to do with age or the amount of sugar a person eats,” she said.
Learning to live differently. Following her diagnosis, she says she had to make significant changes to the way she lived.
With the support of her medical team, including dietitians, she learnt how to count carbohydrates, assess the food on her plate and calculate how much insulin she needed for each meal.
“I had to change my entire lifestyle and eating habits, from the portion size to the way I prepare my meals, she said.
Managing diabetes also became part of her education.
During her matric year, she applied for special concessions to accommodate possible diabetes-related emergencies during examinations.
When it came time to pursue tertiary education, she chose to study online rather than attend university in person.
She said constantly having to explain her condition and the medical devices she used became emotionally draining. By then, she had moved from regular finger-prick testing to using glucose sensors to monitor her blood sugar levels.
She also had to disclose her condition to her institution, register with the disability support services and undergo medical clearance.
Despite these challenges, she stresses that diabetes does not prevent her from doing the things other young people can do.
Fighting stigma and finding community. The condition also affected her social life.
She became more antisocial and avoided romantic relationships, partly because managing diabetes and explaining her condition to others made it difficult to feel as though she could simply live like everyone else.
Online diabetes communities eventually provided a sense of belonging.
Through these communities, she connected with other people living with diabetes and began to understand that the condition did not define her identity.
“I am just a person living with diabetes,” she said.
She later completed an online diabetes advocacy course and began supporting others on the same journey.
Today, she provides peer counselling, particularly to teenagers who have recently been diagnosed, while also assisting adults living with the condition.
Her message to newly diagnosed patients is simple that they are not alone.
A call for greater awareness. Over time, she progressed to using an insulin pump after developing insulin resistance.
Her experience has strengthened her belief that South Africa urgently needs greater diabetes awareness.
She believes the lack of public knowledge can have serious consequences, particularly when people do not understand the type of diabetes they have or how it should be managed.
Mzukwa similarly argues that prevention and management cannot be left entirely to individuals.
Government, the food industry, schools, healthcare professionals and communities all have a role to play in creating healthier environments, he said.
She called for measures to discourage excessive sugar consumption, improve food labelling, regulate the marketing of unhealthy foods to children and make healthier food more affordable.
For individuals, he stressed the importance of early detection, particularly among people who are overweight, physically inactive, have high blood pressure or have a family history of diabetes.
Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet and limiting sugary drinks and highly processed foods can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
But for people living with type 1 diabetes, awareness must go further. It must include understanding that the condition can affect children and young people, that it is not contagious, and that it requires lifelong access to insulin and appropriate medical care.
For this young woman, raising awareness is now part of her own journey.
After years of learning to manage diabetes herself, she is using her experience to help others navigate diagnosis, treatment and the stigma that can accompany the condition.
According to Dr Elizabeth Cordier, a Family Medicine Registrar, you can have type 2 diabetes for years without experiencing noticeable symptoms, and many South Africans living with the condition may not even know they have it.
This makes waiting until you “feel sick” before getting tested a serious risk.
“A simple blood test can help detect diabetes early, particularly if you are overweight or have other risk factors such as high blood pressure, physical inactivity or a family history of diabetes. Early detection and treatment are important in reducing the risk of serious complications associated with the disease,” she added.
With less than 100 days to go before the much-anticipated local government elections (LGE) on 4 November, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality and Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality has launched its ward candidates, signalling its readiness for the elections.
Last Saturday, the party launched 51 candidates who will contest wards across Mangaung Metro, while 35 candidates were launched on Monday for Maluti-a-Phofung (MAP).
Mangaung Ward 23 candidate Tjaart van der Walt, whose ward includes Universitas, Brandwag and Parkweg in Bloemfontein, expressed satisfaction at having another opportunity to continue his fight for better and safer neighbourhoods.
“We want to change the systems in Mangaung that are broken so that we can fix the entire Mangaung.
“Every single neighbourhood has problems with crime, safety, unemployment and basic service delivery, such as water supply and sewerage running in the streets,” he said.
Van der Walt said the current municipal leadership was unable to address problems at ward level and urged residents to vote the DA into power, saying the party had a plan to get the municipality working again.
Selma Pretorius, who is serving her second term as Ward 44 councillor, is also contesting the ward again. The ward includes Olive Hill, Bayswater and Noordhoek, among other areas.
Pretorius said she would continue focusing on the daily challenges facing residents.
“I call them bread-and-butter issues, the issues that you feel on your skin every day – water, electricity, refuse removal, everything that affects you and me every day,” she said.
Under the theme “To Get Mangaung Working for All”, the DA has pledged to fix the city’s finances, deliver reliable water and electricity, build a clean, safe and corruption-free city, repair roads and potholes faster, and create jobs and economic opportunities.
During his keynote address, the party’s mayoral candidate, Werner Pretorius, said Mangaung was broken under the current leadership and that the DA was the only party with solutions to revive the city and restore its former glory.
“I am here to talk about the next chapter of Mangaung, the chapter of growth, the chapter of opportunity.
“The chapter of a working Mangaung for every resident.
“I am here to talk about the DA being ready to govern this city. Today I stand before you with this immense and capable team of united, strong and diverse ward candidates that will take our city to the next level and ensure our city works for everyone,” he said.
Pretorius said the DA was not there to make promises, but to make a commitment to the people of Mangaung and launch a movement that would get the city back on its feet.
Eastern Cape’s political storm is gathering pace, with Premier and ANC provincial chairperson Oscar Mabuyane warning against “counter-revolutionary tendencies” as the party’s reinstated Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) faces a fresh court battle.
Mabuyane’s warning comes amid renewed uncertainty over the ANC’s provincial leadership. The reinstated PEC is facing another legal challenge, while the party awaits a Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) decision next week on the legal dispute surrounding its Provincial Task Team (PTT).
Following Wednesday morning’s announcement of the PEC’s reinstatement, a group challenging Mabuyane’s leadership collective has threatened to launch another court challenge, demanding that the reinstatement be withdrawn within seven days.
Mabuyane, however, warned that no court could amend the ANC Constitution or determine the party’s leadership structures.
“We are dealing with counter-revolution here, and all ANC members must be ready to look at this as counter-revolutionary. Genuine members of the ANC will remain in the organisation and ensure growth of the organisation moving forward,” said Mabuyane.
He said the reinstatement of the PEC presented the party with another opportunity to lead the people of the Eastern Cape and prepare for the upcoming local government elections in November.
“I want to be optimistic that this is another opportunity that is given to us to lead the people of the Eastern Cape. We are preparing ourselves to hit the ground running because I think the vacuum has been felt quite hugely. We have been grappling in terms of navigating the challenges we have been having and I want everybody to embrace the intervention that is meant to help the ANC to move forward to try to strengthen our programme for the elections.
“We have got elections coming, let’s focus on elections. We are all volunteers of the ANC. We want to see people on the ground. People must be volunteers because they are leaders,” he said.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula announced the reinstatement of the PEC on Wednesday after petitioning the SCA to overturn a judgment handed down by the High Court in Makhanda, which nullified the party’s Provincial Task Team.
However, the reinstatement has already triggered fresh opposition.
In a letter to Mbalula, Eastern Cape ANC member Luntu Sokutu argued that the PEC’s term of office expired on 8 May this year and that reinstating it without first holding a Provincial Elective Conference was unlawful and violated the ANC Constitution.
Sokutu said no individual or structure had the authority to extend the term of an expired structure.
“The reinstatement or recognition of a PEC, whose term of office has lapsed, is in violation of the ANC Constitution in particular and the intention of the letter is to ensure that the ANC does not violate its own Constitution. You serve powers that are not granted by the Constitution itself. The only way you can extend the term of office of any structure is to amend the Constitution and that can only be done at a national conference,” he said.
The African National Congress (ANC) finds itself at another crucial political juncture as anticipation builds ahead of its announcement of mayoral candidates this Saturday in Sandton and the subsequent launch of its party manifesto in Diepsloot on Sunday.
Having ceded sole power after forming a government of national unity following the 2024 general elections, the ruling party stands at another precipice of power, with its electoral popularity widely perceived to be waning.
Ahead of this weekend’s events, political detractors expect the party to present recycled versions of its previous manifestos. Citing municipal service delivery failures - largely attributed to widespread corruption across various councils where the party governs - political commentators have raised questions about whether the ANC will introduce visionary milestones or repeat familiar political rhetoric.
In defence of its governance record leading up to the mayoral candidates’ unveilings, the ANC hosted two media briefing sessions on 12 and 16 August 2026 to review its previous 2021 local government elections manifesto.
The party used the review sessions to present its achievements under the theme Building Better Communities Together: A People’s Plan for a Better Life for All’, while serving as the launchpad for this weekend’s activities.
Following the briefings, the ANC emphasised its commitment to its inclusive approach that saw it open the candidacy platform to party outsiders.
“The Mayoral Candidate announcement will provide an opportunity for the ANC to introduce the men and women who will carry the organisation’s mandate of building capable, accountable and responsive local government,” the party said in an official statement.
It continued: “The event forms part of the ANC’s commitment to presenting communities with leadership that is ready to serve, rebuild confidence and accelerate the delivery of better communities.”
Outlining the background of its policy platform, the party stated:
The ANC further outlined that its 2026 manifesto is informed by extensive consultation with communities; an assessment of the implementation of the 2021 Local Government Elections Manifesto, as well as the ANC’s vision to strengthen local government and improve the quality of life of all South Africans.
The latest manifesto is therefore expected to echo those briefing sessions, focusing on planned strides in housing provision, power grid stability, and water access, amongst others.
Navigating the administrative complexities brought about by fragile local coalition governments across major councils is also expected to feature significantly in the party’s policy statement ahead of the 4 November 2026 local polls.
University of the Free State (UFS) academic and political commentator, Professor Sethulego Matebesi, believes the governing party faces the difficult task of aligning its pledges with visible municipal performance.
“You need to align service delivery with what you are doing and what you are promising. And I think that's where the difficulty will come for the African National Congress,” he said.
In an interview with Journal News Network, Matebesi noted that the ANC has maintained ideological consistency across successive democratic election cycles, highlighting that policy design remains thoroughly articulated in the party’s published and widely accessible foundational documents.
Matebesi, however, cautions that a persistent gap remains between technical document design and the practical realities experienced by citizens on the ground.
He views severe infrastructure decay and municipal instability in urban centres as key drivers of widespread voter frustration.
“The manifestos are clearly articulated: what the party wants to achieve. But then you go to observe anywhere where the ANC is in power, then you get a completely different picture,” he stated.
Matebesi expects the manifesto to publicly acknowledge existing governance flaws and propose corrective remedies – an attribute the ANC has become renowned for.
He emphasises that while many citizens still regard the party as dominant, electoral support is no longer guaranteed. He believes the ANC’s electoral prospects remain complex as service delivery breakdowns and corruption allegations continue to erode core support.
According to Matebesi, another major risk involves alienated voters choosing total political apathy over supporting opposition parties.
“They are sitting at home to say, ‘I’ve washed my hands of politics... because I've been so disappointed by one and the only party that I know’,” Matebesi noted.
The ANC has since adopted an inclusive candidate selection process allowing public participation in councillor nominations as a direct response to the growing voter disillusionment.
Matebesi considers this public nomination process a strategic step that may potentially succeed in rebuilding public trust.
“It was a masterclass from the ANC to reach out to communities to say, irrespective of who you are, when it comes to our candidate, you've got an opportunity to either stand or you have an opportunity to support whoever stands,” he concluded.
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JNN - LATEST EDITION - 21 AUGUST 2026
The Springbok Regional Court has successfully prosecuted a 31 year old man to 10 years imprisonment on Tuesday 18 August, with two years suspended for five years, for stabbing a 16 year old boy during a violent encounter in March, early this year in Springbok.
NPA spokesperson from Northern division Mojalefa Senokoatsane confirmed that the sentence is on condition that he is not convicted of assault or assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, during the suspension period.
Senokoatsane indicated that the 16 year old victim was walking with his two friends, and one of them was holding a beverage when they encountered Gous. He confirmed that the suspect was triggered when he was informed, that someone was asking about his whereabouts.
“During the interaction, one of the youths informed Gous that a man known as “Oubaas” was looking for him. Gous became aggressive, swore at the group and challenged them by asking if they wanted to see how he would rob them of the beer,” he said.
“The teenagers laughed and encouraged him to try, prompting Gous to move towards them. The three fled the scene, but the complainant lost his flip-flops while running,” said Senokoatsane.
Furthermore, Senokoatsane added that the complainant later returned for his footwear, unknowingly that the suspect was still holding resentment. “Gous then approached him armed with a large knife and stabbed him once in the face and once in the left arm,” he said.
Despite his injuries, Senokoatsane explained that the teenager managed to escape as Gous continued chasing him with the knife. The victim managed to receive medical assistance from fellow locals.
“He eventually sought refuge at a nearby house, where residents assisted him and contacted his mother. He was subsequently transported to hospital for medical treatment,” said Senokoatsane.
“The injuries sustained by the complainant were serious and required stitches both inside and outside his mouth, as well as on his arm,” he added.
“The outcome reflects the justice system's commitment to protecting children and holding perpetrators of violent crime accountable,” said Senokoatsane.
