Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism
@bhekisisa.org
The award-winning Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism brings you solutions-based health analysis & features. Subscribe to our newsletter: http://bit.ly/20aLIdR
“A spoonful of sugar: how South Africa’s weigh-and-pay shops are tackling ‘poverty tax’ head on.” Find out in @nicoleludolph.bsky.social’s pick for today’s #BhekisisaInYourInbox, from The Guardian.
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
https://mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.org/8480782-15074338-nb3qcrn17v-15076339
mailchi.mp
September 23, 2026 at 10:01 AM
“A spoonful of sugar: how South Africa’s weigh-and-pay shops are tackling ‘poverty tax’ head on.” Find out in @nicoleludolph.bsky.social’s pick for today’s #BhekisisaInYourInbox, from The Guardian.
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
So what happens before a man becomes violent — and where can we intervene?
South African Medical Research Council researchers explain why preventing #GBV means looking at the frightened boy who came before the violent man.
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
South African Medical Research Council researchers explain why preventing #GBV means looking at the frightened boy who came before the violent man.
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
September 23, 2026 at 6:00 AM
So what happens before a man becomes violent — and where can we intervene?
South African Medical Research Council researchers explain why preventing #GBV means looking at the frightened boy who came before the violent man.
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
South African Medical Research Council researchers explain why preventing #GBV means looking at the frightened boy who came before the violent man.
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
Can you teach men to rethink masculinity, power and violence?
Yes. Programmes using peer discussions and role-play have helped men question harmful ideas about being a man and reduce their use of violence.
So why aren’t we reaching more men? bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
#GBVF
Yes. Programmes using peer discussions and role-play have helped men question harmful ideas about being a man and reduce their use of violence.
So why aren’t we reaching more men? bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
#GBVF
To stop violent men, look at the boys they were - Bhekisisa
Why do some men become violent — and when can we intervene? Research with South African men shows how childhood trauma, poverty and ideas about masculinity can pile up, and where we may be able to…
bhekisisa.org
September 21, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Can you teach men to rethink masculinity, power and violence?
Yes. Programmes using peer discussions and role-play have helped men question harmful ideas about being a man and reduce their use of violence.
So why aren’t we reaching more men? bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
#GBVF
Yes. Programmes using peer discussions and role-play have helped men question harmful ideas about being a man and reduce their use of violence.
So why aren’t we reaching more men? bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
#GBVF
Childhood abuse. Violence at home. Poverty. Harmful ideas about masculinity.
None means a boy will grow up to hurt women. Most won’t.
But the risks can pile up — and understanding them gives us more chances to prevent violence.
bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
None means a boy will grow up to hurt women. Most won’t.
But the risks can pile up — and understanding them gives us more chances to prevent violence.
bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
To stop violent men, look at the boys they were - Bhekisisa
Why do some men become violent — and when can we intervene? Research with South African men shows how childhood trauma, poverty and ideas about masculinity can pile up, and where we may be able to…
bhekisisa.org
September 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Childhood abuse. Violence at home. Poverty. Harmful ideas about masculinity.
None means a boy will grow up to hurt women. Most won’t.
But the risks can pile up — and understanding them gives us more chances to prevent violence.
bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
None means a boy will grow up to hurt women. Most won’t.
But the risks can pile up — and understanding them gives us more chances to prevent violence.
bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
What happens before a man becomes violent?
Sometimes the story starts years earlier — with a frightened boy who learns that men don’t cry, vulnerability is weakness and violence brings power.
To prevent #GBV, we need to act earlier.
bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Sometimes the story starts years earlier — with a frightened boy who learns that men don’t cry, vulnerability is weakness and violence brings power.
To prevent #GBV, we need to act earlier.
bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
To stop violent men, look at the boys they were - Bhekisisa
Why do some men become violent — and when can we intervene? Research with South African men shows how childhood trauma, poverty and ideas about masculinity can pile up, and where we may be able to…
bhekisisa.org
September 21, 2026 at 11:00 AM
What happens before a man becomes violent?
Sometimes the story starts years earlier — with a frightened boy who learns that men don’t cry, vulnerability is weakness and violence brings power.
To prevent #GBV, we need to act earlier.
bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Sometimes the story starts years earlier — with a frightened boy who learns that men don’t cry, vulnerability is weakness and violence brings power.
To prevent #GBV, we need to act earlier.
bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
From public health breakthroughs to policy debates, the Bhekisisa crossword is a fun way to explore our archive and learn more about the stories — and people — behind our journalism.
bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-cr...
bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-cr...
BHEKISISA CROSSWORD #16 - Bhekisisa
From health policy to the people behind the stories, our crossword takes you through Bhekisisa’s archive one clue at a time. How many can you solve without looking up the answers?
bhekisisa.org
September 17, 2026 at 12:30 PM
From public health breakthroughs to policy debates, the Bhekisisa crossword is a fun way to explore our archive and learn more about the stories — and people — behind our journalism.
bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-cr...
bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-cr...
In today’s #BhekisisainYourInbox, Ida Jooste introduces the LEN clinic cheat sheet.
Find out more: mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
Find out more: mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
https://mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.org/8480782-15074338-nb3qcrn17v-15076296
mailchi.mp
September 17, 2026 at 11:00 AM
In today’s #BhekisisainYourInbox, Ida Jooste introduces the LEN clinic cheat sheet.
Find out more: mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
Find out more: mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
💉 Want #LEN but not sure what actually happens at the clinic?
HIV test ✔️
2 pills ✔️2 tummy or buttocks jabs ✔️
2 more pills the next day ✔️
Back in 6 months ✔️
We went to a clinic to make you a step-by-step LEN cheat sheet.
#Lenacapavir #HIVPrevention bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
HIV test ✔️
2 pills ✔️2 tummy or buttocks jabs ✔️
2 more pills the next day ✔️
Back in 6 months ✔️
We went to a clinic to make you a step-by-step LEN cheat sheet.
#Lenacapavir #HIVPrevention bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
September 16, 2026 at 12:15 PM
💉 Want #LEN but not sure what actually happens at the clinic?
HIV test ✔️
2 pills ✔️2 tummy or buttocks jabs ✔️
2 more pills the next day ✔️
Back in 6 months ✔️
We went to a clinic to make you a step-by-step LEN cheat sheet.
#Lenacapavir #HIVPrevention bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
HIV test ✔️
2 pills ✔️2 tummy or buttocks jabs ✔️
2 more pills the next day ✔️
Back in 6 months ✔️
We went to a clinic to make you a step-by-step LEN cheat sheet.
#Lenacapavir #HIVPrevention bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
An invasive mosquito species known to spread diseases has been found breeding in some east London homes. Find out more in Jessica Pitchford’s pick, from the BBC, for the latest #BhekisisaInYourInbox. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
https://mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.org/8480782-15074338-nb3qcrn17v-15076252
mailchi.mp
September 15, 2026 at 10:01 AM
An invasive mosquito species known to spread diseases has been found breeding in some east London homes. Find out more in Jessica Pitchford’s pick, from the BBC, for the latest #BhekisisaInYourInbox. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
In the past 10 years, 1.79-million women were abused during childbirth, a survey run in KZN and Gauteng shows. It’s enough to fill Ellis Park almost 30 times. Check out #BhekisisaInYourInbox for what the numbers mean. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
https://mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.org/8480782-15074338-nb3qcrn17v-15076252
mailchi.mp
September 15, 2026 at 6:00 AM
In the past 10 years, 1.79-million women were abused during childbirth, a survey run in KZN and Gauteng shows. It’s enough to fill Ellis Park almost 30 times. Check out #BhekisisaInYourInbox for what the numbers mean. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
Three out of four women giving birth weren’t allowed to have a partner with them during the delivery. The health department's guidelines say that’s not respectful maternity care. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
September 14, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Three out of four women giving birth weren’t allowed to have a partner with them during the delivery. The health department's guidelines say that’s not respectful maternity care. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
More than two-thirds of women in labour had a procedure done they didn’t ask for, a large survey by Embrace, the Movement for Mothers, shows. Almost three-quarters of those involved invasive surgery. We dive into the data. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
Childbirth abuse is rife. So why don’t we see it? - Bhekisisa
Findings from a survey on obstetric violence show that 1.79-million women who gave birth in the past 10 years in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng were mistreated. We unpack the numbers to show what they…
bhekisisa.org
September 14, 2026 at 12:30 PM
More than two-thirds of women in labour had a procedure done they didn’t ask for, a large survey by Embrace, the Movement for Mothers, shows. Almost three-quarters of those involved invasive surgery. We dive into the data. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
Slapped. Scolded. Shamed. That — and more — is what 1.79-million women faced while giving birth in KZN and Gauteng in the past 10 years. Here’s what the numbers tell us about #obstetricviolence.
bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
September 14, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Slapped. Scolded. Shamed. That — and more — is what 1.79-million women faced while giving birth in KZN and Gauteng in the past 10 years. Here’s what the numbers tell us about #obstetricviolence.
bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
In the past 10 years, 12 out of every 20 women who gave birth in KZN and Gauteng were abused during labour.
Only 1 out of 12 reported it. We look at what the numbers mean.
#ObstetricViolence
bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
Only 1 out of 12 reported it. We look at what the numbers mean.
#ObstetricViolence
bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
September 14, 2026 at 7:45 AM
In the past 10 years, 12 out of every 20 women who gave birth in KZN and Gauteng were abused during labour.
Only 1 out of 12 reported it. We look at what the numbers mean.
#ObstetricViolence
bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
Only 1 out of 12 reported it. We look at what the numbers mean.
#ObstetricViolence
bhekisisa.org/health-news-...
Think you know South Africa’s health landscape?
Test your memory with the Bhekisisa crossword and see how much you’ve picked up from years of reporting, data investigations and policy analysis.
Answers are on our website.
bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-cr...
Test your memory with the Bhekisisa crossword and see how much you’ve picked up from years of reporting, data investigations and policy analysis.
Answers are on our website.
bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-cr...
https://mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.org/8480782-15074338-nb3qcrn17v-15076243
mailchi.mp
September 12, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Think you know South Africa’s health landscape?
Test your memory with the Bhekisisa crossword and see how much you’ve picked up from years of reporting, data investigations and policy analysis.
Answers are on our website.
bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-cr...
Test your memory with the Bhekisisa crossword and see how much you’ve picked up from years of reporting, data investigations and policy analysis.
Answers are on our website.
bhekisisa.org/bhekisisa-cr...
Who counts as an expert on climate change and mental health?
Across Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa, people who lived through major floods are turning their own experiences into evidence.
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
Across Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa, people who lived through major floods are turning their own experiences into evidence.
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
https://mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.org/8480782-15074338-nb3qcrn17v-15076243
mailchi.mp
September 12, 2026 at 8:00 AM
Who counts as an expert on climate change and mental health?
Across Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa, people who lived through major floods are turning their own experiences into evidence.
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
Across Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa, people who lived through major floods are turning their own experiences into evidence.
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
Surveys can count the anxious and the displaced but they struggle to capture what it means to sleep with the windows open, every rainy season, listening for the next wall to crack. #ClimateChange #MentalHealth bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Can flood survivors’ stories make climate science better? - Bhekisisa
Across South Africa, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Mozambique, 37 people who lived through major floods are turning their own experiences into evidence. Here’s the project rethinking who counts as an…
bhekisisa.org
September 11, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Surveys can count the anxious and the displaced but they struggle to capture what it means to sleep with the windows open, every rainy season, listening for the next wall to crack. #ClimateChange #MentalHealth bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
As climate change intensifies across Africa, good science will depend on bringing different kinds of knowledge together — and that includes the expertise of people who have lived through the worst of it. #ClimateChange #MentalHealth bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Can flood survivors’ stories make climate science better? - Bhekisisa
Across South Africa, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Mozambique, 37 people who lived through major floods are turning their own experiences into evidence. Here’s the project rethinking who counts as an…
bhekisisa.org
September 11, 2026 at 9:30 AM
As climate change intensifies across Africa, good science will depend on bringing different kinds of knowledge together — and that includes the expertise of people who have lived through the worst of it. #ClimateChange #MentalHealth bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Most projects that collect survivors' stories stop there. Wema didn't. The community researchers went on to analyse the stories themselves, deciding what mattered most and what policymakers need to hear. #MentalHealth bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Can flood survivors’ stories make climate science better? - Bhekisisa
Across South Africa, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Mozambique, 37 people who lived through major floods are turning their own experiences into evidence. Here’s the project rethinking who counts as an…
bhekisisa.org
September 11, 2026 at 6:00 AM
Most projects that collect survivors' stories stop there. Wema didn't. The community researchers went on to analyse the stories themselves, deciding what mattered most and what policymakers need to hear. #MentalHealth bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Paper, paint, glue and coloured pencils in a research centre usually reserved for science and tech are tools for digital storytelling — a method that lets flood survivors build their own evidence, in their own words. #ClimateChange bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Can flood survivors’ stories make climate science better? - Bhekisisa
Across South Africa, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Mozambique, 37 people who lived through major floods are turning their own experiences into evidence. Here’s the project rethinking who counts as an…
bhekisisa.org
September 10, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Paper, paint, glue and coloured pencils in a research centre usually reserved for science and tech are tools for digital storytelling — a method that lets flood survivors build their own evidence, in their own words. #ClimateChange bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Floods, cyclones and drought leave anxiety, depression and lasting trauma that survey data struggles to capture. The #Wema project trained community members to tell — and analyse — their own stories as evidence. #MentalHealth bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Can flood survivors’ stories make climate science better? - Bhekisisa
Across South Africa, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Mozambique, 37 people who lived through major floods are turning their own experiences into evidence. Here’s the project rethinking who counts as an…
bhekisisa.org
September 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Floods, cyclones and drought leave anxiety, depression and lasting trauma that survey data struggles to capture. The #Wema project trained community members to tell — and analyse — their own stories as evidence. #MentalHealth bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
'Whenever it rains, I cry. Because I never know what is going to happen.' 3 years after a wall collapsed onto her home, Balungile still sleeps with the windows open. What flooding disasters leave after the water recedes. #ClimateChange #MentalHealth bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Can flood survivors’ stories make climate science better? - Bhekisisa
Across South Africa, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Mozambique, 37 people who lived through major floods are turning their own experiences into evidence. Here’s the project rethinking who counts as an…
bhekisisa.org
September 10, 2026 at 11:08 AM
'Whenever it rains, I cry. Because I never know what is going to happen.' 3 years after a wall collapsed onto her home, Balungile still sleeps with the windows open. What flooding disasters leave after the water recedes. #ClimateChange #MentalHealth bhekisisa.org/article/2026...
Countries are cracking down on energy drinks. The industry may not go quietly. Find out in Nicole Ludolph’s pick for today’s #BhekisisaInYourInbox, from @theexamination.org. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
September 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Countries are cracking down on energy drinks. The industry may not go quietly. Find out in Nicole Ludolph’s pick for today’s #BhekisisaInYourInbox, from @theexamination.org. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
A sex worker losing clients while she waits. A student who tried 3 times. A pregnant woman tired of pills. A trans woman who values privacy. We met 4 LEN users at our media workshop. Now they tell us what getting SA’s new HIV prevention jab is really like. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
https://mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.org/8480782-15074338-nb3qcrn17v-15076230
mailchi.mp
September 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM
A sex worker losing clients while she waits. A student who tried 3 times. A pregnant woman tired of pills. A trans woman who values privacy. We met 4 LEN users at our media workshop. Now they tell us what getting SA’s new HIV prevention jab is really like. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...
She tried 3 times before she got LEN.
Visit 1: No nurse trained to give it.
Visit 2: Another problem at the clinic.
Visit 3: A 4-hour wait — and finally, her injections.
Would she do it again? Yes. #HIVPrevention #LEN bhekisisa.org/special-repo...
Visit 1: No nurse trained to give it.
Visit 2: Another problem at the clinic.
Visit 3: A 4-hour wait — and finally, her injections.
Would she do it again? Yes. #HIVPrevention #LEN bhekisisa.org/special-repo...
Meet 4 people who got the HIV prevention jab - Bhekisisa
Four South Africans from groups the government wants to reach with the six-monthly HIV prevention injection, lenacapavir (LEN), tell us why they chose the shot, what happened at the clinic and…
bhekisisa.org
September 8, 2026 at 3:00 PM
She tried 3 times before she got LEN.
Visit 1: No nurse trained to give it.
Visit 2: Another problem at the clinic.
Visit 3: A 4-hour wait — and finally, her injections.
Would she do it again? Yes. #HIVPrevention #LEN bhekisisa.org/special-repo...
Visit 1: No nurse trained to give it.
Visit 2: Another problem at the clinic.
Visit 3: A 4-hour wait — and finally, her injections.
Would she do it again? Yes. #HIVPrevention #LEN bhekisisa.org/special-repo...