Latest news with #MpumalangaDepartmentofHealth
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Arnot community receives much-needed mobile clinic
The Mpumalanga MEC for health, Sasekani Manzini, said the Mpumalanga Department of Health (DoH) has plans to build a permanent facility to service Arnot residents. This after the Arnot OpCo Mine in the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality handed over a new mobile clinic in Arnot near Middelburg last Tuesday. 'The mobile clinic has all the services you will find in a permanent structure. This is a gift that will make the work of the Mpumalanga DoH easier and we are very grateful,' Manzini told the community members at the handover. 'As government, we fully embrace public-private partnerships because they are ideal in helping both the government and the private sector to touch and impact people's lives positively. Plans are currently under way to erect a permanent clinic structure in the area to continue to serve the masses of the province.' ALSO READ: Fake, expired and unsafe food products confiscated in Hazyview Arnot OpCo's CEO, Bontle Aphane, echoed Manzini's words while also encouraging all men to make healthier lifestyle decisions and follow through with clinical check-ups. 'The mine is determined to work hard for the benefit of the company and the communities they operate in,' said Aphane. ALSO READ: Eight hours without electricity on Sunday – which areas of Mbombela will be affected? Manzini urged the public to consistently check their health status, making use of health facilities available within communities, affirming the DoH's aim to close the 134 000 HIV treatment gap by December 2025. This campaign was launched two weeks ago. 'It should be the norm to everyone to visit their nearest facility to check their health, even when they do not feel sick,' she said. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga primary school pupils treated for food poisoning after eating oranges
The schoolchildren had headaches, upset stomachs and started vomiting. The Mpumalanga Department of Education is investigating after 30 pupils were rushed to hospital after showing symptoms of food poisoning. Primary school pupils rushed to hospital It is alleged that on Thursday last week the pupils from MP Mokoena Primary School in Marite, Bushbuckridge, were rushed to Mapulaneng Hospital where they were treated for food poisoning. They complained about headaches, vomiting and had upset stomachs. The Mpumalanga Department of Education's head of communication Jasper Zwane confirmed the incident and said an investigation was underway to establish the cause of the illness. 'Indeed, there were 30 learners who complained about stomach pains. They were rushed to the hospital, they were observed and released the same day. They were back in class the following day. The cause is yet to be confirmed,' said Zwane. ALSO READ: SA's food poisoning crisis: Government's response isn't dealing with the real issues Mpumalanga Department of Health spokesperson Dumisani Malamule added: 'All the learners were stable, none had severe symptoms. They were seen by doctors. All the learners were discharged with treatment to take home on the same day.' Oranges blamed for food poisoning A parent, who did not want to be named, said during a meeting held at the school, it was established that the children had eaten oranges just an hour before they started vomiting. 'We were told that our children were given oranges contaminated with the chemicals used to spray at the farm. Remember, these are young children, mostly from the lower grades, so they did not wash the fruit before consuming them,' said a worried mother. Recently, South Africa has experienced many food poisoning incidents in which pupils were hospitalised. NOW READ: 'This feels like a curse' – Emotions run high at memorial for Naledi food poisoning victims
The Citizen
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga health department on a mission to trace over 100 000 HIV-positive citizens
As a way of tracing more than 134 000 people in the province who have tested positive for HIV but are not on treatment, a Close the Gap campaign was launched on Friday, May 16. The campaign was launched at Rob Ferreira Hospital by the Mpumalanga Department of Health (DoH), in collaboration with the Mpumalanga Aids Council and other stakeholders in the health sector. ALSO READ: 43 000 Mpumalanga residents lose jobs in first quarter of 2025 This national campaign to locate the 1.1 million South African citizens who have tested positive for HIV, but are not on treatment, was launched in February by the minister of health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. The campaign also seeks to wage a war against TB, to ensure that the disease is eradicated. According to the department, the province is faced with the task of locating more than 134 000 people and putting them on antiretroviral treatment, while 9 380 must receive TB treatment, to ensure they live longer and lead healthy lifestyles. 'The health department is banking on our healthcare facilities and the support and co-operation of other stakeholders to realise our objective, thus successfully contributing to the national target of 1.1 million,' read a press release. The Ehlanzeni District has been identified as the region with the highest numbers of HIV-positive people who are not on treatment. The MEC for health, Sasekani Manzini, said the department has in the past months been able to trace 13 000 patients and the aim is to trace the remaining 121 000 by December. These include people who have taken their medication before and then defaulted, and the people who have never been on treatment before. Manzini said they are concerned that many HIV-positive men have never been on medication, and that most children who were born positive are not receiving medication. This is according to research they have conducted. 'The men do not test and say as long as their partners have tested it means they do not have to go to the clinic to test. Children are under the care of their parents and they need to make sure their children are receiving the necessary treatment.' ALSO READ: Over 1 000 illegal miners arrested across Lowveld Manzini said they are going to do what they did during the Covid-19 pandemic. They will use the same procedure so that they can identify the people they are looking for. 'We are going back to the clinic base campaign. Each clinic has a certain number of persons who are not receiving treatment and who need to be traced. We have traditional practitioners, leaders, councillors and business people who we will work together with to make sure that everyone who needs to take treatment is doing so.' Sfiso Nkala of People Living With HIV said some people decide to stop taking their medication due to the poor treatment they receive from healthcare workers at health facilities. Trudy Khumalo of the youth sector in Mpumalanga, said the counsellors need to change the way they render their services at healthcare facilities. 'Instead of giving assistance and providing therapy to patients, they ask unnecessary questions which make the patients uncomfortable.' Khumalo added that the long queues at healthcare facilities are also a problem. 'Young people do not like sitting and waiting for their treatment for many hours, so they decide not to go collect their medication,' she said. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
22-05-2025
- The Citizen
Court seizes assets in alleged R5m Mpumalanga PPE fraud case
While many people were affected by Covid-19 in 2020, a Mpumalanga Department of Health official allegedly financially benefited from personal protective equipment (PPE) funding. Mpumalanga News reports that this has resulted in a high court preservation order for the forfeiture of a property and three vehicles, amounting to millions of rands, against the people involved. Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Colonel Magonseni Nkosi says a former secretary in the provincial health department, Sanele Sanderson, allegedly colluded with two service providers in faking the purchasing and delivery of the PPE. 'The director's secretary engaged herself in alleged fraudulent activities that led to the department suffering a loss of about R5m in 2020,' says Nkosi. 'As a result, the service providers unlawfully benefited from the products that were never delivered,' he adds. He says Sanderson's alleged actions resulted in the service providers receiving payment and buying a residential property worth R1.5m in Barberton. The house was registered under the name of a company called Zanderson Establishment, of which the sole director was Sanderson's daughter, Yolanda Sanderson. 'The property was later sold for the same amount. Shortly afterwards, the family bought another residential property in Sunninghill, Johannesburg. The house was then registered in [the name of] a company named SS Umoya, directed by the former secretary, Sanele Sanderson,' says Nkosi. He says investigations conducted by the Hawks resulted in the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court, sitting in Mbombela, ordering the forfeiture of the Sunninghill house and three vehicles on Tuesday. 'The forfeited house is estimated to be valued at R1.5m and the three vehicles, owned by the two service providers, a Toyota Quantum, a Hyundai light delivery vehicle and a VW Golf, are estimated to have a combined value of R1m,' Nkosi adds. The provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Nico Gerber, says criminal investigations are ongoing. 'Benefits derived from proceeds of crime will be traced, restrained, forfeited and sold to recoup the state's losses. 'This is a clear example of law enforcement entities working in collaboration with one another. The Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority and the Asset Investigation Section of the Hawks collaborated and ensured the successful forfeiture. This must send a stern message that we will seize assets, no matter how they are disguised, if bought through proceeds of crime. Crime must not pay,' he adds. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
21-05-2025
- The Citizen
High court orders that assets be seized after alleged R5m Covid-19 PPE fraud uncovered
While many people were being affected by the prevalence of Covid-19 in 2020, a Mpumalanga Department of Health official financially allegedly benefitted illegally from personal protective equipment (PPE) funding. This has resulted in a high court preservation order for the forfeiture of a property and three vehicles amounting to millions of rand against the involved individuals. The Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, said a former secretary in the provincial health department, Sanele Sanderson, allegedly colluded with two service providers in faking the purchasing and delivery of the PPE. 'The director's secretary engaged herself in alleged fraudulent activities that led to the department suffering a loss of about R5m in 2020,' said Nkosi. 'As a result, the service providers unlawfully benefitted from the products that were never delivered,' added Nkosi. ALSO READ: Alleged Mpumalanga fraud and corruption accused released on bail He said Sanderson's alleged actions resulted in the service providers receiving payment and buying a residential property worth R1.5m in Barberton. The house was registered under a name of a company called Zanderson Establishment, of which the sole director happened to be Sanderson's daughter, Yolanda Sanderson. 'The property was later sold for the same amount. Shortly afterwards, the family bought another residential property in Sunninghill, Johannesburg. The house was then registered in a company named SS Umoya, directed by the former secretary, Sanele Sanderson,' said Nkosi. He said investigations conducted by the Hawks resulted in the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court, sitting in Mbombela, ordering the forfeiture of the Sunninghill house and three vehicles on Tuesday, May 20. 'The forfeited house is estimated to be valued at R1.5m and the three vehicles, owned by the two service providers, a Toyota Quantum, a Hyundai light delivery vehicle and a VW Golf, are estimated to have a combined value of R1m,' Nkosi explained. The provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Nico Gerber, said criminal investigations in this matter were ongoing. 'Benefits derived from proceeds of crime will be traced, restrained, forfeited and sold to recoup the state's losses. This is a clear example of law enforcement entities working in collaboration with one another. The Asset Forfeiture Unit of the NPA and the Asset Investigation Section of the Hawks collaborated and ensured the successful forfeiture. This must send a stern message that we will seize assets, no matter how they are disguised, if bought through proceeds of crime. Crime must not pay,' warned Gerber. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
