Latest news with #NomaguguSimelane
IOL News
18 hours ago
- Health
- IOL News
Final touches: RK Khan Hospital renovations nearing completion
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, acting department Head Penny Msimango, the health infrastructure unit, and the contractor recently conducted a Siyahlola oversight visit at RK Khan Hospital. Image: KZN Department of Health Renovations at RK Khan Hospital in Chatsworth are 99% completed. This was revealed during a recent oversight visit to the facility by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health. Modernisation efforts will align the 56-year-old hospital with current medical infrastructure requirements. KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, acting department Head Penny Msimango, the health infrastructure unit, and the contractor conducted a Siyahlola oversight visit at the hospital. According to the department, the hospital is undergoing a R59 million re-waterproofing and internal renovations at Blocks D and E, and the Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD). The state-of-the-art renovations aimed at modernising the facility and integrating new medical technology and infrastructure include not only the waterproofing of roof slabs, but also the complete redesign of wards D and E following Infrastructure Unit Support System (IUSS) guidelines. The project also involves the removal of existing fittings, fixtures, and outdated electrical, mechanical, and extraction systems, and raising all internal partitions in the bed wards to a height of 2.1 metres. The redesigned CSSD will now fully follow IUSS accommodation design standards. Simelane expressed satisfaction with the progress, although there were concerns about delays and the missed completion deadline. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane (green and white outfit), acting department Head Penny Msimango, the health infrastructure unit, and the contractor recently conducted a Siyahlola oversight visit at RK Khan Hospital. Image: KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health Meanwhile, last month, KZN Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer inspected the hospital. During a briefing session, it emerged that what seemed like a roof repair undertaking that was meant to last five months ended up being an extended project as assessments showed that the walls and other structural aspects were severely compromised.
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Teen moms avoid healthcare amid fears of reporting rape, discloses KZN health MEC
The health of teen moms and their babies hangs in the balance as young rape victims are too scared to access formal healthcare when giving birth. This was revealed by KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, who said this is owing to the laws compelling those in authority to report the rape. ALSO READ: KZN Health MEC places cervical cancer prevention in spotlight Speaking at a meeting of the Provincial Council on Aids in Durban last Thursday, Simelane expressed her deep concern over the growing number of teenage and child pregnancies, particularly those involving adult men. 'This issue is both a health crisis and a social justice emergency that requires urgent intervention,' she said. 'This puts young girls at high risk, especially when they are forced to give birth in unsafe conditions. South African law defines statutory rape as any sexual activity with a person under the age of 16, and makes the reporting of such cases to law enforcement mandatory.' Simelane believes that an urgent and collaborative dialogue involving parents, traditional leaders, civil society and the government is needed to decisively address this disturbing pattern. 'I want to make a proposal that we lead from the front in combatting this crisis. We need to come together and deal with this matter head on because these activities are happening right where we are. Children get pregnant in our societies in our communities. 'Unless we talk about it and act decisively, we will continue to see young lives destroyed. We are raising a broken generation if we remain silent.' Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TimesLIVE
7 days ago
- Health
- TimesLIVE
KZN health MEC Simelane calls for urgent action against older men impregnating girls
KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has issued an urgent call for an open and collaborative national dialogue to tackle the disturbing rise in child and teenage pregnancies, particularly those involving adult men. Speaking at a meeting of the provincial council on Aids held in Durban, Simelane expressed deep concern about recent statistics showing thousands of teenage and child pregnancies in eThekwini municipality, including girls as young as 10. 'We are extremely worried about the high number of children who are falling pregnant,' said Simelane. Her comments came in response to data shared during the Teenage Pregnancy Indaba hosted by the eThekwini municipality at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre. The municipality revealed 7,627 cases of teenage pregnancy between April 2024 and April 2025. Even more alarming is that 154 of the pregnancies involved girls aged between 10 and 14.
The Citizen
25-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Call for community dialogue to address child and teenage pregnancies
Call for community dialogue to address child and teenage pregnancies Clinics and hospitals are required by law to report all suspected cases of statutory rape. This is according to KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, who has called for dialogue to address teenage and child pregnancies, particularly the 'disturbing pattern of older men impregnating underage girls'. ALSO READ: Department of Health makes sexual health easier for women 'I want to make a proposal that we lead from the front in combatting this crisis between ourselves and district mayors, amakhosi (traditional leaders) and izinduna (headmen) – we need to come together and deal with this matter head-on because these activities are happening right where we are, children get pregnant in our societies in our communities. 'Unless we talk about it and act decisively, we will continue to see young lives destroyed. We are raising a broken generation if we remain silent,' she said. Simelane was speaking at a meeting of the Provincial Council on Aids held in Durban. South African law defines statutory rape as any sexual activity with a person under the age of 16, and makes the reporting of such cases to law enforcement mandatory. She said the issue is both a health crisis and a social justice emergency that demands speedy intervention. 'We are extremely worried about the high number of children who are falling pregnant,' said MEC Simelane. 'What is even more concerning is that some of these young victims stop accessing healthcare and social services once they realise that we are legally required to report the perpetrators. 'In many cases, this is done to protect breadwinners or due to informal agreements between families. But this puts young girls at high risk, especially when they are forced to give birth in unsafe conditions.' Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
25-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Urgent call from KZN Health MEC to address underage pregnancies linked to older men
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has called for urgent talks to tackle the growing problem of older men impregnating underage girls in the province. Image: Supplied KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has called for urgent talks to tackle the growing problem of older men impregnating underage girls in the province. New figures from eThekwini Municipality reported 7,627 teenage pregnancies between April 2024 and April 2025, including 154 girls aged between 10 and 14. The municipality also raised serious concerns about the increasing rate of new HIV infections among adolescent girls. Speaking at a recent Provincial Council on AIDS meeting in Durban, Simelane voiced serious concern over the rising number of child and teenage pregnancies, especially those involving adult men. 'We are extremely worried about the high number of children who are falling pregnant,' said MEC Simelane. 'What is even more concerning is that some of these young victims stop accessing healthcare and social services once they realise that we are legally required to report the perpetrators. In many cases, this is done to protect breadwinners or due to informal agreements between families. But this puts young girls at high risk, especially when they are forced to give birth in unsafe conditions.' Simelane stressed that all clinics and hospitals are legally obligated to report any suspected cases of statutory rape to the authorities. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading 'I want to make a proposal... that we lead from the front in combating this crisis, that between ourselves and district mayors, amakhosi (traditional leaders), and izinduna (headmen), we need to come together and deal with this matter head on because these activities are happening right where we are, children get pregnant in our societies in our communities," she said. 'These incidents are happening in our communities. Unless we talk about it and act decisively, we will continue to see young lives destroyed. We are raising a broken generation if we remain silent.' IOL News Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel
