Deaths from cancer in South Africa are forecast to nearly double, from about 64,000 in 2024 to 127,000 in 2050, according to Global Burden of Disease (GBD) projections. Experts quoted by Spotlight and Daily Maverick link the rise mainly to an ageing population and changing lifestyles. Measuring the cancer burden The National Cancer Registry recorded about 91,600 diagnosed cases in…
Tag: Non-Communicable Diseases
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Causes of Death in South Africa: Diabetes Leads for Third Year
Diabetes mellitus topped the causes of death in South Africa for a third consecutive year in 2024, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). It accounted for 6.1% of deaths, while hypertensive diseases followed at 5.5%. The findings come from Stats SA’s latest report, “Mortality and causes of death in South Africa: findings from death notification”. It draws on civil…
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GLP-1 Alone Won’t Solve South Africa’s Diabetes Crisis
GLP-1 medicines are drawing intense interest, but health experts say they cannot resolve South Africa’s diabetes crisis on their own. Deeper answers lie in earlier diagnosis, stronger primary care, healthier food environments, and long-term patient support. Diabetes was the country’s leading underlying natural cause of death in 2023, claiming 27,692 lives, or 5.8% of all recorded deaths, according to Stats…
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Diabetes Dashboard Launches To Speed Up Care In Public Clinics
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) has launched a new Diabetes Dashboard to provide public health workers with near-real-time visibility into patient management across the country. According to the NHLS, the platform helps clinicians and programme managers spot poor glucose control earlier, allowing faster intervention. This tool arrives as civil society and health leaders increasingly frame diabetes as a national…
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Declaration On Diabetes: Facing a National Emergency
South Africa’s diabetes burden is moving from “silent epidemic” to loud national emergency. Amanda Mashego, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes six years ago, describes daily management as a 24-hour job with no breaks. Every meal, mood shift, and exercise session requires constant calculation. Yet she says the mental load remains largely unseen by the healthcare system. That invisible workload is…
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SA Mortality Report Highlights Non-Communicable Diseases
The recently released SA Mortality Report highlights that South Africa recorded 476,751 deaths in 2023, down from 492,417 in 2022. The drop continues a steady recovery from the Covid-era shock. In 2021, deaths surged to 623,135 during the pandemic peak. The figures come from Statistics South Africa’s Mortality and Causes of Death report. The data is drawn from the civil…
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Diabetes Crisis: A Public Health Emergency in South Africa
As the diabetes crisis intensifies, civil society organisations are calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare the disease a public health emergency. They are demanding urgent government intervention and dedicated resources to combat the disease’s devastating impact. The unified demand was presented this week at the Diabetes Summit. Here, 350 stakeholders, including academics, civil society groups, industry representatives, and government…
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Sin Taxes: A Strategy for Health Improvement in Africa
Academics from the University of Cape Town (UCT) are championing the greater use of health taxes on products like tobacco, alcohol, and soft drinks. Experts see these taxes as a powerful dual-purpose tool for African nations. A new report argues that such measures, often referred to as sin taxes, can significantly curb consumption. They can reduce premature deaths and illnesses,…