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IOL News
11-07-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Why fitness remains a privilege for many South Africans
While social media pushes a global narrative of self-improvement, particularly toward females, through incessant gym routines, eccentric diet trends, and quick wellness trends, the reality for many South Africans is that there is a rampant lack of basic infrastructure to support even minimal physical activity. Image: Twitter 'SUMMER bodies are made in winter!' This is the popular chant across the globe, particularly at the start of the winter season. But in South Africa, this seasonal motivation underscores deep inequalities in access to health and fitness resources. The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), a mere two months ago, reported that our national health crisis has been seriously intensifying. Beyond the national quadruple-burden of diseases, infections, trauma, maternal and child health, and much more, the ever-growing hypertension (high blood pressure) epidemic in South Africa seeks to push us over the edge. SAMRC reported that across the nation, hypertension affects 48% of women and 34% of men. In fact, there is a rising prevalence of childhood hypertension, which is often directly linked to early life exposure and increased rates of obesity. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa also reported that the lifestyles of most South Africans are steadily becoming unhealthier, with 68% of women and 31% of men being found overweight or obese, and 45% of all adults found to be suffering from high blood pressure. While social media pushes a global narrative of self-improvement, particularly toward females, through incessant gym routines, eccentric diet trends, and quick wellness trends, the reality for many South Africans is that there is a rampant lack of basic infrastructure to support even minimal physical activity. Video Player is loading. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading In lower-income communities, there are few safe public spaces to exercise, limited access to nutritious food, and a lack of affordable gyms or fitness programs. In fact, in the past year alone, netizens everywhere have shone a deplorable light on the proliferation of fake foods filled with colourants, flavourings and preservatives that worsen health. This has resulted in the spread of the chilling notion: 'It is more expensive to eat healthy.' And this has not only been explored socially, but also academically. It has been found that, in our contemporary era, healthy food is usually twice as expensive as less healthy food. This means that many people do not even have the finances to access healthy food or follow stringent dietary guidelines. This has all created a sharp divide where fitness is not just a personal goal but a privilege, shaped by income, geolocation, and education. The fitness industry in South Africa mirrors broader social injustices. It thrives in affluent suburbs while neglecting the townships and rural areas, where health issues related to inactivity and resource constraints are on the rise. Although addressing these challenges remains sidelined, even in the days of the commercialised 'summer body', there remains an increasing engagement with the health and fitness of Africans everywhere. News organisations, and even television shows like Lose it or Lose Me, Biggest Loser, Bootcamp Mzansi, and so many more, have spotlighted a proclivity to obesity and unhealthiness in our society. Fitness, as a lifestyle, has certainly been whitewashed into commercialisation. Beyond the widely known impositions of the beauty industry, there has been too much of a focus on the aesthetic and consumerism of fitness lifestyles, rather than the enhancement and inaction of fitness in one's lifestyle. At the beginning of this year, Ipsos South Africa found that an overwhelming 92% of the nation believes in the importance of physical activity, as well as nutrition, as a key factor in maintaining good health. It further showed that a whopping 83% of the nation seeks out additional knowledge about their health, rather than relying solely on doctors' advice. This ultimately concluded that South Africans are predominantly 'health-conscious, proactive, and optimistic about their future well-being'. Furthermore, the vast majority of South African youths partake in some sort of physical hobby or activity on a weekly basis. According to Science Direct, vigorous physical activity was significantly higher among individuals aged 15–19 years old. In addition to this, our national Constitution stipulates in the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996, that all schools are to provide sport lessons for pupils 'irrespective of ability, across all schools in an age-appropriate and/or grade appropriate way, based on the principle of equity and access'. Furthermore, countless higher education students obtain full scholarships for their sports skills. This is a common aspiration in nations such as the US and the UK, and has the potential to drive social and economic development in South Africa, a nation filled with soccer and rugby enthusiasts. As such, physical activity is a vital aspect of our formative years, and is not only recognised but also proven as a key trait in building a successful society. For adults, being physically active is adversely impacted because so many jobs are sedentary. Staying seated for hours on end is extremely detrimental to our overall health. In fact, the popular saying 'sitting is the new smoking' is not to be taken lightly. This is not some arbitrary phrase pertaining to laziness. It is a fact that is painfully exposing the effects of stagnancy on our bodies. Rampant inactivity, such as sitting — whether at a desk, in a car, or in front of a screen for leisure time — creates health risks comparable to those caused by smoking. In fact, the Tri-City Medical Centre stated that, over an extended period of time, 'sitting is actually more dangerous than smoking, is killing more people than HIV/Aids, and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death,' declared James A Levine, MD, PhD. Although there are many who are actively seeking better, healthier, and more active lifestyles, there are still many who are forced to partake in strenuous physical activity, not out of choice. Millions of those who depend on public transport in their daily lives are among those who oftentimes partake in more physical activity, as walking or even running becomes a requirement. In fact, according to Statista, a huge segment of the population — over 7.8 million people, to be exact — are in the informal job sector, and often travel extreme distances to and from their homes, hauling heaps of goods and supplies by hand. Furthermore, a number of them are elderly people who become physically strained and injured over an extended period of time, yet are heavily dependent on that particular stream of income. Ultimately, this leaves so many stuck in a painstaking cycle, sacrificing their own physical health for the survival of their families. According to Stats SA's National Household Travel Survey 2020, about 17.4 million South Africans walked to their destination daily. Additionally, according to the Road Travel Report South Africa, there is a very high rate — about 41% — of pedestrian involvement in road fatalities across the nation. This is devastating and speaks to a larger issue of public safety. The average user of public transport will often need to use multiple forms of transport, such as a bus and two more taxis, or a train, and two buses thereafter. Navigating the public transport system on a daily basis is certainly easier said than done. It can be especially arduous in the winter season, when the days are plagued by heavy rains, flooded roads and extreme winds. Elderly people walk extreme distances to their closest clinic, school children cross expansive fields and train tracks just to attend school, workers commute on foot for kilometres because they simply cannot afford public transportation costs. These are not inspiring examples of the average South African's physical fitness; they are a stark reminder of daily injustices hiding in plain sight. This highlights that, in fact, there are countless people in our society who are not choosing physical activity for wellness or enjoyment, but rather, are painstakingly enduring it because of the systems that have failed them. The elderly walk not to stay agile, but because rural healthcare access is inadequate. Children navigate treacherous, often hazardous paths not as a form of adventure, but because their communities lack safe schools. Workers journey extensively long distances not to improve cardiovascular health, but because affordable transit and livable wages remain wholly inaccessible. When we celebrate movement without context, we risk glorifying struggle. We forget that what is framed as 'resilience' is often just survival. Physical activity becomes dangerous when it is borne out of necessity, unsupported by safety measures, and imposed on those with no alternatives. We must stop equating hardship with health and start building systems where movement is safe, accessible, and above all, voluntary. We must uphold the delicate balance between keeping physically active and maintaining structures that seek to aid us in our society. There have been inspiring feats of fitness in our society, such as the cross-country BMX boys who rode from Limpopo to Cape Town a few months ago. This not only shines a light on the urgent need for more inclusive physical fitness programmes in our society, but also calls for a fundamental shift toward building a culture that promotes physical health for all. We must foster a South Africa where sports, wellness, and movement are accessible, encouraged, and celebrated, not one that continues to physically strain and exclude the already disempowered. As our prolific Springboks Captain Siya Kolisi once said: 'We need to make sure that kids from the townships get the same opportunities as kids from the suburbs.' After all, as our father of the nation, Nelson Mandela once said: 'Sport has the power to change the world; it has the power to inspire; it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.' * Tswelopele Makoe is a gender and social justice activist and editor at Global South Media Network. She is a researcher, columnist, and an Andrew W Mellon scholar at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, UWC. The views expressed are her own. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media. Get the real story on the go: Follow the Sunday Independent on WhatsApp.
IOL News
12-06-2025
- Health
- IOL News
The hidden crisis: Alcohol's effect on South African youth
Empower the youth to make informed choices about alcohol consumption. Image: Picture: Maurício Mascaro/Pexels We often speak about the 'potential' of South Africa's youth, their innovation, creativity, and resilience. Yet, beneath the surface of motivational campaigns and youth empowerment slogans lies a crisis we've been avoiding for far too long: the normalisation of alcohol abuse among young people, and the deep, long-term consequences it carries. Let's be honest — alcohol is a cultural cornerstone in South Africa. It's present at every celebration, every gathering, every so-called rite of passage. For many young South Africans, the introduction to alcohol comes far too early. It's not uncommon to see teenagers drinking openly at taverns, at school functions, or even within the home. And while this has become a social norm, the impact is far from benign. Video Player is loading. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading We like to frame alcohol use among youth as "just experimenting" or "blowing off steam." But the truth is that alcohol is stalling the progress of an entire generation. It's delaying academic achievement, distorting mental health, fueling gender-based violence, increasing the risk of HIV infections, and contributing to the unemployment crisis. It's not just a personal problem — it's a national one. According to the South African Medical Research Council, the country has some of the highest rates of alcohol consumption per capita globally, and young people are among the most affected. Binge drinking among youth, particularly over weekends, is not the exception — it's the norm. This behaviour doesn't exist in a vacuum. It happens in under-resourced communities, where opportunities are already scarce and where alcohol often becomes a coping mechanism in the absence of proper support systems. The link between alcohol and educational outcomes is undeniable. Students who engage in regular drinking are more likely to underperform academically, skip classes, drop out, and struggle with concentration and motivation. For those who do manage to finish school, the path to tertiary education or employment is often littered with missed opportunities, poor decisions made under the influence, or even criminal records related to alcohol-fueled incidents. More disturbingly, alcohol is a silent accelerant for gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. Too many young girls have stories that start with a night out and end in trauma. In some communities, alcohol is used to lure or groom young girls, offering them a false sense of maturity and belonging while exposing them to predatory behaviour. We cannot speak about protecting our girls or ending GBV without addressing the role that alcohol plays in silencing and disempowering them. However, we're not ready to discuss it. Why? Because alcohol is too deeply woven into the social fabric. Because entire industries profit from youth consumption. Because adults model the same harmful behaviours. And because, frankly, we'd rather shame the outcomes than address the young people to 'just say no' is not only ineffective, but also insulting. Especially when we've done nothing to change the environments that glorify drinking, or to provide meaningful alternatives. Youth centres are underfunded, safe social spaces are few, and mental health support is either inaccessible or non-existent in many areas. The conversation we need to have is not just about individual discipline or responsibility — it's about the ecosystem we've built. Why is alcohol so accessible to minors? Why are taverns placed so close to schools? Why do our music videos and social influencers consistently glamorise alcohol as a marker of success? Why are weekend parties seen as more valuable than weekend tutoring or mentorship programs? We need a societal shift — one that doesn't blame youth for falling into traps that were laid for them long before they were old enough to make informed choices. This shift means stricter regulation of alcohol advertising, especially those that target the youth through music, social media, and events. It means better enforcement of the laws that prohibit selling alcohol to minors. It means parents, teachers, and community leaders taking an honest look at how their drinking habits are shaping the next generation. And most importantly, it means providing young people with viable alternatives, spaces where they can thrive, be creative, feel seen, and receive support. Young South Africans are doing incredible things despite these challenges — starting businesses, excelling in academics, and organising in their communities. But they're often doing so in environments where drinking is not just allowed, but encouraged. That's a heavy load to carry. We need to stop pretending alcohol is harmless fun. It's delaying the very youth we keep saying are the future. And if we don't confront this now, we're going to keep asking the same tired questions ten years from now: 'Why aren't young people rising?' 'Where is the youth leadership?' 'Why is our country stuck?' The truth is: we're stuck because we've chosen comfort over accountability. Culture over confrontation. And silence over solutions. It's time to change that. * Mayalo is an independent writer and analyst **The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
Daily Maverick
04-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Electronic death registration is a win-win for SA — let's make it happen
Several studies have flagged problems with South Africa's death registration processes. To address it, a critical first step is to replace our paper-based process with an electronic one. A recent report by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) highlights the underreporting of HIV in official mortality statistics. Official cause of death statistics are based on what doctors write on death notification forms. As part of the process of death registration, medical practitioners are required by law to provide information about the medical conditions resulting in each death. Multiple studies have identified concerns about the quality of the information provided by doctors and the Department of Health has been urged in a policy brief to address them as it clearly undermines the quality of data used by our government for health planning and resource allocation. The recently reported study found extensive underreporting of HIV as a cause of death. Only 28% of deaths that occurred in a national sample of public sector hospitals where the medical record had clear clinical indications of HIV, had HIV specified on their death notification form. Aside from ensuring that medical certification of the cause of death is part of the medical training curriculum, and that additional training is provided during internship periods, another key issue to address is that many doctors are reluctant to record HIV/Aids as a cause of death due to concerns about maintaining patient confidentiality. In 2014, a self-sealing section was added to protect information about cause of death on the death notification form, but this has clearly not had the desired effect. Following the deaths of at least 22 children from contaminated food in 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the Department of Health would develop an electronic system for recording causes of death as one of several responses to the emergency. The move to an electronic system offers a strategic opportunity to address the challenge around confidentiality and promises a lot more. It allows for secure, institution-based data management that protects confidentiality, encourages accurate reporting and strengthens the integrity of vital statistics. Benefits of this digital transition will include: Improved data quality and confidentiality, encouraging accurate reporting of sensitive conditions like HIV/Aids; Automated validation checks, reducing certification errors at the point of data entry; Real-time access to mortality data, enabling rapid public health responses; and A platform for quality assurance and feedback, currently not possible in the paper-based system. Ultimately, moving away from a paper-based process of death registration will reduce the administrative burden and improve efficiency across the system. This presents a timely and valuable opportunity to collaborate across departments, including health, home affairs and Statistics South Africa, to modernise the country's civil registration and vital statistics system. We are at a pivotal moment for such coordinated policy action. Investing in a robust electronic system for cause-of-death certification will strengthen South Africa's public health planning, improve disease surveillance and increase accountability. The long-term returns – through faster, more reliable data – are substantial for both governance and health outcomes. It is a win-win. DM Dr Pam Groenewald and Professor Debbie Bradshaw are with the South African Medical Research Council's Burden of Disease Research Unit. Note: Spotlight previously reported on the issues discussed in this opinion piece. That reporting included the sentence: 'In the meantime, routine mortality data from Stats SA should clearly be taken with a pinch of salt.' That sentence may have been construed as reflecting Groenewald and the SAMRC's views. Groenewald has asked us to clarify that it does not. She points out that Stats SA is obligated to process the data it receives and the quality issues stem from what doctors report.
TimesLIVE
03-06-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
Electronic death registration is a win-win: let's make it happen
A recent study found extensive underreporting of HIV as a cause of death. Only 28% of deaths that occurred in a national sample of public sector hospitals where the medical record had clear clinical indications of HIV, had HIV specified on their death notification form. Aside from ensuring that medical certification of the cause of death is part of the medical training curriculum, and that additional training is provided during internship periods, another key issue to address is that many doctors are reluctant to record HIV/Aids as a cause of death due to concerns about maintaining patient confidentiality. In 2014 a self-sealing section was added to protect information about cause of death on the death notification form, but this has clearly not had the desired effect. Following the deaths of at least 22 children from contaminated food last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the department of health would develop an electronic system for recording causes of death as one of several responses to the emergency. The move to an electronic system offers a strategic opportunity to address the challenge around confidentiality and promises far more. It allows for secure, institution-based data management that protects confidentiality, encourages accurate reporting, and strengthens the integrity of vital statistics. Benefits of this digital transition will include: Improved data quality and confidentiality, encouraging accurate reporting of sensitive conditions such as HIV/Aids; Automated validation checks, reducing certification errors at the point of data entry; Real-time access to mortality data, enabling rapid public health responses; and A platform for quality assurance and feedback, currently not possible under the paper-based system. Ultimately, moving away from a paper-based process of death registration will reduce the administrative burden and improve efficiency across the system. This presents a timely and valuable opportunity to collaborate across departments, including health, home affairs and Statistics South Africa to modernise the country's civil registration and vital statistics system. We are at a pivotal moment for such co-ordinated policy action. Investing in a robust electronic system for cause-of-death certification will strengthen South Africa's public health planning, improve disease surveillance, and increase accountability. The long-term returns — through faster, more reliable data — are substantial for both governance and health outcomes. It is a win-win situation all round. • Groenewald and Bradshaw are both with the South African Medical Research Council's Burden of Disease Research Unit.
The South African
31-05-2025
- Health
- The South African
Future of SASSA grant for pregnant women hangs in the balance
Did you know that a SASSA grant for pregnant women has been on the table for some time now? First tabled in 2012, it's known as the Maternal Support Grant (MSG), and it's a shame it has been in limbo for more than a decade. At its heart, a SASSA grant for pregnant women hopes to address the fact that nearly one-third of children born in South Africa are stunted. This is due to poor nourishment of the mother. In fact, 2.5 million people live in nutritionally insecure households, according to the South African Medical Research Council. Even though it will cost billions annually, the savings a maternity grant will bring are said to be ten-fold. Image: File As such, mothers who are malnourished during pregnancy have much higher odds of poor birth outcomes. This includes low birthweight, poor neurodevelopment, and increased risk of chronic disease later in life. This is why the proposed SASSA grant for pregnant women came about. And many in civil society say the South African Social Security Agency should combine it as an extension of the existing R570 Child Support Grant. However, despite the draft policy being 13-years old, the Department of Social Development (DSD) says it still hasn't reached Cabinet. Last year, in November 2024, the policy was submitted to the Social Protection, Community and Human Development (SPCHD) Cabinet Committee. But it was sent back for 'further work,' saying poverty, unemployment and inequality need to be addressed jointly. In more than a decade, the DSD has not even presented the draft policy to Cabinet. Image: File Some worry a SASSA grant for pregnant women would 'incentivise child birth and create a dependency syndrome.' However, civil society says it has been more than a decade since the DSD commissioned research on the benefits of a SASSA grant for pregnant women. And in that time the body of evidence in its favour has only grown stronger. Therefore, the absence of income support for pregnant women is a big gap in the country's social security framework. According to advocacy groups, a SASSA grant for pregnant women would require in the region of R1.9 billion to R3.2 billion annually. However, the potential saving to public health would exceed R13 billion. It is therefore a critical investment into the future of the nation. But what do you think …? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
