- Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer, heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes are a worldwide health problem.
- While diabetes is the top killer among South African women, obesity is also a dangerous disease. One in four South Africans are obese.
- Ultraprocessed foods and poverty make obesity, especially among children, worse.
- People with HIV now live longer because of treatment. But they face an increased risk of NCDs due to poorer general health.
- Taxing cold drinks reduces consumption and encourages manufacturers to use less sugar in the ingredients.
- Other solutions include making obesity drugs available and affordable.
In today’s newsletter, our Health Beat team looks into South Africa’s NCD problem. Sign up for our newsletter today.
Anna-Maria van Niekerk is Bhekisisa’s news editor. She joined the centre after six years as the managing editor of the investigative television show, Carte Blanche. Anna-Maria has an extensive career in in-depth health and human rights reporting and has been named both the Vodacom Journalist (2002) and Discovery Health Journalist of the Year (2010) for exposés on the selling of human body parts for muti in Limpopo and the devastating consequences of HIV denialism.
Mia Malan is the founder and editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa. She has worked in newsrooms in Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington, DC, winning more than 30 awards for her radio, print and television work.
Jessica Pitchford is Bhekisisa's TV and multimedia editor. She's been a journalist since the early nineties and has reported on some pivotal events in South Africa’s political history, such as the country’s transition to democracy and the work of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission.
Thatego Mashabela was a multimedia producer at Bhekisisa from February 2024 to October 2025.
Jeannine Snyman has worked in TV for over 25 years and has extensive experience in all aspects of the production chain.
Albert Tibane is a freelance cameraman and editor with credits in local and international television and film, including Carte Blanche, Strangers You Know and The Boxing Club SA (Alfa Media Tuner).
