Three short films tell the powerful stories of professionals whose resilience, purpose and commitment are creating lasting impact in their communities.
Photo by Thirdman : https://www.pexels.com/photo/medical-professionals-looking-at-the-screen-of-the-cellphone-5327867/
Profmed, South Africa’s medical aid for professionals, has launched BeRemarkable, a documentary series that shines a spotlight on the people and personal stories behind some of the country’s most respected professions.
Now streaming on the Profmed YouTube channel, the three-part series follows the journeys of Profmed members who have overcome significant personal challenges and gone on to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others and their communities.
“These films are a reminder that behind every profession is a person with a unique story,” says [Spokesperson Name], [Title] at Profmed. “We wanted to highlight members whose influence extends beyond their careers and into the communities and lives they’ve helped shape.”
THE THREE STORIES
Flight Path | Dr Ryan Jacobs
After severe epilepsy and brain surgery ended his ambitions of becoming a pilot, Dr Ryan Jacobs found a new calling in medicine.
Now training as a specialist neurosurgeon at Tygerberg Hospital, Ryan’s story reflects how personal adversity can shape purpose.
Flight Path explores his journey from patient to healthcare professional, and the experiences that inspired him to pursue a career helping others navigate life-changing medical challenges.
Back to Water | Suzanne “Suzie” Hüsselmann
A devastating bodyboarding accident changed Suzanne “Suzie” Hüsselmann’s life in an instant. The long recovery that followed brought both physical and emotional challenges, but also strengthened her connection to the ocean and inspired a new sense of purpose.
Today, Suzie is the founder of Surf4Life, an initiative that uses surfing to support young people from underserved communities in Cape Town. Through the programme, participants develop confidence, resilience and life skills while building a deeper connection with the ocean.
Back to Water explores how a life-altering experience inspired Suzie to create opportunities for others through the sport that played an important role in her own recovery.
Into Focus | Tharien Schoeman
A patient who had been waiting years for cataract surgery left a lasting impression on Tharien Schoeman. What began as a single encounter grew into a broader mission to help more people access the treatment they need.
Today, her work has helped restore sight to hundreds of South Africans, giving many the opportunity to regain their independence and reconnect with daily life.
Into Focus tells the story of how one person’s determination can create meaningful change for others.
ABOUT BEREMARKABLE
BeRemarkable is a three-part documentary series showcasing the stories of Profmed members who have overcome personal challenges and gone on to make a positive impact in their communities.
Filmed across South Africa, the series features first-hand accounts from Dr Ryan Jacobs, Suzanne “Suzie” Hüsselmann and Tharien Schoeman, exploring the moments that shaped their journeys and inspired their work.
The full series is now available on the Profmed YouTube channel@profmedsa.
From dust, silica and asbestos to psychosocial hazards, climate change and artificial intelligence, the 2026 programme examines how South Africa can protect workers in a rapidly changing world of work.
Photo by Emmanuel Ikwuegbe on Unsplash
JOHANNESBURG, 01 October 2026 – The Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene (SAIOH) held its scientific programme of the 2026 Annual Scientific Conference in Johannesburg, calling for stronger partnerships to prevent workplace exposures and protect worker health.
Under the theme Building Stronger Partnerships for Healthier Workplaces, the conference brings together occupational hygiene practitioners, researchers, regulators, health and safety professionals and industry representatives. Its goal goes beyond sharing technical knowledge; it links evidence, professional practice, and institutional action when traditional occupational hazards intersect with emerging, rapidly evolving risks.
The need is substantial. The International Labour Organization estimates that 2.93 million workers die each year from work-related accidents and diseases, while 395 million sustain non-fatal work-related injuries1. In South Africa, the imperative is especially visible across mining, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare and public infrastructure, where persistent exposure risks must now be managed alongside psychosocial pressure, a changing climate and technological disruption.
“Old hazards have not disappeared, yet the world of work is changing around them. Dust, silica and asbestos remain serious concerns, while psychosocial hazards, climate change and artificial intelligence are reshaping how risks arise and how we respond. No single profession or institution can address this alone. This conference is about building the relationships that allow us to identify risks earlier, act on evidence and strengthen prevention for every worker,” says Professor Cas Badenhorst, President of SAIOH
A programme grounded in today’s workplace realities
The programme deliberately places persistent and emerging risks side by side. Professor Spo Kgalamono, Executive Director of the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH), opens the scientific programme with a keynote on how strategic collaboration affects occupational health outcomes. Professor Badenhorst follows with Beyond the sample – The relationships that make occupational hygiene work.
Psychosocial risk is a major focus. Ms Milly Ruiters, Chief Inspector for Occupational Health and Safety at the National Department of Employment and Labour, addresses psychosocial hazards in the workplace, while Dr Casper Joubert of Stellenbosch University and the South African Society of Occupational Medicine considers whether artificial intelligence will enable African occupational hygiene to leap forward or leave parts of the continent behind. A related presentation on ISO 45003 (the first global standard for managing psychological health and safety at work) challenges workplaces to fix working conditions rather than expecting workers to absorb systemic pressure.
The conference also maintains a firm focus on exposures that continue to affect workers and communities. Sessions cover silica and modern silicosis, actionable dust-control strategies for mining, particulate matter, agricultural dust and endotoxins, noise-induced hearing loss, and research into asbestos-containing materials in Gauteng public schools. Mr Thapelo Chakane of the Minerals Council South Africa leads the dust-control keynote, while practical and research presentations explore how to strengthen measurement, prevention, and risk management.
Further sessions examine connected occupational health systems, exposure and healthcare, intelligent underground air management, predictive exposure intelligence and the use of large language models to detect technical errors in occupational hygiene reports. Dr Busisiwe Shezi of the South African Medical Research Council addresses worker protection in a changing climate, an increasingly important issue for both outdoor and indoor workplaces as extreme heat becomes more frequent and intense.
NIOH partnership honours 70 years while looking ahead
SAIOH is pleased to partner with the NIOH as the Institute commemorates its 70th anniversary. The partnership includes a NIOH site visit led by Professor Kgalamono and NIOH specialists, her opening keynote, and contributions from NIOH experts across the scientific and poster programmes. It recognises seven decades of service to occupational health while strengthening the collaboration needed for the next generation of workplace risks.
Professor Spo Kgalamono, Executive Director of the National Institute for Occupational Health, states, “For 70 years, the NIOH has translated occupational health evidence into practical action and meaningful protection for workers. Our experience has consistently demonstrated that sustainable improvements are achieved through partnership across disciplines, institutions, employers and the workforce itself. As we mark this significant milestone, we are proud to partner with SAIOH in celebrating our shared contribution to advancing occupational health in South Africa. This anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the foundation that has been built, but to strengthen the knowledge, systems and professional capabilities needed for the workplaces of tomorrow.”
The conference, in hybrid format, began on 28 September with professional development courses and a visit to the NIOH site. The main scientific programme runs from 30 September to 1 October and includes 11 keynote addresses, oral and poster presentations, exhibitions, networking and the SAIOH Gala Dinner and Awards.
A chance encounter in a hospital waiting area led to a remarkable full-circle moment when a South African stem cell donor unknowingly saved the life of the very child who inspired her to join the registry.
In October 2022, Petro was walking into a hospital in Centurion for a routine check-up when she stopped to speak to a grandmother sitting near the entrance with a baby on her lap. The little girl, just a few months old, was receiving treatment for leukaemia. Petro went in for her appointment, went home, and could not stop thinking about her.
“That was quite a powerful meeting, realising that this was a really sick baby, and that her life depended on having a life-saving stem cell transplant,” she recalls. Within days, she had ordered a swab kit and joined the South African stem cell registry.
The little girl was Lydia.
Her family had first noticed something was wrong after noticing a yellow cast on her skin in a photograph taken with her older brother, something that nobody had registered in the day-to-day. At four months old, Lydia was diagnosed with Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and admitted to hospital the same day. Long blocks of chemotherapy followed, along with recurring infections her weakened immune system could no longer fight, and a week in intensive care with pneumonia.
“When Lydia was diagnosed, our whole world changed,” her mother, Estelle, remembers.
Her medical team had been clear from the start that a stem cell transplant offered the best chance of survival. Towards the end of 2022, the family received the news they had been hoping for: a donor match had been identified. Shortly before the scheduled transplant, the planned donation was unable to proceed.
“This broke my heart,” Estelle shares. “It felt like we were back at the beginning again, and that was painful.”
The search resumed with no guarantee it would end differently. Only 30% of patients needing a transplant find a compatible donor within their own family. For Lydia, that meant her chances depended on an unrelated donor somewhere in the world whose tissue type matched hers.
When the call came, Petro was nearing 50 and half expected to be told she no longer qualified. “I was actually quite happy and honoured, because I knew this is it,” she explains. “I knew there was a patient on the other side who really needed this as a life-saving measure.”
She describes the donation process as straightforward. “It was nothing more than a blood donation times two, basically. It’s a few hours out of your day.”
Lydia was admitted for her transplant in February and spent nearly seven weeks in isolation with her mother. Gradually, signs of recovery emerged. She began eating again. She started to put on weight.
Months later, once the confidentiality period had lapsed, Petro joined a WhatsApp call with Lydia’s family. She began telling them why she had registered: the hospital in Centurion, the baby, and the grandmother at the entrance. As she spoke, she noticed the family starting to smile. The grandmother was on the call too.
“Lydia’s mother told me that they were that patient, they were that family,” she says. “I was absolutely flabbergasted. What are the odds of that happening?”
Her own family took it just as hard. “My mother cries every time we talk about Lydia,” Petro adds. “She remembers seeing her at the hospital when she was so tiny.”
Lydia is now four years old. She has caught up on developmental milestones she had missed and has not been readmitted since the transplant. “She will always have a special place in my heart,” Petro says. “She’s got her whole life in front of her.”
The cost behind every match
None of it happens without a swab kit, and a swab kit is not free. Signing up costs the person registering nothing, but every entry carries a cost, most of it in the laboratory tissue typing that turns two cheek swabs into a searchable set of markers. This year, Sunflower Month is being marked under the theme Hope That Lasts, with every financial contribution helping to fund another registration through the laboratory and onto the registry, where a searching medical team can find it.
Held each September, the initiative dates back to 1999 and the founding of The Sunflower Fund, after two young South Africans, Darren Serebro and Chris Corlett, were diagnosed with leukaemia. Corlett painted a picture during treatment and called it Sunflowers of Hope. Following their passing, a vision to grow the registry so patients would have a better chance of finding a match. More than two decades later, Lydia became one of those patients, diagnosed with the same illness.
South Africans between the ages of 17 and 55 who are in good health can register as stem cell donors at no cost.
Petro has one message for anyone weighing it up. “Take that responsibility seriously and really commit. You can mean the difference between life and death for a patient.”
Palesa Mokomele, Head of Community Engagement and Communications at DKMS Africa, says the gap between a willing volunteer and a usable match is a financial one. “Every contribution puts another swab through the laboratory and another name on the registry. If you are eligible, order a kit. If you are not, fund one. And say something about it to the people you know, because Petro only registered because a stranger at a hospital told her what was happening. This year’s theme is a reminder that something you do today can make a difference years from now, perhaps for someone you have never even met.”
A SANBS and Round Table Southern Africa partnership has helped bring more than 600 new donors into the blood donation network
A new five-part docuseries, Tafel Toure, from Round Table Southern Africa takes viewers inside the community projects driven by its members across the country. One episode takes viewers to the SANBS donor centre in Welkom, where Round Table members see first-hand what happens when ordinary South Africans make the decision to give blood and why those donations matter to patients in need.
The episode comes at a critical time for South Africa’s blood supply, with SANBS blood stock levels having declined below five days’ cover. The blood service is urging eligible South Africans to donate and help replenish stocks, particularly as regular donations are essential to maintaining a safe and sufficient blood supply.
For Round Table member and regular blood donor Stephan Theunissen, giving blood has become part of how he contributes to his community. The documentary follows him at the SANBS donor centre in Welkom as he shares why he continues to donate and encourages others to do the same.
“Giving blood is one of the simplest ways we can make a difference in our communities. You may never know whose life your donation will touch, but knowing that something as simple as taking an hour out of your day could help someone in need is what keeps me coming back and encouraging others to donate too,” says Theunissen.
Alongside Stephan’s personal experience, SANBS Donor Relations Practitioner Bronwyn Petersen takes viewers beyond the donation chair, explaining who can donate and why different blood components are needed.
“O-negative can be given to anyone in an emergency, and plasma helps stop severe bleeding and stabilise patients in trauma. Together, they’re often the first things a hospital reaches for when every second counts, which is why we always need more donors of both,” says Bronwyn.
Viewers are taken through the donation process alongside the presenter, offering a behind-thescenes look at what happens from the moment a donor arrives at the centre to the point where their donation becomes part of the blood supply.
The episode also highlights the growing impact of the SANBS and Round Table Southern Africa partnership, which has contributed to more than 600 new donors and over 100 blood drives.
As South Africa marks Heritage Month, the partnership provides a powerful example of how community action and a shared commitment to giving back can create a lasting impact.
“Round Table Southern Africa has always believed that real impact starts when ordinary people choose to get involved. Our partnership with SANBS is a powerful example of that. Through TafelToere, we hope to not only showcase what our members are doing in their communities, but also inspire more South Africans to put up their hands, donate blood and make a difference. One donation, one hour and one decision can ultimately help save a life,” says Wessels Dreyer, incoming President of Round Table Southern Africa.
Monique Schreiner, Senior Manager: Donor Relations at the South African National Blood Service, says the partnership demonstrates how community-driven action can help strengthen the country’s blood supply.
“We have fallen below five days’ blood stock cover, and this is a critical reminder of why regular blood donation matters. Every day, patients across South Africa rely on blood and blood products for emergency care, surgery and ongoing medical treatment. Partnerships such as the one with Round Table Southern Africa help us reach new donors and show people the real impact of their decision to donate,” says Schreiner.
She adds that the documentary offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look and builds greater understanding of the blood donation journey.
“Blood donation is a powerful example of how an individual act can have a far-reaching impact. Through this documentary, we have an opportunity to show people what happens behind the scenes and remind eligible South Africans that their decision to donate can help ensure blood is available when a patient needs it most.”
For Round Table, the episode is an opportunity to encourage more young men to see blood donation as a simple but meaningful way to contribute to their communities. The call, however, extends beyond Round Table’s membership, with eligible first-time, regular and lapsed donors all encouraged to play their part in maintaining South Africa’s blood supply
.Watch the Round Table Southern Africa docuseries, Tafel Toure, and follow Stephan Theunissen and the SANBS team as they take viewers behind the scenes of blood donation.
Dr Hennie Hamilton with his wife Sylivia and son near their home in Ingwavuma in northern KwaZulu-Natal. (Photo: Halden Krog/Spotlight)
By Sue Segar for Spotlight
As a young doctor working in rural KwaZulu-Natal, Hennie Hamilton lived with a Zulu family for four years, an experience which, he says, changed him forever. Twenty-three years later, he’s still working in the area as medical manager at Mosvold Hospital and doing cataract surgery on patients from five rural hospitals.
In the corner of a small ward in a rural hospital in northern KwaZulu-Natal, an elderly woman with a plastic shield covering her left eye sits up in bed. Her daughter, seated on a chair beside the bed, is holding her hand.
There’s silence, an air of quiet anticipation as a tall doctor leans over the woman and, in deep concentration, slowly removes the eye shield and the eye pad underneath it.
Next, the doctor gently eases her eye open and looks closely into her face to see her response. “Uya bona, Mama?” (Can you see, Mama?) Dr Hennie Hamilton asks the woman, keeping a hand on her shoulder.
The woman, Duduzile Phakathi from Mthubathuba, flickers her eyes. Her grip tightens on her daughter’s hand. “Yebo,” she answers, almost inaudibly, and her face breaks into a smile as she focuses, incredulously, on the tall man in front of her. “Ngiyabonga,” (Thank you) she says. The room erupts into excited chatter as mother and daughter start praying out loud, pouring blessings onto the doctor.
Eye patients from five hospitals – and further
It’s not yet 07:00, and Hamilton, medical manager at Mosvold Hospital in the mountain town of Ingwavuma, is already walking the wards. Every Monday, this quietly spoken man performs cataract surgery on patients from all over the uMkhanyakude district of KwaZulu-Natal. Besides coming from the area served by Mosvold Hospital, patients are referred to him from the other four hospitals in the district – Manguzi, Bethesda, Mseleni and Hlabisa. Tuesdays are for opening the eyes and checking the surgery has been effective.
After losing her sight to cataracts, Duduzile Phakati is overjoyed to see again and get back to caring for her chickens. (Photo: Halden Krog/Spotlight)
As a shaft of morning sunlight beams into the room and onto the faces of the two women, Hamilton, dressed in a black embroidered African work tunic called a Dashiki, explains what he’s doing. He speaks with a strong Afrikaans accent, despite his English last name.
“This patient had what is known as a dense cataract and was completely blind. We operated on her right eye in June, and yesterday we did her left eye. Today, we’re opening the eye and checking whether the operation has been a success,” he says.
A cataract, he explains, is an opacity, or cloudiness, of the lens in the eye, which blocks the passage of light and causes a person’s vision to blur or dim. “It normally happens in old age. Sometimes it arises from diabetes or injuries or trauma, or it can be caused by medication. Some people are born with it, but 95 percent of the patients we see have it because of old age.”
He continues: “Most people will eventually get a cataract. The big difference in this area is that people present very late. In rural areas like this, 20 percent of the patients we operate on are already blind in both eyes. People just wait for longer before they finally come for help.”
Cataract surgery, he says, is a short, painless procedure which involves numbing the eye using eyedrops and an injection; making an incision in the cornea; creating a small “tunnel” on the white of the eye; removing the cataract lens through the tunnel; and then, by folding and inserting it through the incision, replacing the inside of the lens with an artificial lens, made from synthetic material. The incision self-seals and needs no stitches and patients experience an improvement in their vision shortly after the procedure.
“Brought by God himself”
Phakathi’s daughter, Dorothy Mbonambo, says her mother who has diabetes, has been struggling with her eyes for some time. “She was a very busy woman, who loved looking after, and selling her chickens.” But she became totally blind in February, and suddenly she couldn’t do anything for herself.
“We had to feed her, bathe her, and dress her at home, where we all live together. We did not anticipate this at all, and we had to adapt. My mother was really struggling,” says Mbonambo.
Translating for her mother, she continues: “My mother is excited that she can see again. She loves to count her money from selling chickens. It has been frustrating not to be able to do that. She can’t wait to get back to her business, to her normal life.”
Mbonambo says the family was determined to get their mother to Mosvold Hospital for the surgery. “We knew about Dr Hamilton because people talk about this man who came here when he was young, and speaks isiZulu and does the eyes and other operations too.”
Still holding her beaming mother’s hand, Mbonambo points to Hamilton, saying: “This one was brought by God himself.”
“Before, everything was blank”
Next, Hamilton walks into another ward, bigger than the last, where seven more women who had cataract surgery the day before, are recovering. Similar scenes play out as he removes the eye shields for each woman.
Primrose Gina who works as a porter at Mseleni Hospital, says she started struggling with her eyes about three years ago. As the condition of her eyes worsened, it became increasingly difficult to see, and she was told it was cataracts.
After three years of struggling with her vision, Primrose Gina celebrates a new beginning following cataract surgery. (Photo: Halden Krog/Spotlight)
As Hamilton opens her eyes, she lets out an exhilarated shout and tells him she can see.
Gwendolin Mthethwa, a teacher from Ndumo, says her eyes still feel “cloudy” after her operation. This, Hamilton explains, is because, besides the cataract, she also has glaucoma in both eyes.
“Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve at the back of the eye which is caused by a build-up of fluid pressure inside the eye, causing damage to the nerve, often due to natural drainage systems being faulty.
“The difference between glaucoma and cataracts is that, with glaucoma, if the damage has happened to the nerve, we cannot reverse it,” Hamilton explains. “We can only try and prevent it from getting worse. But for a cataract, a patient can go from blindness to normal vision again.”
A busy day in the life of a medical manager
It’s nearly 08:00 and Hamilton has already seen eight eye patients. As he strides through the large female ward, the room erupts into song as nurses and some patients gather in the communal ward. “Every morning, we pray together, to connect with the Lord before we start our duties,” a nurse explains.
Next up is a meeting with the hospital’s CEO, Dr Bernard Mung’omba. As part of the hospital’s senior leadership team, Hamilton is closely involved in audits for the provincial health department and overall hospital decisions. As medical manager, he oversees medical care for patients – supervising the doctors, allied health professionals and all other departments including the pharmacy and the hospital’s social workers.
The 186-bed hospital employs 17 doctors and serves seven clinics and a community health centre in the uMkhanyakhude district. The area is characterised by poverty, with many people relying on grants and government work opportunities and living in mostly rural homesteads. Unemployment, teenage pregnancy and substance abuse are big challenges.
As a rural hospital, Hamilton says, “we do bits of everything”. “Last night, I was on call and at 23:30, was in theatre doing a caesarean section.” As medical manager, he says he plays less of a frontline than an advisory role, helping with emergencies from ectopic pregnancy to premature babies, and appendicitis. “We also deal with many diabetic and hypertensive-related emergencies like heart failure, and see many strokes, among older people,” he says.
“The spectrum is extremely wide. We’re a team of people with different strengths and we all rely on one another,” he says.
But it’s the eye operations which he says he finds most rewarding. “Ag, I love it … it gives me so much joy,” he says. “The patients often bless me. They say, ‘may God bless you’. I’m often in tears in the morning when I open their eyes.”
A long history
Mosvold Hospital was founded in 1908 by Christian missionaries and started out as a small stone rondavel. It was taken over by Scandinavian missionaries in the 1930s. The hospital is named after a Norwegian nurse, Esther Mosvold, who worked there in the 1940s, fell in love with the area, and raised money through her wealthy shipping family to expand the hospital. In 1978, the then Natal provincial government took over the hospital and the mission doctors slowly departed.
Hamilton shows us the original stone clinic next to an old chapel which, he says, resignedly, is now used for storage; and a house once lived in by missionaries, which is now the admin office. He points to a site where the provincial government is building a children’s ward and a lodge for mothers to stay while visiting children in hospital; and, on the other side of the hospital, a complex of 40 bachelor flats being built for staff at a cost of R400 million. The project should be completed next year, he says, adding it will be a “gamechanger” for Mosvold. “Mothers visiting their children in hospital currently sleep on mattresses on the floor.”
On our tour, we visit the ward where Hamilton’s eldest child was born in 2007. “It’s grown so much since then,” he says. Around us, the different departments – therapy, dental, radiography, and the pharmacy – are all bustling. In the children’s ward, manager Noziphe Gumbi says they’re seeing way fewer burn wounds this year. “We’ve really focused on outreaches to educate people on the dangers of burns among children,” she says.
Hamilton says he has seen many changes at Mosvold over the years, the biggest being the number of staff. “We’ve almost doubled the number of doctors, so we can spend much more time with patients. There was a time when there were only four doctors. Now, with 16, sometimes 17 doctors, we don’t have to run, run, run like we used to,” he says. “When I arrived, we were only white doctors, now I’m the only white doctor here which helps a lot in terms of language and knowing the people.”
A life in medicine
Hamilton was born in Johannesburg and studied medicine at Pretoria University. In 1997, he started his internship at McCord Hospital, then a mission hospital, in Durban. In 1998, he moved to Bethesda Hospital where, he learnt how to be “an all-round doctor”. He went on to complete qualifications in obstetrics and orthopaedics and trained to do cataract surgery at Edendale Hospital.
He worked at Bethesda at a time when HIV was “completely overwhelming”, he says. A large part of his work was supporting HIV patients clinically and he started a home-based care programme there. In 2003, he met his wife, Sylvia, a Swiss nurse, who, having previously worked in northern KwaZulu-Natal, had returned to start a home-based care programme at Mosvold. They married four months after meeting, and Hamilton moved to Mosvold in 2003, eventually becoming medical manager in 2015.
Why he stayed
“While I was working at McCord’s Hospital in 1997, I met another doctor, Colin Pfaff, who was working at Manguzi Hospital, who was living with a Zulu family,” Hamilton recalls. “When Colin told me about his experience, something just jumped in me. I believe it was God. I realised this was what I wanted to do.”
Less than a year later, while working at Bethesda Hospital, Hamilton moved in with the Nhlekos. “I lived in a mud hut with no running water or electricity. The house was about six kilometres from Bethesda and I’d cycle up and down the mountain to work every day. I became part of the family. In the evenings, I’d sit in the kitchen with my gogo. I learnt to speak fluent isiZulu.
“It was an amazing time, even though it was only for four years. It was the most beautiful place on earth,” he says.
Hamilton shuts his eyes and says: “This experience changed me forever. I was raised very much in an Afrikaner setting. During my high school, our family moved to a farm in the Free State. We lived completely separate from black people, eating from different plates, using separate toilets. There was always this issue of race which I just accepted.”
He continues: “Living with an isiZulu family completely changed that. They gave me a Zulu name, Sandiso, which means spreading God’s grace. People still call me ‘Mgilitsha’, the clan name for the Nhlekos. I learnt to see all people as people, to trust, and to love. It was a heart thing, the most life-changing part of my life.”
The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is calling on eligible South Africans to donate blood amid declining national blood stocks.
SANBS aims to maintain a five-day blood supply to ensure hospitals have access to blood when patients need it. To meet daily demand, SANBS needs to collect 3500 units of blood each day. However, current collections are falling short of this target, placing continued pressure on the national blood supply.
Several factors are contributing to lower collections, including fewer blood drives at schools and universities during the examination period and competing demands on donors’ time. However, addressing the current need requires more than regular donors alone.
SANBS is calling on three groups to step forward: donors who are due to donate, people who have never donated before, and lapsed donors who are able to return to donating.
While students are understandably focused on their examinations, the need for blood continues every day. Mothers give birth, patients undergo surgery, accident and trauma victims require emergency care, and people receiving ongoing treatment depend on a safe and sufficient supply of blood.
“We are appealing to all eligible South Africans to make time to donate – whether you are a regular donor who is due, considering donating for the first time, or a previous donor who has not donated for some time,” says Monique Schreiner, Senior Manager: Donor Relations at SANBS.
“Whether you’re returning to donate or considering giving blood for the first time, your decision can make a meaningful difference. Every donor helps strengthen our blood supply and gives patients the hope of another tomorrow.”
SANBS is particularly encouraging O and B blood group donors who are due to donate to come forward as these groups contribute significantly to the stability of the national blood supply:
O negative is the universal blood type used in emergencies.
Group B contributes significantly to maintaining balanced stock for specific patient groups.
However, SANBS emphasises that all blood groups are welcome and needed.
“Blood cannot be manufactured. It can only come from people who choose to give. A single donation takes about 30 minutes and can save up to three lives,” adds Schreiner.
The need continues. Lives cannot wait. If you are eligible to donate, now is the time to step forward and give blood.
Visit your nearest SANBS donor centre or blood drive and donate. For more information or to find your nearest donor centre or mobile blood drive, contact the SANBS toll free line on 0800 11 90 31 or visit www.sanbs.org.za
Hazel Moagi proudly shows off awards for her work as a specialist forensic nurse, which represent her commitment to the field. (Photo: Elna Schütz/Spotlight)
By Elna Schütz for Spotlight
In a country like South Africa which grapples with a high prevalence of gender-based violence, forensic nursing unfortunately remains a largely overlooked specialisation, with little incentive for remuneration. One nurse tells Spotlight every flicker of hope a patient carries home is a reminder of why she chose this path.
Sister Hazel Moagi has won quite a few accolades as a forensic specialist nurse. These certificates and trophies are displayed on a table in one corner of her office at the Bertha Gxowa Care Centre in Germiston on the East Rand of Gauteng.
To Moagi, this small table carries tremendous weight. It motivates her to keep pushing in a career that is much needed but often soft-pedalled in both recognition and remuneration. “I call it my place of safety,” she says. “Whenever I feel down or that I’m not okay, I look at the achievements, and I say, you need to stand up, pick up the pieces, and try to do more for the community because they need me to.”
She lets out a giggle as she shares that colleagues would fondly call her ‘Nurse Hero’ after she scooped a 2023 Nurse Hero award. “It’s so fulfilling, more than monetary remuneration,” she says, adding that it also brings a sense of pride to those who know her “because you know small things make people happy.”
Those who know her well enough may notice an absence of yellow merchandise among the trophies in her office. As a long-time supporter of the Kaizer Chiefs football club, it wouldn’t be amiss in the forensic nurse’s office. She says she makes sure to catch every game in person or on television to decompress, given the heavy and sensitive nature of her work.
As operational manager of the Care Centre, Moagi runs a forensic medical service that she says many do not know is available when they need it. The Centre, on the grounds of the Bertha Gxowa Hospital, provides inclusive and comprehensive patient management of people who experience gender-based violence, including vulnerable populations such as children and people with disabilities as well as cases linked to trauma and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Both suspected perpetrators and victims of crimes are helped in the building, but the sections are separate, with the entrances out of sight of each other. Inside, there are rooms for various parts of the investigative and medical process. There’s a swing set, playroom, and colourful doctor’s room meant to make children feel more comfortable.
From victim to survivor
“We are turning victims into survivors,” Moagi says. It is particularly important to her that all her clients are treated with dignity and respect, for instance, by offering them bathing facilities, fresh clothes, and food. Safe lodging, such as access to shelters is arranged if needed.
Moagi says that a lot of patients arrive scared, traumatised, and often in the same clothes they were wearing during the crime. But after testing, treatment and brief recovery, the physical and emotional change is so different that she says even police staff fetching patients are regularly surprised that this is the same person they dropped off earlier.
Moagi says she finds cases involving children, especially those abused by a family member, especially difficult to handle.
“It’s so painful to see … abuse that happened within a space where it’s supposed to be a safe environment, and somebody you trusted with your child.”
The specialised unit’s work includes collecting forensic samples and offering support in cases of gender-based violence. She explains that it usually starts with the gathering of DNA and other samples into a Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit if a person reports sexual assault within 72 hours.
“Then the history that the patient gives us also guides us in terms of where to collect,” Moagi says. She explains that carefully asking patients to detail what happened will help her know where on the body it’s best to swab. The whole process may take over three hours, and the DNA is particularly important in forensic cases where the perpetrator was unknown to the victim.
Sometimes Moagi says she and her team notices commonalities between patients, which she then relays to her supervisor and the police. For instance, there may be multiple people who have been raped describing similar perpetrators and circumstances in the same geographical area, even if they have gone to different police stations or places for help. “If there’s a specific trend that is currently happening, then we escalate to say we have noted that this and this is happening around the specific area,” she says.
When forensic samples are collected properly and each case is understood in its wider context, it can make the difference in helping police identify a serial rapist and build a case. Moagi says she has testified in court in several such cases.
While being mindful of sharing confidential details, she does remember one case in particular. “He’s currently serving more than 200 years,” she says. “It makes you feel good that at least we have saved more women from becoming his victims.”
Memory of a neat white dress
Moagi says her passion for nursing comes from her early childhood in a small village near Bushbuckridge.
“There was a nurse that I used to see wearing her uniform, going to work, and coming back, and that’s when I said I also want to be a nurse,” she recalls. She smiles at the memory of the neat white dress the nurse wore, and how competent she seemed whenever Moagi saw her. She says she held on tight to that vision throughout her school years.
Indeed, she studied nursing and a few years later the dream was fulfilled. She started working as a general nurse.
A few years later she attended a three-day workshop on forensic medicine organised by several government departments. It was there, listening to forensic nurses speak about their work, that something new clicked for her. She says during the break, she felt compelled to speak to them and learn more about the work they did. “Since that day, I started to fall in love with managing gender-based violence cases,” she says. Around a year later, she started studying forensic nursing at the University of the Free State.
Passion over money
In specialising in forensic nursing, Moagi chose her passion over the potentially higher salary she could potentially get with other nursing specialisations. This is because, unlike nephrology or orthopaedics, forensic nursing is not recognised by the South African Nursing Council (SANC) as a professional specialisation. The SANC’s website does list forensic nursing as a nursing competency, but it does not include it in the list of specialised nursing competencies, which would make someone an Advanced Practice Nurse, with greater recognition and higher renumeration.
A June 2026 parliamentary reply to a question to the Minister of Health alludes to the fact that this is due to the educational programmes used in the past, including the one Moagi studied, not being recognised in regulations. It notes that future qualified forensic nurses would likely be recognised. However, no current educational programmes appear to be approved for this yet.
The parliamentary answer indicates that even if newer qualification lists are recognised in the future, Moagi’s previous diploma will continue not to be recognised.
Moagi says she knew about this from the start and admits that it can be difficult with the current cost of living to see other nursing fields being paid more. She says she may see job posts with salaries posted for other specialties and feel a tinge of jealousy.
She says she knows of nurses who were eager to specialise in forensic nursing but have been unable to because the additional recognition and remuneration do not reflect the demands of the role. “I think as soon as the nursing council recognises it, then more nurses will join,” she says.
Doing this work for years to come
It has now been a decade since Moagi moved to Germiston and started managing the 24-hour clinical forensic medical care facility located on the corner of Hospital and Cross Streets. She says she loves working with her team and the various stakeholders, such as the police and the Department of Social Development.
If it is up to her, she will keep doing this work for many more years to come. She says that every patient who walks away with a little more hope after facing some of their darkest moments is a reminder of why she chose this path.
“It’s seeing victims of gender-based violence walking out with hope that there is still life, and they can still pick up the pieces and try to move on with their lives,” she says.
Meanwhile, another shiny trophy has been added to that table in the corner of her office. The Gauteng Department of Health’s Ekurhuleni Health District Services recently named her best female gender-based violence activist at their Annual Gender-Based Violence Awards.
The awards are nice, but speaking to Moagi it is clear that they, like the higher salaries she may have had with another specialisation, are secondary. What drives her is a deep passion to help and serve others.
“There are those days where you feel like no matter how bad the situation was, I did my best to make sure that the patient is managed,” Moagi says. “And by the time you go home, you know you have done something good for the patients.”
*Thisarticleis part of Spotlight’s 2026 Women in Health series, featuring the remarkable contributions of women to healthcare and science. Sign up to the Spotlight newsletter.
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to a record-breaking $18-billion (over R300-billion) settlement in the United States following legal action alleging that its platforms contributed to harm among children and teenagers and failed to do enough to protect young users. The settlement, which involves almost all U.S. states, mandates specific safeguards including default daily limits, nighttime lockouts, and the disabling of notifications during school hours.
While Meta has denied any wrongdoing, the settlement has intensified an already urgent global debate about children’s digital safety. Around the world, governments are taking action, from Australia’s nationwide ban on under-16s to Brazil’s parental consent requirements, the UK’s proposed restrictions, and similar measures being considered in many other countries.
However, as governments and courts grapple with how platforms should protect young users, Pretoria based, Professor Anke de Beer believes the solution must start earlier and closer to home: with education. She is the founder of the Smart Device Licence, a pioneering South African programme designed to teach children and teenagers how to use smart devices safely, responsibly and with greater awareness of the risks they may encounter online before they are given unrestricted access.
“When you give your child a smart device, you don’t just give them access to the world. You give the world access to your child,” says Prof Anke. “The Smart Device Licence is about turning that access into a valuable skill for navigating the digital world responsibly.”
Why this matters now
Children are entering the digital world at increasingly young ages, often gaining access to social media, online gaming, messaging platforms and other digital environments before they fully understand the risks involved. Concerns around cyberbullying, inappropriate content, privacy, online exploitation, excessive device use and digital addiction have made children’s online safety an increasingly important issue for families, schools and policymakers. The latest record action against Meta is one of several developments internationally placing greater scrutiny on how technology platforms operate.
But platform regulation and landmark settlements are only part of the solution. Children also need to know how to navigate the digital world before they are given a device.
A personal mission becomes a national programme
Prof Anke’s journey from housewife to academic and activist was sparked by a deeply personal family experience involving gaming addiction and its devastating consequences. The experience opened her eyes to the potential risks of unrestricted digital access and the importance of equipping children with the knowledge to make safer choices. What began as a family’s fight for survival became a broader mission to help protect South Africa’s young people.
The Smart Device Licence was developed with input from professionals working across education, psychology and child protection, with the aim of providing children with practical skills they can use in their everyday digital lives, filling the gap left by slow-moving regulation and corporate settlements.
How the Smart Device Licence works
The Smart Device Licence is an interactive e-learning programme covering:
Digital citizenship
Privacy protection
Cyberbullying recognition
Responsible social media use
Healthy device habits
Online safety
Understanding digital risks
There are two levels:
Junior Licence: Designed for primary school learners, focusing on healthy device habits, responsible digital behaviour and avoiding harmful online content.
Senior Licence: Designed for high school learners, covering privacy, adult content, sharing personal images or messages, cyberbullying, responsible online communication and the psychology of digital addiction. Learners complete modules, quizzes and practical exercises. Those who complete the programme receive an official Smart Device Licence certificate. Schools including Rabboni Christian School in Brits are already using the platform. The programme is voluntary. The licence is an educational milestone, not a legal requirement.
Expanding access
The Smart Device Licence is available to schools, parents and learners across South Africa.
“The conversation about children’s digital safety is becoming impossible to ignore,” says Prof Anke. “But we should not wait for a court case, legislation or a crisis, whether in the US or here at home, before we prepare our children. The best time to teach a child how to use a smart device responsibly is before they receive one.”
The licence fee is R115, including VAT, providing access to the programme’s modules, exercises and quizzes. Content will be updated regularly to reflect emerging technologies, digital trends and relevant developments.
The inaugural Women’s Health Matters Conference 2026, sponsored by Discovery Health, will take place on Thursday, 3 September 2026, at GIBS Business School in Johannesburg. Supported by Spar Group, the event will bring together leaders from healthcare, business, academia and civil society to tackle some of the most pressing health issues facing women in South Africa today.
Across a full-day programme, delegates will explore women’s health at every stage of life, from reproductive health, pregnancy and childbirth to menopause, cancer prevention and mental wellbeing. Discussions will also shine a spotlight on critically important issues that continue to receive insufficient attention, including period poverty, endometriosis and the health impact of gender-based violence.
Dr Noluthando Nematswerani, Chief Clinical Officer at Discovery Health and headline sponsor of the conference, will open the programme with an address on Women’s Health Through the Life Course. Her presentation will highlight the importance of data-driven insights, prevention, early intervention and equitable access to care in improving health outcomes for women across their lifespan.
“Supporting women’s health requires a life-course approach. Improved outcomes are achieved through a strong focus on health promotion, disease prevention, early intervention, and timely access to appropriate care. It also demands a coordinated response from healthcare systems, employers, and communities that reflects the changing needs and challenges women experience throughout their lives. Discovery is proud to support a platform that unites these stakeholders around meaningful, action-oriented solutions,” says Dr Nematswerani.
The conference programme will move beyond awareness and explore the practical actions required to transform healthcare systems, workplaces, communities, and public policy in support of women’s health.
Key conference discussions will include:
Women’s Health Across the Life Course Exploring prevention, early intervention and access to care across reproductive health, maternity care, cancer, mental health and midlife health.
Pregnancy and Birth in South Africa Addressing high-risk pregnancies, preventable complications, informed decision-making and respectful maternity care.
Period Poverty and Access to Dignity Examining the affordability of menstrual products, menstrual health education, stigma, and the role of schools, workplaces, government and public-private partnerships in improving access.
The Endometriosis Diagnosis Gap Exploring the impact of delayed diagnosis on chronic pain, fertility, treatment outcomes and women’s participation in the workplace.
The Menopause-Ready Workplace Focusing on manager education, employee support, healthcare benefits and practical workplace interventions to better support women during menopause.
Closing the Women’s Cancer Care Gap Covering screening, early diagnosis, treatment access, survivorship and the role of employers and healthcare funders in improving outcomes.
GBV Is a Women’s Health Crisis Examining the physical and mental health consequences of gender-based violence, and the importance of survivor-centred healthcare, support services and prevention strategies.
SPAR will place a special focus on period poverty through a session led by Mpudi Maubane, National PR, Communications and Sponsorship Manager at SPAR, titled “Period Poverty: Dignity Should Not Depend on Income.”
“Period poverty extends far beyond access to menstrual products. When girls and women are unable to manage menstruation safely and with dignity, it affects school attendance, workplace participation, confidence and future opportunities. Addressing this challenge requires solutions that combine access, education and sustained partnerships to ensure that menstruation never becomes a barrier to full participation in society,” says Maubane.
The discussion will continue in a panel session titled “From Products to Policy: What It Will Take to End Period Poverty,” which will explore how business, government, educational institutions and community organisations can collaborate to develop sustainable, long-term solutions.
The programme features contributions from leading experts and advocates in women’s health, including clinical psychologist and founder the CBT group Dr Colinda Linde, obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Sumayya Ebrahim, menstrual health activist Candice Chirwa, reproductive medicine specialist Prof Zozo Nene, menopause researcher and practitioner Dr Nicole Jaff, Co-CEO Tiko Benoit Renard, and head of oncology risk management and care coordination, discovery health Dr Kagiso Seripe.
The Women’s Health Matters Conference is expected to bring together between 200 and 250 stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, medical schemes and insurers, corporate and HR leaders, government representatives, NGOs, academics, researchers, workplace wellbeing practitioners and women leaders.
The conference will conclude with a forward-looking session, “From Awareness to Action,” focused on identifying practical commitments and collaborative actions that healthcare providers, employers, policymakers and communities can take forward beyond the event to create meaningful and lasting change in women’s health.
Event Details
Event: Women’s Health Matters Conference 2026 Date: Thursday, 3 September 2026 Registration: 08:30 Conference: 09:00 – 17:00 Venue: GIBS Business School, Johannesburg Headline Sponsor: Discovery Health
Discovery Health’s registered wellness providers will be on-site from 08:00 to 19:00, offering a complimentary Wellness Health Screening Experience for all attending delegates and guests. This includes glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure and BMI checks. Conference delegates will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into their health and wellness throughout the day.
The North-West University (NWU) has reached a decisive milestone in establishing the Desmond Tutu School of Medicine following the accreditation of its Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE).
The CHE confirmed the accreditation in correspondence dated 21 August 2026. The six-year, 940-credit programme will be offered in contact mode at the Potchefstroom Campus.
For Prof. Binu Luke, inaugural chief director of the Desmond Tutu School of Medicine, the decision represents both an institutional achievement and the culmination of an immense collective effort.
“The accreditation of our MBChB programme by the Council on Higher Education is a major milestone in the development of the programme,” he says.
“More than excitement, there is a sense of relief because accreditation by the CHE is a crucial step in our progress towards establishing the school.”
The achievement follows an extensive process of planning, coordination and documentation involving teams across the university. According to Prof. Luke, the application required detailed evidence of how the school and its medical programme would function, covering everything from its curriculum and governance to its clinical training arrangements, staffing, finances and infrastructure.
“There is certainly excitement because this is the result of extensive hours of planning, organisation and implementation across our five workstreams,” he says.
“These workstreams cover defining the ‘North-West doctor’, preparing the clinical training platform, human resources and financial matters, infrastructure, governance, and curriculum development and mapping.”
Translating years of preparation into a comprehensive accreditation application was itself a demanding undertaking.
“Documenting all these activities, completing the relevant forms and providing the required portfolio of evidence was no mean feat,” says Prof. Luke.
“Credit must go to the core team, as well as to all the relevant entities within the university that supported this project.”
The CHE’s correspondence confirms the programme’s full accreditation and that all stipulated conditions have been met. The process of registering the qualification with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) is now under way.
The accreditation process included the submission of detailed information about clinical rotation modules, assessment practices, exit-level outcomes and opportunities for articulation within and across the university.
Prof. Luke compares the establishment of the medical school to the journey from conception to birth, with accreditation representing the point at which the vision has become viable and the university must carry it through to completion.
“If we compare this process to pregnancy and delivery, from conception to a full-term birth at approximately 40 weeks, this milestone represents the point of viability, which we would regard as about 28 weeks,” he says.
“From now on, there is no turning back. We must continue and deliver the fully developed school in January 2028.”
The Desmond Tutu School of Medicine is set to become South Africa’s 11th medical school and plans to welcome its first cohort of students in 2028. Its development forms part of the NWU’s commitment to addressing the country’s healthcare workforce needs and strengthening healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved communities.
Several important steps must still be completed before the first students begin their studies. Among these is professional accreditation by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
“There are still several activities that we need to complete. The next major milestone is accreditation by the HPCSA, which is essential for our graduates ultimately to enter professional practice,” says Prof. Luke.
“We have planned the HPCSA accreditation visit for February 2027, and we hope to receive its approval so that we can begin enrolling students in the middle of 2027, with the first cohort commencing its studies in 2028.”
The university will also finalise agreements with the University of the Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service. These partnerships will support the academic, clinical and laboratory components required to train future doctors.
The school’s curriculum and clinical training model are being designed to produce doctors who are clinically competent, ethically grounded and responsive to the realities of South Africa’s healthcare system. Its approach will be guided by the values associated with its namesake, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, including compassion, justice, integrity and service.
For Prof. Luke, the CHE’s decision is not the end of the journey, but confirmation that a vision years in the making has entered a new and irreversible phase.
“This is a crucial step forward,” he says. “There is no going back. We must now continue the work and deliver the school in January 2028.”
According to Prof. Awie Kotzé, executive dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, the milestone ushers in a new era for both the NWU and the faculty.
His work towards establishing the medical school began in 2017. It will become the sixth school within the faculty and enable the NWU to offer a comprehensive range of clinically oriented qualifications, with several additional programmes expected to be introduced in the near future.
