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South Africans are celebrating the country’s move to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert Level 1, which came into effect at midnight on 20 September.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced the good news to the nation, explaining that the number of positive COVID-19 cases has dropped from an average of 12 000 cases a day, two months ago, to less than 2 000 new cases a day.

Since the national state of disaster was declared six months ago, over 15 000 South Africans have lost their lives and over 650 000 have been infected with the virus.

Victims of gender-based violence (GBV) who struggle to find the help and support they need are urged to contact the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE). 

The commission can assist with child maintenance, sexual harassment, gender discrimination and GBV, and offers free legal advice and services to victims. 

A victim of long-term gender-based violence (GBV) – who was beaten, threatened with murder and shot – says if it were not for Masimanyane Women’s Rights International, she would be dead.

Lindelwa Ntanta (59), an East London resident, went through 18 years of abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, who she finally managed to divorce in 2018. 

A campaign by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Department of Social Development (DSD) is helping early childhood development (ECD) centres to get registered and provide effective care to children around South Africa. 

Having multimedia centres in schools is beneficial to teachers and learners who need to save the school year and play catch-up with the syllabus, as the education sector was negatively affected by the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Many regulations gazetted during the national state of disaster have changed now that South Africa has moved to Coronavirus Alert Level 1.

Despite changes to the regulations, all health protocols, such as wearing masks, social distancing and washing or sanitising hands remain in place.

The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital’s (RCWMCH) occupational therapy (OT) team has developed the Four Thoughts for Change to assist its patients’ parents and caregivers. 

OT helps people with health challenges to better participate in daily life and plays a vital role in the treatment and recovery of various medical conditions and severe trauma, such as burns or car accidents.

Tshepong Hospital in Klerksdorp in the North West has closed its Extreme Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR TB) unit because patients have fully recovered and no new cases have been recorded.  

Stroke victims must be taken to hospital as soon as possible.

People who have a stroke can make a full recovery if they are taken to hospital as soon as possible, follow their treatment plan and start living a healthy lifestyle. 

A stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain is clogged (ischemic stroke) or bursts (haemorrhagic stroke), leading to damage in the brain.