Catastrophic is how President Cyril Ramaphosa described the flooding that devastated swathes of KwaZulu-Natal, leading to him declaring a state of disaster in the province. And catastrophic it is. Some 435 people died, homes were washed away – leaving more than 7 000 homeless. Families were torn apart, schools and healthcare facilities decimated, roads and railways ruined, livelihoods destroyed – the heart-breaking litany of destruction caused by the floods goes on and on. And now the people o

She was excited about going under the knife – it meant she’d finally be free of the crippling pain that had troubled her for months. Her life would go back to normal, she’d be able to wear high heels again, go horse riding and complete the school year. But when Nontobeko Shongwe from Mpumalanga woke up from surgery at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, she couldn’t feel her leg. “At first, I didn’t think anything of it. I thought it must be the medication and pain that was making me not

He’s only four months old but he has already endured more medical procedures than most people are subjected to in a lifetime. Bone-marrow extractions, blood and platelet transfusions, two aggressive rounds of chemotherapy – little Rayaan Madhav of Norwood, Johannesburg, has been through it all. The little boy was diagnosed at eight weeks with acute myeloid leukaemia, a form of blood and bone-marrow cancer, and his illness is consuming his mom Arlene’s life. Her son has spent most of his sh

With great power comes great responsibility, the famous saying goes – and Raymond Zondo just got handed a whole lot more responsibility when President Cyril Ramaphosa finally made his long-awaited announcement: the position of chief justice of South Africa will be filled by the state capture judge. He will start his new role on 1 April, leaving his current post of deputy chief justice vacant. “The position of chief justice carries a great responsibility in our democracy," Ramaphosa said. "As t

When she saw the big cat staring at her over her neighbour’s fence, she thought she must be dreaming. Impala Park is a middle-class area in Boksburg, Gauteng, filled with tree-lined streets and suburban homes. It’s the last place you’d expect to find tigers – yet this is exactly what Dari Viljoen* found herself looking at.

The rise in Covid-19 infections and deaths in the country has scared some people into thinking the virus is untreatable. Last Sunday, the country recorded over 4 000 deaths due to the coronavirus. According to Dr Nkosinathi Luthuli, a specialist physician at the Life Springs Parkland Hospital, Covid-19 is not a death sentence. Luthuli, who has nine years of experience as a specialist in the field of critical care medicine and has been with Parkland since 2012, says Covid-19 is not the first p

Allegations against the Great Foundation Primary School in Selcourt have been brought to the Addie’s attention regarding the registration of the school, qualifications of the teaching staff, disciplinary procedures not being followed and the treatment of the staff and learners at the school. Concerned parents approached the Springs Advertiser and said they were worried the school is not registered. “I’m really worried about my daughter and if this is all true, I’d have to get her into another

The double murder on May 26 on the N12 Putfontein off-ramp is the latest in a crime spree that has terrorised motorists and residents in Benoni and Springs. Since January there have been 12 murders and seven other crime related incidents on the stretch between the Snake Road and Etwatwa offramps. Police from Springs, Crystal Park and Benoni say crime on the N12 has escalated enormously since last year. The latest incidents reported include a murder and an attempted murder on May 25, four m

Mariam Muza (31) is living in hell. A mass on the right side of her face has steadily grown since it started as small pimple last January. “I was at home when I first felt it. “It looked like a pimple and was a bit itchy. “I went to the clinic and they gave me some tablets to take, but that didn’t help and by March, it had started bleeding periodically,” says Mariam. Since then, the mass has become painful and Mariam says she now struggles to eat and see out of her right eye. The los

Wrestling fans were treated to a great show by South African Pro-Wrestling on Monday afternoon at the Springs Mall. There were three matches on the day and each was greater than the last one. The afternoon started with a Triple Threat Match between Fisherman Fred, Blade and Big Fire. Big Fire played it smart during the match and seemed to hold back during the fight to let Blade and Fisherman Fred tire each other out. The Kinshasa native’s strategy worked as he won by a submission hold on Fis