Community voices take centre stage at the 9th SA TB Conference
By: Aphelele Buqwana
Community voices and lived experience took centre stage at the 9th SA TB Conference 2026, where TB champions from across South Africa participated in discussions, presentations and activities that showed the important role of affected communities in the country’s TB response.
Champions participated in satellite sessions, poster presentations and the conference’s Amazing Race, sharing experiences and insights from their work in communities. Among those recognised was Mabusi Kgwete, a TB champion from KwaZulu-Natal, who received an award for her oral poster abstract presentation during the four-day conference.
The awards were presented at the conference’s closing plenary session, where conference leaders and organisers acknowledged delegates whose contributions helped raise awareness about TB, support advocacy efforts and share knowledge.
At the conference, the TB Accountability Consortium (TBAC) spoke to Kgwete, where she reflected on receiving the award and the value of lived experience in strengthening TB care.
She said her abstract presentation focused on her experience of being diagnosed with extra-pulmonary TB in 2023, which affected her knee, as well as the misconceptions that still exist about TB in communities.
Before her diagnosis, she said she also believed TB mainly affected the lungs, a misconception she has since worked to correct through her advocacy.
In her reflection on the award, Kgwete described the recognition as both a professional and personal milestone, emphasising the importance of including people with lived experience in scientific and policy spaces.
“It is nice to be in this space where you learn about things before they happen, at times when researchers and others are still presenting how these are going to work,” she said.
Kgwete added that the experience of engaging with new information, including discussions on evolving treatment approaches and vaccines, made the conference a valuable learning space.
“You’re learning, you’re listening to things that are evolving, new treatment or the vaccines,” she noted.
Beyond the conference, Kgwete now conducts community dialogues across KZN and engages with patients during clinic visits, where she educates people on TB prevention, treatment adherence and the importance of early detection.
She said these interactions continue to shape her understanding of the gaps in TB care at community level, noting the everyday realities faced by patients navigating treatment and access to care.
Kgwete’s recognition comes at a time where South Africa continues to carry a high burden of TB, with an estimated 249,000 people developing the disease and 54,000 deaths recorded in 2024, while many others remain undiagnosed or face challenges in accessing timely diagnosis and completing treatment.
She thanked the conference organisers for the opportunity, describing the overall experience as “great” and meaningful.
Her award highlights the growing role of TB champions in bridging gaps between communities and health systems through lived experience, education and advocacy.
Kgwete was also among the speakers at a satellite session hosted by the TBAC, titled “From the ground up: Embedding South Africa’s TB champions in the national response” at the conference.
The session put a spotlight on how TB champions are contributing to country’s fight against the disease through advocacy, community engagement and raising awareness. The discussion highlighted the growing recognition that ending TB requires more than biomedical interventions, with participants emphasising the importance of addressing stigma and discrimination, strengthening community-led responses and advancing patient-centred, rights-based care.
The panel speakers included Victor Majezi-Mammeshi, a TB champion and traditional healer from the Northern Cape, as well as Lehlohonolo Thobakgale, a fellow TB champion from Gauteng.
The panelists reflected on how their personal journeys have influenced their advocacy work and enabled them to respond to the realities faced by people affected by TB in their communities.
Thobakgale, whose advocacy work focuses on children, said she spends much of her time engaging learners at schools and in her community, creating spaces where young people can ask questions and learn about TB and HIV. She noted that children have become more open about discussing the diseases and are increasingly sharing the knowledge they gain with others.
“Children are curious and willing to learn. They ask questions, and when they understand TB and HIV, they go back and educate their friends and families. That is how we can break stigma and build healthier communities,” she said.
Speaking from her own experiences, Kgwete also emphasised the importance of education in the TB response and the need to equip communities with accurate information.
“I am big on TB education. Educating people about TB is my passion, because when communities are informed, they are better able to care for themselves and others,” she said.
Majezi-Mameshi spoke about his commitment to the fight against TB and called for stronger support from government, communities and partners to ensure that TB champions are empowered to continue their work.
“I won’t stop until I win this fight of ending TB,” he said.