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 […]

By: Aphelele Buqwana Having been born with HIV and overcoming TB at the age of 22 , Hope Kubeka has spent most of his life navigating health challenges that many young South Africans still fear to talk about openly. Today, he spends his days working in his community, supporting young people who are facing challenges similar to those he once experienced. Through community outreach, public speaking and peer support initiatives, he encourages others to adhere to treatment, learn more about their health and seek support when they need it. The 26-year-old from Duduza, a township in the East Rand region of […]

By: Aphelele Buqwana In many South African homes, a child’s cough is often dismissed as a cold, something spurred on by cold weather or a throat itch that will pass. But for thousands of children, that cough could be a sign of TB. According to experts, children are often the most overlooked group affected by the disease. Those under the age of five and children living with HIV face a higher risk. Their vulnerability is linked to different clinical presentations and challenges in screening, diagnosing, treating and preventing childhood TB. In 2024, about 249 000 people developed TB in South […]

By: Aphelele Buqwana Katlehong, east of Germiston, became the focal point of Gauteng’s World TB Day commemoration this year as residents, health officials, civil society leaders and private sector partners gathered to confront the province’s persistent TB burden. Hosted in Ekurhuleni—one of the districts hardest hit by the disease—the event combined community mobilisation with lived experience, using survivor testimonies, on-site engagement and advocacy calls to drive a clear message: testing, treatment adherence and collective accountability remain central to turning the tide on TB. The event focused on the realities faced by communities where TB continues to spread, particularly in underserved […]