Long Form

From grandmothers to gravediggers, the sudden, suffocating deaths of the coronavirus pandemic is affecting people in all sectors of South African society. Here’s one Cape Town family’s story of life after death. 

In South Africa, two outbreaks are colliding and one thing may shape the future of both.

There are no visiting hours for COVID-19 patients. Instead, there’s anxiety, fear, stigma and potential grief. But there’s also — at least some — resilience.

You can’t visit family members with COVID-19 in hospital. So how do you find out how they’re doing? Mia Malan from the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism documented one woman’s story.

It was hailed as a revolution in private investment in healthcare in Africa but almost a decade after it was opened, Lesotho’s only specialist hospital takes up almost a third of the country’s entire health budget. Now, we may finally know why.

Cases of domestic violence tick up while shelters lose their income and scramble to get ready for the silent, second crisis of gender-based violence that research suggests will follow the coronavirus pandemic.

Tracing the close contacts of people who test positive for coronavirus disease is a delicate dance. Here’s why these health workers wait for the cover of darkness to take action.

Disease-spreading mozzies may be getting wise to our best defences, but science is fighting back.

Botched births and infections can leave many babies with a life-long inheritance: Cerebral palsy. Many will be dependent on caregivers for their entire lives, but could switching up the way we think about treating the condition provide children and carers some respite?

Bhojana Mathunywa was attacked by four men for bag of tobacco. Now, slowly but surely, this team of rural therapists is helping him recover the everyday skills he lost. (Dylan Bush, Bhekisisa)

What makes the world’s most successful children’s TV programmes so addictive – and so strange? Linda Geddes explores the research on kids’ TV, what it’s teaching us about childhood development, and how that can help make programmes for the better.

Memories, behaviours, attitudes and even perceived age can all switch together as people transition from one self to another.

This silent killer stalks expecting mothers around the world and is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in South Africa. But still many women can’t name it — or identify its symptoms. But if knowledge is power, is it enough to stem this deadly tide? Ghana is hoping to find out.

As the climate crisis wears on, it's taking a toll on our mental health and indigenous knowledge systems may hold the key to helping us weather the storm.

Millions will be bitten by venomous snakes each year and for many, antivenom will remain painfully out of reach. Here's why.

In court, comfort for the tiniest victims of sexual abuse can come from the unlikeliest of places.“All rise,” a voice declares as the...