Michelle Banda

Despite its reputation for crime and poverty, Johannesburg's Eldorado Park is home to inspiring individuals and grassroots initiatives making a difference. From feeding schemes to school safety programmes, these community efforts are striving to bring hope and positive change.

Remington Court, once a symbol of Johannesburg’s hijacked and abandoned building crisis, is undergoing a remarkable R25-million redevelopment to become student accommodation. The project, led by Take Shape Property Management, is part of a broader effort to rehabilitate hijacked buildings and restore the inner city.

Lieutenant-Colonel Kgothatso Khunou, the first female chief helicopter pilot in the SAPS Airwing Free State, recently won the prestigious Forty Under 40 Award in the aviation category. Her inspiring journey in a male-dominated industry paves the way for future women aviators.

Created to inspire hope in young cancer patients, Dream Rooms provide a much-needed escape in hospitals, offering fun, joy, and emotional healing. As these spaces continue to expand across South Africa, their impact on children and families facing life-threatening illnesses is undeniable.

The Khampepe Inquiry's findings paint a concerning picture, revealing that most inspected buildings were in poor condition and often uninhabitable, with severe issues such as overcrowding, lack of basic services like water and electricity, unsafe structural conditions, and a lack of fire equipment.

In a heartbreaking incident, 20-month-old Kaone Peka became the latest casualty of a troubling trend in South Africa, in which an estimated one to two children drown every day. Research indicates a pattern in these cases, with children aged one to four most at risk. This tragedy underscores the urgent need for increased awareness and preventive measures to protect vulnerable children from this ongoing crisis.

Medical staff, together with their friends and supporters, raised more than R250,000 at the 2024 Soweto Marathon to support the caregivers of children admitted to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.

The government committed to caring for those displaced in the 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods. But the shelters they've been placed in have sewage on the floors, mould on the walls and mixed genders of all ages living in single rooms. Now they say they face potential eviction.

Attendees at a public hearing on the Tobacco Bill were allegedly paid R350 to voice their opposition to the Bill, according to the chair of the Portfolio Committee on Health.

A SAHRC report has found the North West Department of Human Settlements has failed to meet its housing mandate, with widespread delays and substandard project delivery. The report raises urgent concerns about accountability, project oversight and the right to adequate housing.