Diabetes mixed with poverty and poorly run clinics create a killer combo

Ah, Chief Dwasaho, I had hoped, perhaps naively, that a ceasefire to end the Israel-US war on Iran might lift my spirits, but it seems I remain a child of a lesser God.

- Bhekisisa Mncube

While the world held its breath after Iran's reciprocal attack on the US military base in Qatar, I found myself wrestling anew with my own silent killer, type 2 diabetes — one I had thought was buried for good beneath tablets and self-injections. Twelve years of sweat, blood and tears have passed since I first got my diagnosis.

I have tried better diets and drug regimens, and now I find myself among the ranks of those who rely on injectables. The nightmare worsens with each glucose test.

Let the facts speak. Our local figures show that noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes, are now a leading cause of death and disability in the country, and their burden is growing at an unprecedented rate.

Diabetes has overtaken tuberculosis as a cause of death in South Africa. There were at least 5.6 million people with diabetes in South Africa in 2019, according to advisory firm Percept. That number was projected to rise to 7.2 million by 2030. The numbers, which know neither spin doctor nor party whip, do not lie. We are bleeding silently, internally and nationally.