Tlaleng Mafokeng is a reproductive health doctor in Johannesburg and also the deputy chairperson of the advocacy group, the Sexual and Reproductive Coalition of South Africa. She believes sex work should not be criminalised. “Just because something is undignified and you would not do it, doesn’t mean those who do it must be criminalized and punished,” she says.

Mia Malan spoke by phone to Makokeng.

[PODCAST] Is sex work work?

Mariska Majoor from Amsterdam in The Netherlands became a sex worker when she was a teenager. Five years later, she started Amsterdam’s Prostitution Information Centre that people can visit to learn more about sex work. Mariska’s daughter Robin, 21, was born during that time. Mariska prefers for her not to be a sex worker because of the “complicated life around sex work”. 

Mia Malan visited Mariska and Robin in Amsterdam.

Why do women become sex workers?

Bhekisisa director Mia Malan on why South Africa should decriminalise sex work.

The Karima Brown Show

Sex work is still illegal in South Africa. Here's why these old laws are bad for health.

Can traditional healers and medical doctors work together? We travel to rural KwaZulu-Natal — to a project that works with people with psychiatric illnesses — to find out. 

We speak with traditional healers, family members of patients and doctors.  You’ll be surprised at the outcome.

How doctors and traditional healers work together on psychiatric illnesses and mental disorders

Our Mia Malan speaks to medical doctor Tlaleng Mofokeng about how to stay happy and healthy down there.

How (not) to clean your vagina

Sex work is selling a service, not your body, says Mariska Majoor. There's nothing sinister about it.

[LISTEN] Why this Amsterdam mom became a sex worker and her daughter is fine with it

This month, the New African boasts a shocking headline: "We deliberately spread Aids in South Africa." Could that be true? http://bit.ly/2TzVih4

Did the apartheid government inject black people with HIV? We look to science.

We always tell moms breast is best but sometimes milk doesn't come when babies do. This breast milk bank is filling in these gaps and is helping premature babies survive. More here: http://bit.ly/2UVnkQH

Have a hearing impairment? Download this podcast's script here: http://bit.ly/2YrS9P2

Have a sick baby? Breast milk might help.

Bhekisisa editor Mia Malan talks to HIV scientist Salim Abdool Karim about his research on risky relationships of young women and older men.

#SAAids2019: Could an implant the size of a match stick save teenage girls from HIV?

Read a full transcript of the podcast: http://bit.ly/2H7KD53

A day in the life of a paramedic in SA: “You worry, will I see tomorrow?”

As children, they escaped the virus through revolutions in medication. But today, they face an old foe again. Renowned HIV scientist Salim Abdool Karim sits down with Mia Malan to explain why their story is the story of Africa’s HIV epidemic. More here: http://bit.ly/2kBmI65

‘The babies we saved from HIV decades ago are now contracting the virus in their teens’

A small private healthcare clinic on a farm in Delmas is paving the way for better patient care using new data technology.

Driven To Success

X marks the spot: Mapping our way to better health

Bhekisisa news editor Laura López González speaks to Kaya FM's David O’Sullivan about the outcome of the Competition Commission investigation into the private healthcare sector. Read her story on it here: http://bit.ly/2maojAy

Kaya Breakfast

Laura López González speaks to Kaya FM about the Competition Commission report

Victim testimonies can be key to securing convictions. They can also be traumatic. Meet the furry friends coming to the rescue. 

Hearing impairment? Read the transcript here: http://bit.ly/32SQjrz

Ruff justice: Meet the dogs helping put rapists in jail

We take you into the world of brothels and show you how a clinic gets around the law to get HIV prevention pills and antiretroviral drugs to sex workers.

[PODCAST] Pimps, police and pills: How nurses get healthcare to sex workers

The Mail & Guardian's centre for health journalism based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sign up to our weekly newsletter for health news & features from across the continent: bit.ly/20aLIdR

We tell a good story with the science and the facts to prove it. So if you like our podcasts, consider chipping in to support trusted, quality journalism — every little bit counts" http://bit.ly/SupportBhekisisa

The Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism

Popular tracks