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A health agent prepares an anti-malaria injection.
The Gauteng Health Department has urged residents of the province to be vigilant as it reports an alarming increase in malaria infections and deaths compared to the same period last year.
The province has recorded 414 cases and 11 deaths between January and March 2026 alone.
The department has partly linked the increased to travel to high-risk regions such as Limpopo and Mpumalanga, as well as neighbouring countries including Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
[HAPPENING NOW] Border Management Authority Commissioner Dr. Michael Masiapato says, “About 42 travellers were refused entry due to public health risks identified. About 24 suspected malaria cases were referred to public health facilities for further processing.” pic.twitter.com/XgDKqQcVvy
— SABC News (@SABCNews) August 3, 2025
Ahead of World Malaria Day, on Saturday, the department’s Tebogo Matjokotja says that most of the cases they have reported are from Mozambique; out of 11 cases, 9 are from there.
[LISTEN] Programme Manager for Communicable Disease Control at the Gauteng Department of Health, Tebogo Matjokotja says they are concerned by the rising in malaria cases in the province. https://t.co/pcRiiwVSVS#SABCNews #FirstTakeSA pic.twitter.com/kI5tS6rf4g
— SABC News Radio (@SABCNews_Radio) April 20, 2026
“If you start feeling cold, with flu-like symptoms such as a high fever, nausea, and chills, you need to consult a healthcare provider and seek medical attention quickly,” he says.
Matjokotja says, “If you delay, malaria can progress very fast, and lives can be lost because of that. Many patients arrive late at health facilities because they treat it lightly, thinking it’s just the flu. The worst part is that when they do come to the facilities, some of them do not want to be tested”.
VIDEO | Concern as Gauteng records 414 malaria cases
