Sizwe Dhlomo Reacts in Disbelief as Gauteng Health Issues Urgent Malaria Alert

• Gauteng Health released an urgent media statement on 12 November 2026 warning residents about rising malaria cases and deaths in the province
• Media personality Sizwe Dhlomo took to X to express shock at the alarming public health development
• South Africans weighed in with a range of reactions, from calls for DDT use to lockdown conspiracy theories

Media personality Sizwe Dhlomo could not hide his disbelief on Thursday, 12 November 2026, when Gauteng Health issued an urgent public alert about a spike in malaria cases and deaths in the province. His stunned reaction quickly drew thousands of responses from South Africans who had plenty to say about the alarming situation.

Dhlomo reposted the official statement from @GautengHealth with the caption:

"🤯Malaria!? TF is going on over there!?"

The Gauteng Department of Health's statement urged residents to stay alert as both infections and fatalities were on the rise in the province, raising concerns just weeks before the busy festive travel season.

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See the post below:

Gauteng malaria alert sparks reactions

The timing of the alert has raised eyebrows, given that Gauteng is not traditionally regarded as a high-risk malaria zone in South Africa. The announcement prompted a wide range of reactions online, with some pointing out that warnings had been circulating for months through official health channels.

@MsNtuli noted the news was not entirely new, writing:

"Alerts since February on this via @nicd_sa."

@jaans_kepaans shared a screenshot which read:

"Although Gauteng is regarded as a non-endemic province, residents remain at risk of contracting malaria when travelling to areas where the disease is prevalent. In 2025, the province recorded 666 malaria cases, including seven deaths, between January and December. However, between January and September 2026, 768 cases and 17 deaths were reported. This represents a 38.6% increase in cases compared to the corresponding period in 2025, when 554 cases and six deaths were recorded."

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@ThisKg tried to calm nerves:

"It is probably the humidity along with the rain, but our government has contained malaria too many times with relative ease, so there's no need for us to panic."

@Siphephelo6000 called for stronger intervention:

"Well, I guess DoH and Gauteng provincial gov will have to now use DDT for mosquito control. As bad as it is, we need to control vectors."

Not everyone was taking the news at face value. @ChingMay25519 speculated:

"Someone spoke about a lockdown that might happen before the end of this year; actually, I saw a couple of posts. Could this be preparation? 😂🤣"

Dhlomo also called out for his wording

One netizen could not let Dhlomo's phrasing slide. @RightlyWrongs pointed out:

"Huh? 'over there'? You should've said, 'Over here.' You're also in Gauteng, mos?"

Others used the alert as a springboard to air wider frustrations about governance and border security. @Bevulapoly wrote:

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"I miss those days we benchmarked against Australia and European nations. Since we lowered the bar to compete with African states, things that aren't supposed to be happening are happening. We switched down instead of up."

@ngqandusd linked the spike to border management concerns:

"The consequences of not securing the border in this country are that, as we know, most SADC countries do suffer from malaria, but lawlessness in this country allows illegal immigrants to enter this country freely, and we must take care of them in our hospitals sis."

Ntsiki Mazwai cautions Mzansi about the malaria outbreak

Earlier, Briefly News reported that activist and poet Ntsiki Mazwai lent her voice to the Malaria outbreak in Gauteng.

At the time, Gauteng province had recorded 414 cases and 11 deaths.

Source: Briefly News