Northern Cape Department of Health Remains On High Alert for Malaria Surveillance in The Province

In its continued efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of malaria, the Provincial Health Department continues to implement traveller and community education, as well as vector and habitat surveillance in the John Taolo Gaetsewe and ZF Mgcawu districts, including in and around Upington International Airport.

Although the Northern Cape is malaria free and climate change is likely to make the province even hotter and drier in future, making the likelihood of the Northern Cape becoming malaria endemic even lower than at present. This does not mean that there should be complacency among healthcare practitioners and in the community as cases may be imported into the province. Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected Anopheles’ mosquitoes, which generally bite at night; Malaria is preventable, treatable and curable. Malaria symptoms appear within 10-15 days after the infective mosquito bite and symptoms include, fever, headache, chills and vomiting. Between 2023 and 2025, at least 122 malaria cases were recorded in the Northern Cape.

Nearly all these cases resulted from individuals travelling to malaria-endemic destinations and falling ill after returning to the province. A very small number of cases had no travel history, suggesting that they were likely bitten by an imported malaria mosquito that survived long enough to infect them before succumbing to the hot and dry Northern Cape climate. There is currently no evidence of breeding colonies of malaria mosquitoes in the Northern Cape.

The Department implements a malaria control programme in the Northern Cape through the Environmental Health, supported by the Communicable Disease Control programme. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is commemorating its annual SADC Malaria Day today, 6 November 2026, with the purpose of raising awareness on malaria, promoting health education related to malaria and to mobilize communities across the region to take action against malaria. With the commitment, dedication and support of all partners, the vision of malaria elimination and eradication is possible.

The Department is committed to this vision and will play its part in the province to achieve its malaria goals. However, as a department, we cannot achieve this without the support of communities, the tourism industry, employers and all other relevant stakeholders.