Dr Sanele Ngcobo was born in Inanda, a township north-west of Durban, at the height of the political violence in the late 1980 and early 90s, as the country was transitioning toward a democracy.

The now-33-year-old and his family lived at a Shembe church, and he still regards his faith as a core part of his being.

As a child, Ngcobo witnessed the unthinkable. It was commonplace for people to come into his Grade One classroom with AK-47s to scare the children.

Due to the nature of this environment, the family moved to Nambithani, a rural area in the hope of a more peaceful life. However, this was not to be as Ngcobo lost his father to gun violence in 2003 while he was still in school.

Along with six siblings, the family had to fend for themselves because their mother was unemployed at the time.

“We had to go around the community and sell tomatoes. We ended up being called the ‘tomato boys’ as a result,” he said.

To add to his troubles, he had to walk a total of 16 kilometres to school every day. When he was young, Ngcobo dreamt of becoming a lawyer and followed through by registering to study law at UNISA in 2007.

However, he contracted TB and was admitted to a public hospital. This was his first encounter with the healthcare system in the country, and it inspired him to work in the sector.

“I was admitted for a week and there were not enough doctors to come and see us. A doctor would only come once or twice every three days. The conditions and infrastructure were not good, and having to take TB medication as an 18-year-old was quite challenging.”

He said this motivated him to become one of the individuals who would bring positive change to the system. Following this, Ngcobo was called by the Department of Health for a TB data capturing job.

With a burgeoning interest in health, he jumped at the chance. The young man was then chosen by the department along with six other data capturers to be sent to the University of Pretoria to participate in a clinical associate programme (bachelor of clinical medical practice), the first of its kind in the country.

“As a student from a rural area, I initially struggled with the English language. I gradually improved after the first year and wound up graduating with the highest academic record,” said Ngcobo.

He studied further and ended up earning his PhD in philosophy, a feat he attributes to perseverance and faith. The academic’s PhD looked at ways of improving adherence to HIV treatment and ensuring that people living with the condition take their ARVs.

“In SA, we have a big challenge because those who are on ARVs start their treatment and stop taking it. We looked at ways to ensure that people keep taking them.”

He devised two interventions, one of which involves community healthcare workers who connect with those receiving treatment, regularly check in on them and educate them on its effectiveness. The patients were observed and their adherence had improved.

The second encompassed a partnership with Bridges of Hope, an organisation created in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa, to develop practical games that patients played as a form of education.

“Prof Theresa Rossouw made an appointment with another professor to learn Zulu... This came at the right time because we are building a nation which is united. We also have a responsibility to showcase and be proud of where we come from.”

This article first appeared on IOL on 18 February 2023.