DSA 55th Anniversary Fundraising Dinner 

Diabetes South Africa held our 55th Anniversary Fundraising Dinner on 9^thNovember 2024 at the Century City Convention Centre in Cape Town.

Our MC and Keynote Speaker was Dr Michael Mol. He is a medical doctor, an executive film and TV series producer, a presenter and a health-tech entrepreneur (co-founder of South Africa’s first telehealth platform, Hello Doctor). He is also a global speaker, health consultant, and best-selling author, and a former CEO of TruthTV. Michael is an Oxford Alumni, a South African Brand ambassador and has authored his second book, on the back of his first best-seller Your Best Life. The title of his presentation was It’s your Move.

We so appreciated South African actress Sophie Ndaba’s presence as our second speaker. She played Queen Moroka in Generations and acted in many other TV shows. She has received several awards, namely Best Soap Actress in 2003; Best Comic Actor in 2009, and Woman of Inspiration Award.

Even though Sophie had broken her ankle and had to wear a foot cast, she still made the effort to fly down to Cape Town and do a talk on her experience with diabetes. If anyone can look beautiful wearing a cast it is definitely you Sophie. Thank you so much for sharing our milestone event with us.

Dr Zane Stevens, an endocrinologist, was our third speaker. He has a Fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism and is a current SEMDSA EXCO member. Currently he is in endocrine private practice at Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital in Cape Town. He has a specific interest in diabetes, thyroid disease and osteoporosis. He spoke about The Highs and Lows of Living with Diabetes, highlighting advances in treatment, current burdens of people living with diabetes, and the hopes for the future.

We were delighted when Jazzart Dance Theatre gave us a 10-minute preview of their forthcoming production at Artscape Theatre. Their performance was amazing. We are sure that your production at will be a huge success.

Thank you to all our wonderful speakers. We received many compliments on our milestone event – saying the speeches were life changing. Attendees said that diabetes is a great cause and DSA should be supported much more than it currently is.

A great big shout out to our speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, staff, and attendees for all your amazing support and contributions to our 55^th anniversary event.

DSA Rugby World Cup Camp

DSA Western Cape Branch held a camp for children with Type 1 diabetes from 13 – 15^th September at Cape Times Fresh Air Camp in Simon’s Town. The theme was Rugby World Cup Camp.

The children were visited by Ivan Solomons (International Rugby Board Educator, UCT coach and Director of Women’s Rugby); Natasha Hofmeester (SA rugby player and coach); Adanan Adams (coach) and Mika-Eel Stemmet (SA rugby player).

The children were taught exercises that the rugby players do at practise and also enjoyed playing rugby with them.

The camp was a great success, the weather was good, and the children got to spend time on the beach. All the children said that the food served was delicious; thanks to our volunteer cooks, Brenda Schippers and her sister, Colleen Johnson.

Sponsors were the Lions Clubs of District 410W, Shoprite/Checkers, Jonathan Ball Publishers, Delite Foods, Futurelife, aQuellé, Caring Candies, Diabetic Accessories, Mrs Rawoot for Fruit and Veg, Dr A Mia, A1 Chicken Hyper, and parents donated towards the camp.

Diabetes Awareness Day in Mitchells Plain

Carol Hendricks, who runs a DSA diabetes support group in Mitchells Plain, handed out water and diabetes literature to the Mitchells Plain community to create more diabetes awareness.

Latest activities

Since October DSA Port Elizabeth branch has been busy with various diabetes awareness campaigns. Each photo is summary of our activities.

We wish all a safe and enjoyable holiday season and may 2025 be filled with good health, joy and peace from all of us at DSA PE branch.

World Diabetes Federation Global Diabetes Walk

The World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) has a global diabetes awareness campaign annually in November. Since 2004, more than 5 million people joined the Global Diabetes Walk to support the prevention of diabetes, one of the largest global public health concerns.

In Port Elizabeth, we held our first Diabetes Walk on 13 November 2010. Michael Zoetmulder and his remarkable team from Zsports Events SA helped us with that first walk and every Global Diabetes Walk since then.

This year Michael battled to find sponsors and a suitable venue, and we only knew on 5 November 2024 that we were having a walk on 16 November. Great excitement as we promoted it as much as we could.

On the day of the walk, the weather was beautiful, the participants ready to do their best and to enjoy the fellowship, exercise, and fresh sea air. Michael and his wife, Sandy, surprised us as they also participated in walking for diabetes this year.

aQuellé was our generous hydration sponsor of water along the way and at the finish line, as well as sponsoring many lucky draw gifts.

DJ Tubz kept us moving to the beats with music from start to finish that kept us energised and hyped as we walked for a world without diabetes.

We are now looking forward to next year’s Global Diabetes Walk.

Call for a volunteer treasurer

Diabetes South Africa Pretoria Wellness Support Group is looking for a volunteer for a position of a treasurer. The responsibilities are:

1. To approve transactions submitted on bank account.
2. Draw monthly statements of bank account.
3. ⁠Reconcile bank account monthly.
4. ⁠Do entries from bank account to applicable accounts on Excel spreadsheet.
5. ⁠After monthly support meeting, reconcile petty cash account and do necessary entries.
6. ⁠Do monthly finance report and distribute to board members.
7. ⁠Compile necessary reports to finalise annual financial reports.
8. ⁠Submit AFS as well as supporting documents to external auditors.
9. ⁠Submit final AFS to secretary to submit her required reports.
10. ⁠Attend monthly board meetings (normally online).

For further enquiries, contact:

• Frans  +27 81 354 4900
• Brian +27 82 496 1030

Volunteering is a wonderful way to give back to the community, gain new experiences and develop valuable skills.

Benefits of volunteering

1. Makes a positive impact on your community.
2. Enhances your resume and career prospects.
3. Develops new skills and experiences.
4. Expands your professional and social network.
5. Improves mental and physical health.

Remember, volunteering is a great way to make a difference while gaining valuable experiences and skills. Start small, be open-minded, and have fun.

World Diabetes Day

DSA Pretoria supported and provided brochures and booklets to the Arwyp Medical Centre in Kempton Park to create awareness and dissemination of information on diabetes, on World Diabetes Day, 14 November. The event was successful; blood glucose testing and blood pressure was done.

September Wellness Support Group meeting

People living with diabetes and who have uncontrollable blood glucose levels are susceptible to wounds that take long to heal or are difficult to treat.

It’s against this background that the guest presenter, Sarita Van Wyk, a representative from Trifectiv Plus, was invited on 7 September to enlighten all the members on the benefits and effectiveness of a wound and burn care product.

Trifectiv Plus Wound and Burn Care is produced by Trifectiv Pty Ltd in an internationally certified facility. The wound spray can be used to treat a broad range of wounds, burns, and skin conditions. The product has been on the market for several years, and is backed by numerous studies proving its efficacy. Trifectiv Plus is endorsed by Diabetes SA.  

Trifectiv Plus is safe for all ages, simple to use, heals fast with minimal scarring. It’s also pet friendly.

October Wellness Support Group meeting

A special thanks to the members of the Pretoria Diabetes support group who attended a session on understanding diabetes 5 October.

This session was different from the normal meetings in the sense that people living with diabetes openly shared their journey and experiences. The discussions highlighted the impact of support which is based on the fact that those who live with chronic illnesses can learn and share experiences amongst themselves. Experiences ranged from being first diagnosed, diet, reactions to medication, admission in hospital, low and high blood glucose levels.

Also discussed was neuropathy, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) which is a life-threatening problem that affects people with diabetes, where the body produces excess blood acids (ketones).

The sharing was reflective of the trust built over time knowing that members of the support group have first-hand understanding of the diabetic condition.

Being part of the community and collectively dealing with challenges is encouraging, gives all of us strength, value, and a greater sense of belonging. We all learnt from each other.