As in other countries, Covid-19 deaths are being driven by comorbidities, such as hypertension and diabetes, but in SA, apartheid spatial planning has quietly been fuelling those non-communicable diseases (NCDs) for decades, say researchers.

With hospitals preparing for an upward curve as lockdown level 3 starts, the country has already seen more than 600 deaths and in excess of 32,000 cases.

Because diabetes is called a “lifestyle disease”, sufferers say they’re seen as bringing it on themselves, with few people understanding the realities of their day-to-day lives...