New research by the South African Medical Research Council has shown that the Covid-19 pandemic – and its related restrictions – have had a severe negative impact on the mental health of adolescent girls and young women.
According to Dr. Zoe Duby, lead researcher at the University of Cape Town’s School of Public Health and Family Medicine, the restrictions worsened levels of unemployment, poverty, and food insecurity.

Duby says it also led to higher levels of anxiety and depression among participants.

She says there was however a silver lining to be found in all the devastation.

Read more here.

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Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the City’s Care Programme budget has been increased to almost R80-million to fight homelessness.

Hill-Lewis, during his first budget speech this week, said he believes Cape Town must become a more caring city that does more to protect the vulnerable.

The Mayor says, like other cities around the globe, Cape Town also faces this complex social issue which is worsened by poverty, drug use, a lack of housing availability, domestic abuse, and mental illness.

Access Hill-Lewis’ budget speech here.

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