Diabetes is no longer just a chronic condition that South Africans are being warned to manage — new mortality figures show that it has become the country’s leading underlying natural cause of death. Stats SA data shows that diabetes accounted for 27,692 deaths in 2023 — about 5.8% of all
recorded deaths — overtaking HIV and TB. But perhaps the most troubling part of this story is that experts say many of these deaths could be prevented. Late diagnosis, inadequate screening, poor diets and an unhealthy food environment are all contributing to a growing crisis. South Africa is estimated to have millions of people living with diabetes, many of whom may not even know they have it. So what has gone wrong? Why has diabetes become such a major killer — and are we treating it with the urgency it deserves? We’re unpacking the numbers, the causes and what can be done to reverse this trend.