This is a powerful story of Dr Ndiviwe Mphothulo who was born in the late 1970s in Soweto, and grew up in Soweto and partly in the Eastern Cape, his parents were from Tsomo and Qunu. Dr Mphothulo was raised in a family that valued community service and social responsibility. Growing up, Dr. Mphothulo often saw his Grandmother at Qunu, Mrs Tandiwe Zidlele and his parents in Soweto help community members and he witnessed first hand the impact that individuals can have on their communities.
His grandmother was a involved in community development at Qunu, and his parents were anti-apartheid and social activists and involved, they instilled in him a deep sense of compassion for others, and in his youth, he managed to hold a leadership role in the ANC youth league and Congress of South African Students (COSAS) in Soweto by the age of 16 years.
These experiences shaped Dr Ndiviwe Mphothulo's values and beliefs, and he was driven to pursue a career in medicine in order to help those in need. Throughout his life, he remained committed to his family's legacy of service and used his position as a medical professional to advocate for better healthcare policies and to raise awareness about rural health and the conditions of the marginalised.
Dr Ndiviwe Mphothulo matriculated at Morris Isaacson high school in 1994. Dr Mphothulo refused to let his socioeconomic conditions stop him from achieving his dream of becoming a medical doctor. He was able to pursue his dream,. He passed his first year of a Bachelor of Science degree with distinctions and was accepted into the Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) Degree, he also holds a masters in public health, a diploma in Hiv Management (SA), masters of business leadership and is currently a PhD candidate in Public health.
After completing his medical degree at MEDUNSA, Dr Mphothulo spent most of his career as a rural doctor, What started out as a temporary role of Community Service at Taung Hospital became a permanent role as he saw the need for his skills in that community and if he left it would result in a skills shortage and the community who need services will be underserved. He relegated his ambition of being a physician and instead stayed at Taung.
Over the years, Dr Mphothulo spent his time serving the community of Taung, involved in community development and as a medical doctor with a special interest in TB, drug-resistant TB, and HIV management in primary health and rural health settings. He went on to establish TB & MDR-TB wards which became centres of excellence despite the lack of resources compared to hospitals in the city, he also worked at various clinics at Taung sub-district, as well as running a private practice he was truly hands-on in the fight against TB and HIV in South Africa with all this insight gained he went on to write a book about how to manage difficult TB cases in a rural hospital.
Through his work, Dr Mphothulo has received numerous accolades for his exceptional work, including being awarded the MEC of Health award for best-performing doctors in North West Province, The Community Medical Builder of the Year award from the South African Medical Association Trade Union, South African Rural Doctor of the Year from the Rural Doctors Association of SA(RuDASA), and the Spirit of Medicine Award from the South African Medical Association (SAMA), he also became actively involved in community development and has served on various committees, including the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 (MAC). Executive committee member and former Treasurer of RuDASA and the Deputy President and Vice-Chair of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society.
His favourite quote is "In time, we shall be in a position to bestow on South Africa the greatest gift possible, a more human face"- by Steve Biko, his dream for South Africa’s public health is to see a health system that is human rights-based and provides quality and equitable healthcare to all citizens irrespective of race, class or gender.
His story is that of personal sacrifice and having a deep sense of social responsibility to use your skills to effect positive change he sets an inspiring example for young black men to strive for education and self-improvement.
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