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The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, 50 years ago on 04 April 1968, has been recalled in the United States with memorial services, conferences, public discussions and books. In contrast, the commemoration in 2017 of the death of Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli, 50 years ago on December 1967, passed almost unremarked. That is to our detriment. Yet, these two Christian fighters for freedom, in different contexts, did not only have much in common, but they also left remarkably similar and equally inspiring legacies for South Africa, the United States and the world in the ways they lived their lives in complete faith commitment to ideals and ways of struggle that may guide us in the ongoing struggles to make the world a more just, peacable and humane place. For South African reflections on our ethical stance in the fierce, continuing struggles for justice, dignity and the authenticity of our democracy, I propose that these two leaders should be considered in tandem. We should learn from both. This article engages Martin Luther King Jr’s belief in the ‘inescapable network of mutuality’, applies it to the struggle for freedom in South Africa and explores the ways in which South Africans can embrace these ethical ideals in facing the challenges of post-liberation.

This study analysed the water quality of 156 samples collected from 13 different points within the Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality between January and December 2021, focusing on compliance with the South African National Standard 241 (SANS 241). Microbiological assessments revealed widespread contamination, with heterotrophic plate counts (HPCs) exceeding the recommended range in nearly all samples. The median HPC levels were particularly concerning, with the untreated source (RE000) exhibiting a median of 2555 CFU/mL. Total coliforms and Escherichia coli were present at alarming levels, indicating significant faecal contamination; the highest total coliform count, 2420 CFU/100 mL, was recorded at RE000. Physically, while all samples complied with electrical conductivity standards (0–70 µS/cm), turbidity levels showed variability, with nine samples exceeding the acceptable threshold of 1 NTU. The highest turbidity, 7.55 NTU, was recorded at the untreated source (RE000). Chemically, pH levels fell within safe ranges (6.0–9.0), with all samples being compliant with standards. However, only one sample (E001) met the free chlorine standard of 0.3–0.6 mg/L, suggesting inadequate disinfection practices. The untreated source was classified as ‘Unsuitable for drinking’ (WQI = 207.27). These findings highlight the critical need for enhanced monitoring and remediation strategies to improve drinking water safety in the region.

Background Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) is the commonest mesenchymal malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract. Patient demographics and outcomes following imatinib therapy in South Africa are unknown. Aim To establish the patient demographics of GIST and the clinical outcomes following imatinib therapy. Setting Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH), Durban, South Africa. Methods A quantitative, retrospective, descriptive chart review study was conducted. The study population included patients with a histologic diagnosis of GIST who presented between January 2005 and December 2015 to the facility. Only patients who received imatinib were included in the clinical outcome analysis. Results Sixty-nine patients were seen during the study period. The mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 57.3 (13.5) years. The male gender (53.6%) was predominant, the black ethnic group (53.6%) was the commonest and the stomach (69.6%) was the most common disease site. Localised disease (53.6%) was the commonest disease category, while high risk (29.7%) and intermediate risk (29.7%) were the majority risk categories. Thirty-six (52.2%) patients received imatinib with a median (IQR) follow-up time of 20.5 (38) months. Eighty-one per cent of patients with localised disease remained in remission after adjuvant imatinib, and 18.2% developed metastatic recurrence. Among patients with locally advanced disease, 81.8% attained partial response on neoadjuvant imatinib, while 9.1% had stable disease. Most (75%) patients with metastatic disease attained partial response as the best response to imatinib. The most common adverse effects were anaemia and fluid overload. Conclusion At IALCH, GIST is more common in the male gender, black ethnic group and in the stomach. The majority of localised and locally advanced GIST patients have favourable outcomes on imatinib. However, most metastatic GIST patients eventually develop resistance to imatinib necessitating further treatment options.

This article presents hospitality as a pivotal value in the context of increasing diversity that characterises the complex relations in which leadership emerges. After reviewing the concept of Otherness in philosophy, the notion of hospitality as developed by Richard Kearney in relation to his philosophy of religion (The God Who May Be) is introduced. The case of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Chief Albert Luthuli is then presented as a biographical leadership study from the African context to illustrate how hospitality as open response to radical Otherness may inspire collaboration and foster positive change. The article then addresses ways in which the notions of hospitality and Otherness present new opportunities to leadership studies for responding to the relational challenges of the globalised world. Amidst an increased scholarly focus on relationality and the need for relational intelligence, globalisation routinely confronts leaders and their followers with radical Otherness. Through dialogue between theology, philosophy of religion and leadership studies and by presenting a case from the African context, the article offers in print what is called for in the global context, namely an open response to the alterity of the Other that enables collaboration amidst increasing diversity.ContributionProceeding from a transdisciplinary engagement, the article illustrates that leadership studies stood to benefit from dialogue with theology and philosophy of religion, which offers ways of addressing the Otherness that characterise the globalised context of leadership.

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) is the commonest mesenchymal malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract. Patient demographics and outcomes following imatinib therapy in South Africa are unknown. Aim: To establish the patient demographics of GIST and the clinical outcomes following imatinib therapy. Setting: Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH), Durban, South Africa. Methods: A quantitative, retrospective, descriptive chart review study was conducted. The study population included patients with a histologic diagnosis of GIST who presented between January 2005 and December 2015 to the facility. Only patients who received imatinib were included in the clinical outcome analysis. Results: Sixty-nine patients were seen during the study period. The mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 57.3 (13.5) years. The male gender (53.6%) was predominant, the black ethnic group (53.6%) was the commonest and the stomach (69.6%) was the most common disease site. Localised disease (53.6%) was the commonest disease category, while high risk (29.7%) and intermediate risk (29.7%) were the majority risk categories. Thirty-six (52.2%) patients received imatinib with a median (IQR) follow-up time of 20.5 (38) months. Eighty-one per cent of patients with localised disease remained in remission after adjuvant imatinib, and 18.2% developed metastatic recurrence. Among patients with locally advanced disease, 81.8% attained partial response on neoadjuvant imatinib, while 9.1% had stable disease. Most (75%) patients with metastatic disease attained partial response as the best response to imatinib. The most common adverse effects were anaemia and fluid overload. Conclusion: At IALCH, GIST is more common in the male gender, black ethnic group and in the stomach. The majority of localised and locally advanced GIST patients have favourable outcomes on imatinib. However, most metastatic GIST patients eventually develop resistance to imatinib necessitating further treatment options.

To analyse the data for patients with otogenic intracranial complications during the study period and draw a comparison with internationally published literature. A retrospective, observational study was conducted, covering a 10-year period between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2012. The study comprised 108 patients (66 males (61.1 per cent) and 42 females (38.9 per cent)), of which 75 per cent were aged less than 20 years. Post-auricular swelling, otorrhoea and a decreased level of consciousness were the most frequently reported symptoms in patients with otogenic intracranial complications. Patients with human immunodeficiency virus did not show any different patterns in terms of presentation and outcome. A triad of post-auricular swelling, otorrhoea and a decreased level of consciousness should make the clinician more heedful of otogenic intracranial complications. Patients with human immunodeficiency virus and human immunodeficiency virus negative patients were equally affected and had similar presentations. Early surgical management of patients was associated with shorter hospital stays and better outcomes.

MRI is the imaging modality of choice for the assessment of intracranial masses in children. Imaging is vital in planning further management. The purpose of this study was to describe the common intracranial masses and their imaging characteristics in the paediatric population referred to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital for MRI of the brain. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of paediatric patients (aged from birth to 18 years) who underwent MRI investigations for intracranial masses between January 2010 and December 2016. A total of 931 MRI brain scans were performed. One hundred and seven scans met the inclusion criteria, of which 92 were primary brain tumours and 15 were inflammatory masses. The majority were females (56%). The mean age was 12 ± 4.52 (range of 3-18 years). The most common presenting symptom was seizures (70/107, 65.4%). We categorised the masses according to supra- and infratentorial compartments. The most common site for masses was the supratentorial compartment ( = 56, 52%). The most common masses in the supratentorial compartment were craniopharyngiomas (14/45, 31.1%), whilst in the infratentorial compartment, the most common masses were medulloblastomas (24/47, 51.1%). In our series, the supratentorial compartment was the commonest site for intracranial masses. The most common tumour in the infratentorial compartment was medulloblastoma. This information is vital in formulating differential diagnoses of intracranial masses.

Myocardial infarction in pregnancy

Carcinoid heart disease

Was Nelson Mandela a member of the South African Communist Party (SACP) at the time that he formed Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK)? Was he dishonest in not revealing that he established MK at the SACP's behest? Did the African National Congress (ANC) ever grant Mandela the authority to launch an armed struggle? And, in leading the turn to violence, did Mandela strive to marginalise ANC president-general Albert Luthuli? These are the questions that have made the literature on the origins of the ANC's armed struggle a field of rich controversy in recent years. If the claims are true, they would require a fundamental reappraisal of the life and legacy of one of the most respected political figures of the 20th century. They would also rehabilitate some of the charges levelled at Mandela and the ANC by their foes during the liberation struggle. For these reasons, interest in the controversy over these questions has spread far beyond academic circles. This article clarifies the terms of the debate. It does so by laying out the arguments of the protagonists on both sides, and discussing the extent to which the archival evidence supports the various interpretations that have been offered. In the process, it revisits the circumstances and conditions under which the revolutionary underground operated in the early 1960s, thereby making a historical as well as a historiographical contribution. The article as a whole is a ground-clearing exercise that outlines the limits imposed by the existing sources on what we are able to say regarding the origins of the armed struggle, while also identifying certain methodological principles emerging from these disputes that will need to be borne in mind by future contributors to the literature.