Health-E News Service

What Health-E News Service does

Health-e News is a South African non-profit health newsroom headquartered in Johannesburg, Gauteng, that reports on health issues affecting the millions of South Africans who depend on the public healthcare system. The organization operates the OurHealth network of community journalists embedded in rural villages and townships across all nine provinces, enabling grassroots coverage of public health services, disease outbreaks, gender-based violence, mental health, child health, women's health, and the social determinants of health.

The core product is the integrated digital journalism platform hosted at health-e.org.za, comprising editorial articles, multimedia content, opinion/editorial pieces, thematic series (most recently the multi-part 'Hungry For Change' food-insecurity investigation), and a free weekly email newsletter. Distribution is multi-channel and entirely free to readers: website, Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, a dedicated WhatsApp channel, and an RSS feed. A notable supplementary feature is the Medicine Price Registry tool, developed by technology partner OpenUp and hosted on the Health-e website, which allows users to check regulated medicine prices in South Africa. The underlying technology stack is a standard content-management-driven website; no proprietary AI, API, or SDK products are offered.

Health-e News generates revenue exclusively through donor funding and individual donations, with Tekano confirmed as a named financial partner funding the Grassroots Social Determinants of Health Reporting Project. There is no paywall, no subscription product, and no commercial pricing model — all journalism is provided free of charge to the public. The organization operates with 1–10 employees and reports no disclosed revenue, funding rounds, or institutional investment. Its strategic positioning is that of an independent, mission-driven public-interest newsroom rather than a commercially scaled media company.

Name

Health-E News Service

Legal name

Health-e News

Website

https://health-e.org.za

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Health-e News is a South African non-profit health newsroom that publishes free public-health journalism through its OurHealth network of community journalists embedded in rural villages and townships across all nine provinces, funded by donors including Tekano.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Journalism

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health Communications, Risk Communication & Community Engagement (HLAJAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health, Wellness & Patient Communities (MPACAJAL), Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

Keywords

• Health journalism
• Public healthcare reporting
• Community health news
• Nonprofit newsroom
• Digital health media

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg, Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding: Health-e News operates as a non-profit organization funded by donor partners. The organization accepts support through its 'Support Health-e News' program.
2. Donations: Individual donations from supporters of public interest health journalism.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Health-e News is a non-profit health newsroom that produces and distributes free digital journalism focused on public healthcare issues affecting South African communities. Content is delivered through a website platform, the OurHealth community journalist network based in rural villages and townships, social media channels, a WhatsApp channel, and a weekly email newsletter, with supplemental tools such as the Medicine Price Registry.

Product overview

Health-E News Service is a non-profit health newsroom operating as a single integrated digital journalism platform. The organization delivers public health news through its main website, supported by the OurHealth community journalism network, multimedia content, opinion sections, and distribution channels including newsletters and WhatsApp. The company does not operate a platform-plus-modules architecture; all offerings are components of a unified news service focused on reporting health issues affecting South Africa's public healthcare system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OurHealth: Health-e's network of community journalists based in rural villages and townships across South Africa, bringing grassroots reporting from people who cover the communities they live in.

Products and services

• Health-e News Digital Journalism Platform The main digital news platform providing free access to original health journalism on topics including child health, health systems, women's health, gender-based violence, mental health, and determinants of health, targeted at South Africans who depend on public healthcare.
• OurHealth Community Journalism Network A network of community-based journalists across South Africa's rural villages and townships who produce grassroots reporting on health issues affecting their own communities.
• Weekly Email Newsletter A free weekly newsletter delivering curated top stories and insightful health-related reads to subscribers.
• WhatsApp Channel A WhatsApp messaging channel for delivering news updates and health journalism content directly to subscribers' mobile devices.
• Medicine Price Registry A hosted medicine price registry tool allowing South African users to check regulated prices for medicines, providing a practical public-service resource for consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Story about 110-year-old Koko Violet resulted in her receiving a walker
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• News24: News24 is a large South African digital news publisher with a dedicated health section. It competes for health-news attention and distribution, while its much broader news portfolio makes it a broad incumbent relative to Health-e's health-specific nonprofit model.
• GroundUp: GroundUp is a South African nonprofit digital newsroom producing original public-interest reporting from local communities. Its donor-supported, accountability-oriented model and grassroots distribution are highly comparable, although it covers non-health issues too.
• Daily Maverick: Daily Maverick is an established South African digital newsroom with investigative and health coverage. It overlaps with Health-e in digital news distribution and public-interest journalism, but is a broader commercial and editorial platform.
• amaBhungane: amaBhungane is a South African nonprofit investigative journalism organization focused on public interest and accountability. It shares Health-e's donor-supported editorial model and social-impact orientation, but operates across a wider range of subjects.
• The Conversation Africa: The Conversation Africa is an expert-authored news and analysis platform covering health, public policy, and social issues. It is comparable as a digital public-interest content platform, although its expert-academic model is not health-specific or community-led.

Direct peers

• Spotlight: Spotlight is a South African public-interest investigative newsroom with substantial coverage of health, access, and accountability. It overlaps with Health-e in mission, digital distribution, and community-focused public-interest reporting, although its remit extends beyond health.
• Health24: Health24 is a South African consumer-health platform offering health news, explainers, and practical information online. It is comparable in audience and digital health-information distribution, although it is a broader commercial health portal rather than a nonprofit newsroom.
• Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism: Bhekisisa is a South African health-journalism newsroom producing original reporting on public health and healthcare systems. It is a direct peer because it serves a similar public-health audience with digital health journalism and accountability reporting.

Emerging players

• Medical Brief: Medical Brief is a South African health-news and analysis publication for healthcare professionals. It is a meaningful category peer because it provides health reporting and analysis, but its professional audience and narrower focus differ from Health-e's public-facing model.

Regional players

• Health Policy Watch: Health Policy Watch is a global health-policy news and analysis platform covering public-health systems and policy. It is a comparable health-journalism platform with a similar institutional audience, but serves a broader geography than Health-e's South African focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HealtheNews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HealtheNewsSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/HealtheNewsSA
• Instagraminstagram.com/healthenews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/health-e-news-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Health-E News Service