The South African Federation for Mental Health

15/12/2025

Exciting Update: The Political Declaration from the Fourth UN High-Level Meeting [HLM] on NCDs and Mental Health is set to be tabled for adoption at the UN General Assembly today.

This would mark the first-ever political declaration on mental health, reflecting a historic global commitment to strengthening action to promote mental well-being and tackle mental health conditions.

With the invaluable support of United for Global Mental Health, Shayni Geffen, Advocacy Lead at SAFMH, participated in the New York stakeholder engagement sessions ahead of the HLM.

Read more about Shayni’s work on this below 🔗https://www.safmh.org/from-south-africa-to-the-un-speaking-up-for-mental-health/
🔗https://www.safmh.org/gmhan-beyond-the-un-high-level-meeting-on-ncds-and-mental-health/

For now, we await to see if our collective advocacy will translate into a landmark global declaration. 💚💚

12/12/2025

🎄FESTIVE CLOSING TIMES

Please note that SAFMH and our Helpdesk will close on 19 December 2025 and will re-open on 12 January 2026.

🔗For a list of helplines and other useful contact details, please visit https://www.safmh.org/help-desk/

The SA Federation for Mental Health wishes you and your family a restful, safe and joyous festive season. 💚💚

As you enjoy this time, spare a thought for those in need and take care of your mental health.

02/12/2025

This , we ask that you continue supporting our work by joining the new MyDifference Programme via the Woolworths App and selecting SAFMH as your cause. 🙏

💡Woolworths has announced that the MySchool, MyVillage, MyPlanet and WRewards cards have merged to create one bigger and better “get and give” loyalty programme called Woolworths MyDifference.
💡The goal of this new programme is to empower customers to support the causes they care about most, while providing greater visibility of the positive impact of your contributions.

We kindly ask that you join the MyDifference programme and continue your invaluable support for our mission to make mental health a national priority — because there is no health without mental health. 💚 💚

🔗 Read more about this update here: https://www.safmh.org/updates-to-the-woolworths-myschool-programme/

01/12/2025

Today marks 🌍 and we at SAFMH join the calls advocating for a future where integrated mental health and HIV services are essential components of strong health systems.

From a human rights perspective, the right to health entails that every human being has the right to equitable access to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. We know that persons with HIV remain marginalised and, as such, can find it difficult to access necessary services, including mental health services. We need to work on strengthening health systems to ensure all marginalised or vulnerable groups can access the services they need.

Make sure to read the below bulletin from the World Health Organization and United for Global Mental Health showing evidence that people living with HIV are significantly more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and harmful substance use, which directly impact ART adherence, viral suppression, and overall treatment outcomes.

Make sure to read the bulletin below from the World Health Organisation and United for Global Mental Health showing evidence that people living with HIV are significantly more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and harmful substance use, which directly impact ART adherence, viral suppression, and overall treatment outcomes.

Let’s push for policies, funding, and programming that bring mental health to the centre of HIV responses globally. 💚 ❤️

20/11/2025

💡 The week of the 17th of November is Self-Care Week. The week aims to raise awareness about the importance of self-care in everyone's lives. 💜 💚

The end of year can be a busy time, but that doesn't mean you should be too busy to look after your mental health by doing activities you love and that bring you meaning. This can help manage stress and prevent burnout.

These activities look different for everyone! It could be spending time with loved ones, praying, going for a walk, listening to music, exercising, doing your favourite hobby or eating delicious food. Try to do at least one activity for yourself on a weekly basis for the rest of November. ✨

🔗 Discover more self-care tips from Mental Health Foundation here: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/blogs/self-care-tips

And remember, if you are struggling to find meaningful activities or do what you love, please reach out to someone. This could be a friend, a parent, a colleague or your doctor.

You can also reach out to us at 📩 info@safmh.org or call SADAG at ☎️ 0800 567 567.

11/11/2025

👏 And just like that, another World Mental Health Month has come and gone.

As we reflect on a very busy October, we are grateful for all the important and necessary conversations that took place. To all our partners and supporters — thank you for inviting us to your events and joining us in our call to address violence as a significant challenge to mental health in South Africa. 💚 💚

It was inspiring to see the country turn green last month in support of mental health awareness. Let’s keep the momentum going and continue the fight for accessible, equitable mental health care for all!

04/11/2025

📢 SAFMH World Mental Health Month Event Recap!

To commemorate World Mental Health Month, the SA Federation for Mental Health hosted an intimate event at our offices on Friday, 24 October 2025.

The gathering shed light on the ongoing epidemic of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa and explored its deep and complex connection with mental health. 💚 💜

We were honoured to welcome a panel of formidable speakers who shared important insights into the current state of women’s shelters across the country, emphasising the urgent need to integrate mental health support within these spaces. A huge THANK YOU to all of our speakers and attendees.👏 👏

"More than just a commemoration, the SAFMH event became a platform for truthtelling and collective healing – where survivors’ voices were not just heard; they were centred in the national conversation on GBV and mental health." – Nkazimulo Ncube, The Randburg Sun

🔗 You can read our full recap here: https://www.safmh.org/recap-of-safmh-world-mental-health-month-2025-event/

29/10/2025

The SAFMH Programmes Team had an incredible two days at the 2nd SA Mental Health Conference in Johannesburg! 🌍🧠

We’re coming away inspired by so many meaningful conversations — ready to turn evidence into action and keep pushing for stronger mental health advocacy across South Africa. 💪

A real highlight was sharing more about our National Youth Advocacy Forum, and seeing one of our amazing forum members, Nhalala Baloyi, take the stage to share his story and advocacy journey. 🙌

28/10/2025

📢South Africa faces a 92% treatment gap. This means that fewer than 1 in 10 people living with a mental health condition in South Africa receive the care they need.

🚨Access to mental health care remains a significant challenge in the country. The limited number of mental health care providers contributes to many individuals going undiagnosed and untreated.

Research shows that the rates of mental health conditions are closely linked to the availability, accessibility, and affordability of mental health services.

There is a strong need for better investment to ensure that more affordable, accessible and culturally appropriate mental health services are available for the entire South African population. 💚💚

27/10/2025

On the morning of the 23rd of October 2025, the SA Federation for Mental Health [SAFMH], in collaboration with Tabvuma Mental Health, hosted a “culturally safe and responsive mental health care” webinar.

The webinar saw speakers share practical examples of how culturally grounded, respectful and community-centred care is put into practice, because culture matters in healing.

Together, these voices remind us that cultural safety is not a tick-box exercise. It is a shared responsibility and a continuous practice of listening, learning, and doing better.

If you missed the conversation, you can watch it at the link below:

🔗 https://www.safmh.org/culturally-safe-and-responsive-mental-health-care-lessons-from-australia-and-south-africa/

On the morning of the 23rd of October 2025, the SA Federation for Mental Health [SAFMH], in collaboration with Tabvuma Mental Health, hosted a “culturally safe and responsive mental health care” webinar. The webinar saw speakers share practical examples of how culturally grounded, respectful and...

24/10/2025

📢How’s your October going so far? This month is always a busy and eventful time for us. People want to talk about mental health and we love to see it!

Let's keep mental health trending and the conversations flowing. Have you joined any mental health awareness events happening around the country? Well, there's still time. Here are a few more events as we round up World Mental Health Month 2025.

💚Cape Mental Health is hosting its annual Cape Town International Kite Festival, over two full days on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 October 2025, marking a joyful return to the festival’s much-loved extended format at Youngsfield Military Base in Ottery.
📅 Date: 25 - 26 October 2025
📍Youngsfield Military Base, Ottery
🎟️ Tickets available from R40 Per Person (Excluding Booking Fees). You can buy tickets here: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/62701-cape-town-international-kite-festival-2025/ #/

💚Topic: Webinar on Advancing the WHO Mental Health Action Plan – Global Perspectives and Country Progress
Dates: 28th October 2025 (Tuesday)
⏰ Time: 16:00 - 17:30 SAST
📌 Register here: https://lshtm.zoom.us/webinar/register/4417605317890/WN_Y72NgNMrQYy6e_Qjk_YjFw #/registration

💚SADAG will wrap up Mental Health Awareness Month with a March for Mental Health at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. The march is a call for understanding, inclusion, and action, reminding us that Mental Health matters to everyone.
📅 Dates: Friday, 31 October 2025
⏰ Time: 10 AM
📍 Location: Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Soweto
🔗 Sign up here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HXN2LTF