Health minister pickles liver
The week's news at a glance.
Johannesburg
A South African newspaper says the country’s health minister got an emergency liver transplant after her liver failed because of heavy drinking. The Johannesburg Sunday Times, a respected paper, has been running stories accusing Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang of being “a drunk and a thief” who received a liver intended for someone else. The minister said the stories were “false, speculative, and bizarre,” but she has not filed a libel suit. Her boss, President Thabo Mbeki, refuses to investigate the allegations. Mbeki has consistently supported Tshabalala-Msimang, even when she advised AIDS patients to fight the disease by eating garlic.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff