The gift of life: Understanding organ donation in South Africa

Organ donation is a precious gift that can save up to seven lives and improve the lives of over 70 others. Despite South Africa's rapid advancements in transplant medicine, the country's organ donation rate remains exceptionally low, with fewer than 1.4 deceased donors per million people. This shortage leaves thousands of patients, including children, waiting for life-saving transplants.

Transplant Education for Living Legacies (TELL), a South African non-profit organization, highlights the need for increased awareness and education about organ and tissue donation. The organization's co-founder, Fawn Kruger, states that South African patients now have access to world-class transplant expertise and innovative treatments such as transplants across blood group barriers and a new liver perfusion machine.

However, these breakthroughs rely heavily on the generosity of donors and their families. One such success story is that of Mohamed Zayd Khota, an eight-year-old from Lenasia in Gauteng who underwent an ABO-incompatible living donor kidney transplant. In July 2025, a kidney from a living donor with a different blood type was successfully transplanted into Khota, who had been on the transplant waiting list for five years.

Before the transplant, Khota was required to undergo dialysis for over six years, undergoing 16-hour sessions nightly and additional two-hour sessions during the day. Since receiving his new kidney, Khota is a healthy, active eight-year-old who attends school, plays with friends, and enjoys holidays. He urges patients on the transplant waiting list to stay positive and spread awareness about organ donation, emphasizing the need for increased education to generate more living donors in South Africa.