Tlaleng Mofokeng is a South African physician who is the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health. She campaigns for universal health access and HIV care.[1] She was named one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2021.
Tlaleng Mofokeng | |
|---|---|
 Mofokeng speaks at Access Now RightsCon in 2021 | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | University of KwaZulu-Natal |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Employer(s) | Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital United Nations |
| Website | DrTlaleng.com |
Early life and education
Mofokeng was born in QwaQwa.[2] She was an undergraduate student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine. She graduated in 2007, and worked as a medical doctor in the Gauteng Health Department.[2] She worked in pediatrics at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and the West Rand clinics, as well as overseeing various health services.[2][3]
Career
Mofokeng worked at Higher Education and Training HIV/AIDS Program (HEAIDS) on an educational video series to mitigate HIV in South Africa. She also presented medical documentaries for Al Jazeera. In 2015, Mofokeng joined International SOS, where she was responsible for medical care in Johannesburg. In this capacity, she served as Chair of the Sexual and Reproductive Justice Coalition of South Africa.[4]
Mofokeng has focused on gender equality, neonatal health, and the management of HIV. She was made the country lead of Global Doctors for Choice in 2017 and Commissioner for Gender Equality in 2019. She has taken on domestic violence in court, making use of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.[5]
In July 2020, Mofokeng was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health.[5][6][7] She is the first woman and first African to hold this position.[8] She was appointed to the board of directors of the International Partnership for Microbicides in 2021, and serves as Distinguished Lecturer at Georgetown University.[9][10]
Mofokeng usually goes under the title "Dr. T".[11] Her first book, Dr. T: A Guide to Sexual Health and Pleasure, a bestseller, was published by Picador in 2021.[12] The Sunday Sun described how "the magic is contained in its warm, motherly, vulnerable and non-judgmental delivery".[12] She is leading the delivery of Sentebale, a mobile app that supports the physical and mental wellbeing of young people in Africa impacted by HIV.[13]
Mofokeng is an advocate for universal health access and adolescent health. She serves as an advisor of the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health Gender & Health Hub.[14]
She was one of the many UN experts who spoke out against the sale of arms to Israel in June 2024 as a result of the conflict in Gaza. The experts cautioned arms suppliers and finance companies that they would be implicated in human rights violations. The signatories to the warning included special reporteurs Paula Gaviria Betancur, Margaret Satterthwaite and Francesca Albanese.[15]
Other activities
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Member of the Advisory Group of the Goalkeepers Initiative (since 2022)[16]
Awards and honours
- 2016: Mail & Guardian One of the top 200 Young South Africans[17]
- 2016: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 120 Under 40 Leader[4]
- 2017: Africa Youth Awards Most Influential Young Africans[8]
- 2018: Aspen Institute New Voices Senior Fellow[18][19]
- 2021: BBC 100 Women[18]