Pretoria, South Africa – In a move set to strengthen health cooperation, cultural exchange, and human rights, the South African Department of Health met today with a high-level delegation from China’s Sichuan Province in Pretoria to explore mutual interests in traditional medicine development, regulation, and heritage preservation.
By Noko Mashilo
The Chinese delegation was led by Vice Governor Mr Yang Xingping, while the South African side was represented by Prof. Nicholas Crisp, Acting Director-General of the Department of Health; Mr Bruce Mbedzi, Director of the Traditional Medicine Directorate; Gogo Sheila Mbele, representing C20 South Africa; and the Deputy Chairperson of SANAC CSF (South African National AIDS Council Civil Society Forum).
The strategic dialogue aimed to bolster bilateral relations by identifying collaborative opportunities in areas such as traditional medicine standardisation, clinical research, and pharmaceutical regulation. The meeting focused on enhancing the safety of healthcare products, fostering scientific exchange, and creating frameworks for regulatory alignment between the two nations.
Speaking at the meeting, Prof. Crisp emphasised the critical role of international collaboration in promoting access to safe, effective traditional medicine as a component of the universal right to health. Mr Mbedzi echoed these sentiments, reaffirming South Africa’s commitment to preserving indigenous knowledge systems and integrating traditional practices into the public health system in a manner that respects both science and culture.
Gogo Sheila Mbele highlighted the importance of traditional healing in upholding community identity, spiritual wellbeing, and cultural rights, calling the collaboration “an important step in decolonising health systems and recognising the dignity of African healing traditions.”
Both delegations acknowledged shared values and aspirations, while recognising the distinct cultural, spiritual, and ceremonial dimensions of each country’s traditional medicine. The South African representatives stressed the need to protect and promote African traditional medicine in a way that honours its deep roots in community health, social justice, and human rights.
The discussions concluded with a shared commitment to initiate joint projects focused on the standardisation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and expanding scientific and regulatory cooperation. Areas such as policy alignment, training, clinical research, and potential product development were highlighted as key opportunities.
This engagement represents a meaningful step in South Africa’s effort to globalise its traditional medicine sector, while embracing lessons from China’s long-standing TCM framework. It also affirms the growing recognition that access to culturally relevant and community-rooted healing practices is not only a matter of public health—but of cultural preservation and human rights.
