Epilepsy South Africa
Understanding Epilepsy. Educating Society. Changing lives.
Since 1967 we have stood with South Africans with epilepsy: practical information, counselling, support and a national community.
National Support Line 079 119 3607
What can we help you with?
- Someone is having a seizure Step-by-step first aid, and when to call an ambulance
- I’ve just been diagnosed What epilepsy is, and what it means for your life
- I need support near me Six regional branches, counselling and community
- I want to understand life with epilepsy School, work, driving, family — the practical questions
Understanding the disorder
Epilepsy is a tendency to have repeated seizures — brief disruptions in the brain’s electrical signalling. It is a physical, treatable disorder: not a mental illness, not contagious, and never a reason for exclusion.
The most difficult thing for people with epilepsy to deal with is not medical at all. It is misunderstanding — at school, at work, in communities. Information is the cure for that, which is why we publish ours freely.
50m
people worldwide live with epilepsy
70%
could live seizure-free with appropriate treatment
80%
live in low- and middle-income countries
Source: World Health Organization
Find support
Wherever you are, there is a branch responsible for you.
Every province is covered. Six regional branches —
Eastern Cape, Free State/North West, Gauteng,
Mpumalanga, South Cape/Karoo and Western Cape —
with the national office answering for the rest.
Counselling, support groups, social work and information about epilepsy —
delivered in communities, not from behind a desk.
Free, to keep and to share
Epilepsy First Aid Poster
For staffrooms, clinics and community centres.
EpiNews — Edition One, 2026
“To promote the human rights of persons with epilepsy.”