WORLD NEWS – SOUTH AFRICA: At Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town surgeons have performed the first robotic living donor nephrectomy in South Africa and the African continent, removing a kidney from a mother and transplanting it into her daughter who suffered renal failure. The minimally invasive operation used a da Vinci robotic platform with four articulated arms controlled from a 3D console, allowing the team to work around the kidney with unprecedented precision. The lead surgeon, Dr. Darnelloo Duprisi, guided the procedure, which the team completed in ninety minutes.
Surgeons say the robotic approach transforms the donor experience by improving vision, control and surgical finesse, shrinking incisions and confining the dissection to the kidney region. That targeted technique reduced operative time under general anesthesia, cut expected pain and sped recovery, meaning donors can go home sooner. The team emphasized safety and precision over speed, but noted the 90 minute time was shorter than average for traditional open methods.
The da Vinci system arrived in South African public hospitals in 2022 and has been used for many operations; this case marks the first time it was applied to living donor transplantation in Africa. Staff called the milestone a boost for public sector care and academic medicine, showing domestic surgical talent and technology can advance complex transplant services for patients in need. Clinicians hope the less invasive donor pathway will encourage more living kidney donations and expand access to transplantation.
The operation underscores a new chapter for transplant surgery in Cape Town and beyond, blending innovation, skill and compassion. As teams refine robotic techniques, the promise is clearer recoveries, broader donor participation and a strengthened transplant infrastructure across the region.
Medical leaders celebrated the achievement as a beacon for public health policy, surgical training and future breakthroughs across South Africa and the continent.
