By Faith Mazibuko, Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness
Cancer is more than a medical diagnosis. It is a moment that changes a person’s life, a family’s future and the daily realities of those who provide care and support. Behind every diagnosis is a human being who deserves compassion, dignity and the best possible chance of receiving timely, quality treatment.
This is why cancer care matters deeply to me. As Gauteng’s MEC for Health and Wellness, I recognise both the progress our public healthcare system is making and the significant work that remains to ensure that every person who needs cancer care can access it.
This year’s breast cancer awareness is observed under the theme, “Every story is unique, every journey matters.”
The message is powerful because no two patients experience cancer in the same way. Some face fear and uncertainty after discovering a lump. Others must navigate investigations, surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy while trying to keep their families together and their lives on track.
For many households, the financial burden adds another layer of distress. Cancer treatment can be expensive, particularly when patients need repeated hospital visits, transport, accommodation and time away from work. These costs can place enormous pressure on families already struggling to make ends meet. Where a patient lives or what their family earns should not determine whether they receive the care they need.
As government, we have a responsibility to strengthen public healthcare services, improve access to treatment and make it easier for patients to navigate the journey from diagnosis to recovery or ongoing care.
However, our response cannot begin only when someone reaches a hospital with advanced disease. We must also work harder to prevent avoidable illness, educate communities and encourage people to seek medical attention early.
This is the purpose of our Siyabaphilisa outreach programme. By taking healthcare services into townships, informal settlements, hostels and other underserved communities, we are bringing health education, screening and essential services closer to people who may otherwise delay seeking care.
When we engage communities, we must speak openly about cancer. I always encourage women I personally interact with to practise breast self-examination and to seek medical attention as soon as they notice or suspect any unusual lump or change, as early medical intervention can make an important difference. Women should know what is normal for their breasts and seek medical attention if they notice a new lump, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, nipple changes or unusual discharge. Most breast lumps are not cancer, but a new lump or unexplained change should always be assessed by a healthcare professional. People should not wait for pain before seeking help.
Our outreach work must also help people overcome fear, stigma and misinformation. Early detection does not mean that every cancer can be prevented, nor does it guarantee a particular outcome. It does, however, create an opportunity for timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment. We want the community to understand that seeking help early is an act of care for themselves and their families.
At the same time, we must ensure that people who come forward find a health system that works to meet their needs.
Across the province, our hospitals continue to provide essential cancer services while introducing improvements to expand access and strengthen treatment pathways. At Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, the Radiation Oncology Department treats approximately 4,000 patients annually. Through partnerships with private radiotherapy providers, 996 unique patients received outsourced treatment during the 2025/26 financial year. With remote treatment planning, the hospital has expanded the specialist capacity needed to prepare patients for radiotherapy. This allows additional experts to assist with treatment planning while patients continue to receive their care at the hospital, helping to improve access to specialised cancer treatment.
Currently, the hospital reported no verified historic breast or prostate radiotherapy backlog under its operational definition of a delay exceeding 90 days from the decision to treat. This is an important milestone. It demonstrates what can be achieved through coordinated clinical teams, partnerships, better planning and the continued review of waiting lists. The installation of two additional linear accelerator machines also creates a foundation for future expansion, subject to the necessary staffing and licensing requirements.
At Steve Biko Academic Hospital, the Radiation Oncology service sees approximately 3,000 new cancer patients annually, including patients referred from neighbouring provinces. The hospital provides radiotherapy, brachytherapy and systemic anticancer treatment, and has introduced advanced treatment approaches for suitable patients. A new high-dose-rate brachytherapy unit strengthens its capacity to treat cervical cancer with greater precision.
Helen Joseph Tertiary Hospital continues to provide structured breast cancer services, including mammography, assessment and surgery. The hospital has reported 144 breast operations during the financial year, with a reported one-month waiting period for surgery and no backlog reported for that service. Such progress matters because timely assessment and treatment can reduce the uncertainty that patients and their families face.
At Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, the Soweto Comprehensive Cancer Centre has grown its service from approximately 20 patients a day to around 60 to 80. The centre has strengthened multidisciplinary care, bringing different clinical professionals together to support patients with complex needs. Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital also provides important services, including paediatric oncology and breast cancer care. The hospital’s experience has demonstrated how disruptions to chemotherapy preparation can affect continuity of care, while collaboration with Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University has helped support services. The strengthening of its chemotherapy laboratory is an important step in improving the hospital’s capacity.
These achievements deserve recognition, particularly because they are made possible by healthcare workers who continue to serve patients under considerable pressure. But we must also be honest: cancer care requires sustained investment in equipment, medicines, specialist skills, diagnostic services and infrastructure. Some patients still experience delays, and the demand for specialised services remains significant. We cannot allow the progress made in one area to make us complacent about the challenges that remain.
Our Treatment Time Guarantee framework is one of the interventions intended to strengthen accountability and improve the management of surgical waiting lists by giving patients clearer timeframes for planned operations. Together with regular monitoring and better coordination, this helps us identify delays and improve how services are organised. It is part of our wider responsibility to ensure that patients are not left without information about their care.
Ultimately, the purpose of these interventions is not simply to report better numbers. It is to improve the experience of the person waiting for treatment, the parent accompanying a child with cancer, the woman worried about a breast lump and the family trying to support a loved one through a difficult diagnosis.
In the spirit of “Siyabaphilisa”, our people should live and thrive; this must be reflected in both the care delivered inside our hospitals and the preventive work we undertake in our communities. Through outreaches, we will continue to encourage early detection, promote health education and connect people to services. Through our hospitals, partnerships and ongoing improvements, we must continue working to make quality cancer care more accessible.
As we conclude this Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I urge residents to take changes in their health seriously, seek advice from healthcare professionals and encourage loved ones to do the same. I also call on communities, civil society, healthcare professionals and partners to help us replace fear and silence with knowledge, support and action.
Every cancer journey matters. Our responsibility is to ensure that no patient’s story is defined by a missed opportunity to seek care, an avoidable delay or a lack of support. We have made progress, but we must do more, because behind every patient statistic is a life, a family and a reason to keep improving our health system.
Faith Mazibuko is Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness
