Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
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Moncho, who died on 2 January at the age of 41, succumbed to breast cancer after not receiving timely radiation treatment, despite funding being available.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has paid tribute to late cancer activist Thato Moncho, describing her death as an avoidable tragedy that exposes deep failures within the Gauteng Department of Health. Moncho, who died on 2 January at the age of 41, succumbed to breast cancer after not receiving timely radiation treatment, despite funding being available.

Speaking to Radio Islam International, DA spokesperson Jack Bloom said Moncho became “the face of patients who had suffered because of this grievous lack of treatment”, noting that her cancer was “entirely curable” had radiation therapy been administered within the prescribed timeframe.

“She had one child who is 16 years old, and her dearest wish was to see her only child matriculate. Unfortunately, she didn’t live to see that,” Bloom said.

According to Bloom, Moncho was among an estimated 3,000 cancer patients, mainly at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, who were left without radiation treatment. He revealed that the health department had the budget to address the backlog but failed to spend it. “In one year alone, they had R250 million which they didn’t even spend. They returned it back to Treasury,” he said, adding that a total of R764 million had been allocated over three years.

The matter culminated in a landmark court ruling on 27 March last year, after cancer NGOs, including the Cancer Alliance, Section27 and the Treatment Action Campaign, took the department to court. The judge found that the failure to provide radiation treatment was “unlawful and unconstitutional”.

Moncho played a central role in the case and publicly challenged Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, rejecting his apology in an open letter. Bloom said she refused to even address him as Premier, stating that “because of his lack of action, she was unlikely to survive”.

Radiation treatment, Bloom explained, must typically follow surgery or chemotherapy within 60 days to prevent cancer from spreading. “In her case, unfortunately, it wasn’t done within the prescribed time period and the cancer spread,” he said, warning that “hundreds of others” may also have died unnecessarily.

Bloom compared the scale of the tragedy to the Life Esidimeni disaster, calling it “a giant blot on the Gauteng Health Department and the Premier of this province”, adding that it “exposes their moral bankruptcy”.

He further criticised the department for appealing the court ruling instead of working with NGOs to reduce backlogs. “There is a right to life in our Constitution. The state cannot claim a lack of resources when those resources were available and simply not spent,” Bloom said.

Moncho’s funeral took place on Friday. The DA says her legacy should serve as a turning point to ensure that no other families suffer similar, avoidable losses.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Moulana Ibrahim Daya and Jack Bloom.