GAUTENG — As South Africa marks the 70th anniversary of the historic 1956 Women’s March, a major public health victory has emerged: cervical cancer screenings in Gauteng have increased by 29% over the past year. The milestone, announced during National Women’s Day commemorations at the Union Buildings, underscores the province’s aggressive push for early detection and women’s health empowerment.
Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Faith Mazibuko, framed the achievement as a modern tribute to the women who marched to the Union Buildings seven decades ago.
“The women of 1956 understood that progress begins when women stand up and act,” Mazibuko stated on Sunday. “Seventy years later, we honour them by ensuring that women are empowered with information and access to services that can save their lives. Every woman who goes for screening is taking charge of her health, her future and the wellbeing of her family.”
The provincial health department revealed that 198,611 women underwent screening during the 2025/26 financial year. This represents a significant jump from the 153,703 women screened in 2024/25, meaning an additional 44,908 individuals accessed life-saving services capable of detecting cellular changes before they develop into cancer.
The surge is largely credited to intensive awareness campaigns rolled out across all five health districts beginning in the third quarter of the last financial year. While the West Rand district saw the most dramatic improvements, Ekurhuleni has been earmarked for specialized, targeted interventions to boost local screening uptake.
“The increase is encouraging, but our work will continue until every eligible woman understands the importance of screening and can access the service,” Mazibuko noted.
The Global Context and the Push for Prevention
The push for early detection is critical on a continental scale. According to a March 2024 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, cervical cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women in sub-Saharan Africa. The African Region accounts for 23% of global cervical cancer deaths, housing 18 of the 20 nations with the highest disease burden globally as of 2022.
Despite these grim statistics, health officials emphasize that the disease is highly preventable through regular screening and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations, and highly curable if caught early and treated promptly.
Running parallel to the screening initiative is a robust single-dose HPV vaccination campaign aimed at Grade 5 girls aged nine and older. During the 2025/26 rollout, the department successfully vaccinated 72,249 girls in public schools and 9,740 in independent schools, shielding them from the high-risk HPV strains responsible for the majority of cervical cancer cases.
Screening Guidelines and Symptoms to Watch
Health officials stress that women should not wait for symptoms to appear before seeking care, as early changes to the cervix are often asymptomatic. However, women are advised to seek immediate medical attention if they experience abnormal vaginal bleeding (including bleeding after sex, between periods, or after menopause), unusually heavy or prolonged periods, unusual vaginal discharge, pain during sex, or lower abdominal pain.
Under current provincial guidelines, HIV-negative women should be screened at ages 30 and 50, while women living with HIV are eligible to begin screening at age 20.
Looking Ahead to 2026/27
Looking ahead to the 2026/27 financial year, the department plans to sustain its momentum by continuing awareness drives and training Ward-Based Primary Health Care Outreach Teams to deliver education directly to households during visits.
Tying the medical initiatives back to the spirit of the holiday, the department issued a strong call to action for Women’s Day. Officials are urging women to make their health a core part of the continuing march toward equality by getting screened and encouraging peers to do the same. Additionally, parents and caregivers are strongly urged to promptly sign and return HPV vaccination consent forms to schools, ensuring no eligible girl misses out on vital cancer protection.