Thato Moncho, who has died following a battle with cancer, challenged the highest authorities when cancer patients were denied care. Thato Moncho, who died of cancer on 2 January 2026, was the face and voice behind the landmarkCancer AllianceandSECTION27court case against the Gauteng Department of Health, litigation that exposed the systemic denial of lifesaving cancer treatment to thousands of patients across Gauteng. Diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in 2020, Thato had her first round of chemotherapy between October 2020 and April 2021.
Following treatment, she was placed on thewaiting list for radiation therapyat Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH). While waiting, without clarity, timelines or accountability, her cancer returned aggressively. She endured another brutal nine-week round of chemotherapy and subsequently a mastectomy.
Despite being diagnosed at stage 2 and being anexcellent candidate for radiation therapy, treatment that should have begun within four months of chemotherapy,radiation never materialised. This injustice marked the beginning of Thato’s extraordinary advocacy journey. She personally approached the MEC for health and the CEO of CMJAH, only to be met with explanations of backlogs, understaffing, fire damage and budget constraints.
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She was told to “have faith”. Her story became the story of nearly 3,000 cancer patients trapped on radiation backlogs at Charlotte Maxeke. From the first protest march to the Gauteng Department of Health in November 2022 to the final march in April 2024, Thato stood at the forefront; unwavering, outspoken and courageous.
She publicly challenged President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene and was named a patient litigant in the case against the Gauteng Department of Health for failing touse R784-millionallocated to address radiation oncology backlogs.The case, initiated in November 2024, is now proceeding to the Supreme Court of Appeal. In May 2025, Thato penned a powerfulopen letterto Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi following his public apology for delays in cancer treatment, an apology she felt came too late. Her words cut through bureaucracy and denial, speaking directly to lived experience, pain and betrayal: “Your apology is too late for cancer patients like me… I live in fear of another recurrence, and my daughter may never get to enjoy her mother because of your arrogance.
I would not have had five recurrences if the department had done its work.” Her last public appearance was at a public symposium convened by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, held in remembrance of Babita Deokaran’s courageousfight against corruption in health. There, Thato shared her lived experience of how the health system failed her, and so many others.
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