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Patient guide · gynaecology

South Africa's New Plan to End Cervical Cancer — What It Means for You

A plain-English guide to South Africa's cervical cancer elimination plan and three things every woman can do this year.

South Africa’s New Plan to End Cervical Cancer — What It Means for You

A plain-English guide to the national plan, the numbers behind it, and three simple actions you can take this year.

Start Here

On Friday 8 May 2026, the President of South Africa launches a new plan to end cervical cancer. The goal is simple. By 2030, cervical cancer should no longer be one of the top cancers killing South African women.

This is a national effort. It needs every woman to know the basics and to act.

Why this matters in South Africa

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in South African women. Every year:

  • About 7,700 women are diagnosed.
  • About 4,600 women die from it.
  • 1 in 23 women in South Africa will get it in her lifetime.

Almost all of these cases are caused by a virus called HPV (human papillomavirus). HPV is very common. Most people who have ever had sex carry it at some point. In most people the body clears the virus on its own. In a few, it stays and slowly causes cancer.

The good news: cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers we know.

The plan in plain English

The President’s plan follows a global target called 90-70-90. Here is what each number means.

90% of girls vaccinated against HPV

The HPV vaccine prevents the strains of the virus that cause most cervical cancers. The plan aims for 90 out of every 100 girls to be vaccinated by age 15.

What is already happening: The vaccine is free at school for Grade 5 girls aged 9 and older. From 2026 it covers both public and private schools. One injection. One school visit.

70% of women screened

Screening is a simple test that checks for early changes on the cervix — long before cancer develops. The plan aims for 70 out of every 100 women to be screened twice in their lifetime.

What is already available:

  • A Pap smear at your GP or clinic.
  • An HPV test — a different cervical sample that looks for the virus itself. Some medical schemes (including Discovery) now sponsor self-sampling kits, where you take the sample yourself at home or at a pharmacy. No speculum. No clinic visit.

90% of women treated when something is found

If screening finds early changes, treatment is quick and usually outpatient. The plan aims for 90 out of every 100 women with abnormal results to receive proper treatment.

What is already available: Same-visit assessment and treatment at Network One Health.

Three things you can do this year

1. Get your daughter vaccinated

If she is in Grade 5 or older, ask her school about the HPV vaccination day. It is free. It is one dose. It protects her against most cervical cancers for life.

2. Book a screening

If you are 25 or older, you should be screened. If you are HIV-positive, you should be screened earlier and more often.

If you have a medical scheme, ask if it covers HPV self-sampling. If you do not, ask your GP for a Pap smear.

3. Tell one other woman

Awareness is the bottleneck. Tell your sister. Tell your colleague. Tell your mother. Tell your daughter. Every woman who screens reduces her own risk and moves the country closer to the 70% target.

How Network One Health helps

Network One Health runs a programme called ColpoCare for women whose screening results need follow-up.

How it works:

  1. Your GP screens you (Pap smear or HPV test).
  2. If the result is abnormal, your GP refers you to Network One Health.
  3. We do the colposcopy (a closer look at the cervix using a magnifying scope) and any needed treatment in the same visit.
  4. No second appointment. No long wait between screening and treatment.

This is what the country needs at scale to hit the 70% screening and 90% treatment targets.

Your next step

If you have had an abnormal screening result, or if you simply want screening and any treatment under one roof:

Do not wait for symptoms. Cervical cancer is preventable. Act this year.

Version 1, updated 2026-05-05. This guide is education, not a diagnosis. If you are worried, talk to us or to your own doctor.

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