Cape Town - The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA), donated R120 000 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, a registered non-profit organisation that strives to raise awareness of the disease.
Martlé Keyter, MISA’s Chief Executive Officer: Operations, said the union raised R60 000 with its annual Golf Day and MISA donated another R60 000 to double the amount.
“MISA is the majority trade union in the retail motor industry representing more than 65 000 members.
“The union encourages all its members do undergo regular cancer screening.”
According to Keyter, the union wants to support the efforts of nonprofit organisations like the Prostate Cancer Foundation to raise awareness, educate, and support families with the aim to minimise the impact of the disease.
Andrew Oberholzer, the chief executive officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, said this type of cancer accounted for 13% of male deaths from cancer in South Africa.
The lifetime risk for prostate cancer in men in the country, was 1 in 15. Early detection is key in the fight against any cancer.
“This donation will help the foundation tremendously to continue with our important task.”
Oberholzer said that most men only get diagnosed when they already had advanced or locally advanced prostate cancer. By this stage the cancer was no longer curable.
He added, “This problem is exacerbated by the fact that black African men have a 60% higher risk of having prostate cancer and are more than twice as likely to die from the disease.
There are usually no symptoms in the early stages when prostate cancer is curable. A lack of knowledge about the benefits of age-appropriate screening and lack of access to screening remain major challenges.
“Research commissioned by the Cancer Alliance in 2021 shows that prostate cancer will be the most common cancer in South Africa by 2030.”