Caddies, cancer… and busting men's health stigmas and myths at Southbroom Golf Club
At least 80 men were screened on the day.
Three years ago, avid golfer Jonathan Muthige had a health scare that would terrify any man – being diagnosed with stage three prostate cancer.
He lives in Johannesburg but is a member at Southbroom Golf Club, where he plays as often as he can.
Jonathan is the Chief Human Capital and Transformation Officer at Alexander Forbes, while also serving as CEO of Growth Markets.
As a result of his cancer diagnosis, which doctors described as aggressive, and his subsequent recovery, Jonathan founded the Factor of Ten Foundation with his wife Nwabisa.
Through the foundation, they have recently launched a project called Prostate Cancer Victory (PCV 4000) with the aim of reaching 4000 men across all nine provinces by the end of next year.
They’re doing it a bit differently, targeting golf caddies and their communities.
The project was launched at Southbroom GC recently, where 86 caddies from across the coast were treated to a golf tournament as well as the opportunity to have access to specialist medical expertise and prostate-specific antigen (PSV) screening.
Jonathan is determined to help prevent other men from facing a similar journey unnecessarily and strongly believes that no man should die because he did not know.
As golf caddies carry the game every day, he felt it was only right to carry them by creating the opportunity to play golf and have a medical check-up.
Jonathan explained that for many caddies, routine healthcare can be difficult to prioritise.
“We believe that access to the right information and the right medical professionals can change the way men approach their health. By taking these conversations directly into caddie communities, we can break down fear, challenge myths and encourage men to take greater responsibility for early detection,” he said.
The Southbroom launch was supported by Tempudu NPC, Ampath and the KZN Department of Health (Ugu District), with Southbroom GC providing the venue at no cost.
On the day, at least 80 men received PSA screening, conducted and managed by Ampath.
The DoH provided a range of basic health services and preventative screening, including blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, HIV and other relevant health checks.
In terms of the actual golf, the winner of the competition was Derek Nzama (Port Shepstone) on 45 points.
Runner-up was Ephraim Mkhize (Margate) on 42 points, counting out Thabane Ngcungama (Margate).
Eric Mlambo (Port Shepstone) was fourth on 41 points, counting out Robert Shusha (Southbroom).
Next on 40 points were Michael Chili (Margate) and Jacky Khawula (Margate).
In a tie for eighth place on 39 points were Terence Ncane (Southbroom), Rodney Mthembu (Selborne Park) and Conrad Makubane (Port Shepstone).
Scoring 38 points were Bulelani Ngilandi (San Lameer), Josman Dlamini (Selborne Park), Philane Danca (Margate) and Amos Gumede (Umdoni Park). Buhle Yalo (Port Edward) had 36 points.
Nearest the pins were Sylvester Ngeleka (4th) and Dr Rainer Johannes (14th).
Longest drive (18th) was hit by Thabane Ngcungama.
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