HAVING battled cancer twice in eight years, and now on her own recovery journey, Winklespruit resident Buhle Gumede is urging women to heed early warning signs so the disease can be tackled effectively.

Also read: Successful cancer talk in Amanzimtoti

Gumede is a teacher at Fynnlands Primary School on The Bluff, and before her diagnosis, she was a picture of health and fitness. Following the diagnosis, Gumede said her faith, as well as having a strong support system, has helped her fight the disease.

Her first diagnosis came in 2014 when she was given the shocking news that she had lymphoma. After fighting lymphoma and beating it in 2017, more crushing news came in 2024 that she had developed breast cancer.

“I’m the only one in my family who is known to have had cancer. I was a gym fanatic, I was active, and I was taking good care of my health, so I didn’t understand the diagnosis,” said Gumede.

The first sign that the cancer was back but in a different form was when she started experiencing pain on the left side of her chest, but never paid much attention to it for around eight months because it was not severe. It would come and go, especially after gym or when she was having a bath.

“Then one day while I was at work, I sent my doctor a message, telling him of the pain in my left breast, and that it was starting to get hard. Realising that I could be in danger, he told me to go straight to the laboratory at City Hospital to have tests done, and he sent them all the necessary forms,” she said.

After work, she went to the hospital as directed to have a mammogram done, and then came the bad news that they had found something and a biopsy operation had to be done on her breast.
When the results came back, she was told she had breast cancer.

“The results were such a shock that I initially didn’t tell anyone, and I just cried for two days. The first people I told were my sisters and my husband, and they all supported me. My other two sisters live far away, but they always checked up on me,” she said.

She also opened up to her colleagues at work, and she has been overwhelmed by the support she has received. The treatment journey has been filled with ups and downs, but she has remained positive.

“Treatment took a toll on me; I felt like giving up because no part of my body was okay. I felt sick and weak daily, and I lost my hair, bone density, and weight. At work, I pretended to be strong until I couldn’t anymore. I stayed at home for almost the whole of 2025,” said Gumede.

As she still goes through her journey and its side effects, she said her faith in God is strengthened by knowing that He’ll never leave nor forsake her.

“Through the hardest times, weak as I still am, I hold my head high as I don’t want to feel defeated. I’m still thankful I see each day as a living person.”

For more South Coast Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox.

Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.