18/10/2026
Meet our Dr Szpak 🌈
As a young boy growing up in Communist Poland, Waldemar Szpak dreamt of travelling the world and learning about all the vibrant and unique cultures within it. Numerous geographical books and novels were absorbed as this passion grew.
Choosing to become a Doctor, meeting and marrying his wife Teresa, specialising in internal medicine in Poland, the birth of their two sons as well as three years spent living in Germany were key milestones in Dr Szpak’s formative years.
Then came the decision to emigrate to South Africa in 1992. He was intrigued with the concept of our Rainbow Nation.
“South Africa was said to be the entire world within one country”, enthuses Dr Szpak.
Fifty applications to various medical institutions in South Africa and the role of Principal Medical Officer at the Department of Medicine and CCU at Addington Hospital were secured.
The following decade was spent at the Department of Medicine at Addington Hospital and then the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine at the University of Natal, Durban where in 2002 Dr Szpak qualified as a Fellow in the College of Medicine in Oncology.
In 2003 Dr Szpak relocated to the UK to further pursue his oncological interests at the Northern Centre for Cancer Treatment in Newcastle upon Tyne as consultant specialist in clinical oncology.
In 2004 whilst watching the Springboks playing Scotland in Durban before the Rugby World Cup Tournament, Dr Szpak heard the crowd singing the proudly South African Hymn, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika / Die Stem, it was then that he realised that he too was now a part of this amazing Rainbow Nation.
South Africa was calling so he returned to Durban to join Amanzimtoti Oncology Services that were gradually converted to RAINBOW ONCOLOGY.
When not applying his time to Rainbow Oncology and his patients, Dr Szpak devotes his remaining time to his wife of almost 40 years, their three cats, bonsais and mountain bike riding. He is also a proud grandfather of two beautiful grandchildren.
Dr Szpak is a man filled with passion, determination and he has the epitome of wicked sense of humour. He is an active member of the South African Oncology Consortium and held the position of Chairman fro
