Check My Beat: SA Heart® highlights World Heart Month, bringing heart health to Bara Taxi Rank
The South African Heart Association® (SA Heart®) highlighted World Heart Month through its Check My Beat campaign, an initiative focused on raising awareness of cardiovascular health, prevention and the importance of early screening.
The stats, stat!
Cardiovascular disease remained a significant health challenge in South Africa, with approximately 225 South Africans dying from heart disease every day. One in three adult South Africans lived with high blood pressure, while up to 80% of heart disease and strokes could be prevented before the age of 65 through lifestyle changes. These figures highlighted the importance of prevention and making cardiovascular health a priority before serious health complications occurred.
Through Check My Beat, SA Heart® took this conversation directly into the community, with a focus on taxi drivers as a key audience for preventative healthcare. The campaign culminated in a community screening event at Bara Taxi Rank in Johannesburg on 15 September 2026, where taxi drivers had an opportunity to access cardiovascular health screening and engage with healthcare professionals about prevention and early detection.
Keng jive?
Taxi drivers faced a number of challenges that made preventative healthcare difficult to prioritise, including long working hours, limited opportunities for physical activity, reliance on convenient food options and the pressures associated with working in a busy transport environment. These factors contributed to lifestyle behaviours that increased cardiovascular risk.
“Cardiovascular health required greater attention, particularly when it came to prevention and early screening. We knew that many of the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease could be addressed through healthier lifestyle choices and early intervention. Through Check My Beat, we took this conversation directly into communities and made access to screening and health education more convenient and relevant to the people we wanted to reach,” said Dr David Jankelow, cardiologist and previous president of SA Heart®.
Achus ka achus ngu achus
Check My Beat was a multi-stakeholder initiative, bringing together SA Heart® and partners Anglo American, Betway Cares Foundation, Cipla, Jozi My Jozi, Nahana Foundation, Syntro-P and the University of the Witwatersrand to support a shared focus on cardiovascular health awareness, prevention and community engagement.
The initiative combined cardiovascular screening with an innovative, personalised experience. Taxi drivers underwent quick screenings that assessed blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and other vital heart health indicators, supported by the campaign's healthcare and technology partners. The experience also included an AI-powered selfie screen, adding an interactive element to the screening journey.
Health tracks just got personal
Following their screening, participating taxi drivers received a personalised “Heart Health Track”, an AI-generated song created specifically for them. The tracks used Maskandi-inspired music, incorporating heartbeat rhythms and personalised messages that encouraged healthier choices and prioritising cardiovascular health. The personalised tracks were shared with drivers after their screening, giving them a unique and memorable way to take the heart-health message with them beyond the taxi rank.
“We wanted to make cardiovascular health something people could engage with in a way that felt relevant to their everyday lives. The Heart Health Tracks gave drivers a personal reminder of the importance of looking after their health, while using technology and music to make the message memorable. This collaborative approach allowed us to bring together healthcare, innovation and community engagement to create a meaningful experience for the people we reached,” said Mandi Fine, Board member of SA Heart® and co-founder of the Check my Beat project.
Bara My Bara
The 15 September screening event at Bara Taxi Rank provided an opportunity for SA Heart® to engage directly with taxi drivers through cardiovascular screening, health education and conversations around prevention.
Through Check My Beat, SA Heart® aimed to build greater awareness of cardiovascular disease, encourage early screening and promote healthier behaviours, while reinforcing the importance of prioritising cardiovascular health throughout the year. As World Heart Month took place across South Africa, SA Heart® encouraged people to take proactive steps towards understanding and managing their cardiovascular health.
