Springbok Women Encourage SA Women to Make Room for Their Health

Photo Credit: Springbok Women / Project Flamingo

The national team has teamed up with Project Flamingo to encourage women to pay attention to their breast health this Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Cape Town, South Africa (08 October 2026) – The Springbok Women are used to fighting for space.

Space on the rugby field. Space in the sporting conversation. Space for women’s sport to be taken seriously.

This October, they are turning that message towards something a little more personal: women making space for their own health.

The Springbok Women have teamed up with Project Flamingo for a campaign encouraging women to pay closer attention to their bodies, particularly when it comes to breast health.

And the timing could hardly be more fitting. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in South Africa, with early detection and knowing your body forming an important part of the national awareness drive.

The campaign encourages women to follow three simple steps: Touch, Pause and Engage.

Touch: check your breasts regularly and get to know what is normal for you.
Pause: if you notice something different, don’t brush it off.
Engage: speak to a healthcare professional or visit your nearest clinic if you have concerns.

Several members of the team recently visited the breast clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town.

There, they met Dr Liana Roodt, founder and CEO of Project Flamingo, as well as members of the multidisciplinary team caring for women diagnosed with breast cancer.

It was an opportunity to see the issue beyond the awareness campaigns and social media posts, and into the healthcare system where women are actually receiving treatment.

Project Flamingo, founded in 2010, works alongside public hospitals and clinical teams to help address some of the delays that can affect breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Its work includes surgery, diagnostics, patient support and efforts to strengthen healthcare systems.

For Dr Roodt, the conversation needs to move beyond simply telling women to be aware.

“Our women need systems that respond when they speak, pathways that work when they ask for help, and the confidence to claim the space that was theirs all along.”

That idea of making room is at the heart of the campaign, not just making room for women in sport, but making room for their health, their questions and their need for proper care.

And while the Springbok Women might normally tell you to get low and brace for contact, this particular reminder is much simpler: know your body, notice changes and don’t be afraid to ask for help.