The South African Heart Association’s Check My Beat campaign will offer taxi drivers cardiovascular screenings before creating personalised AI-generated “Heart Health Tracks”.
Johannesburg, South Africa (15 September 2026) – A taxi rank might not be the first place you’d expect to find a cardiovascular health screening.
But that is exactly what the South African Heart Association is bringing to Bara Taxi Rank in Johannesburg as part of its Check My Beat campaign.
The initiative is using World Heart Month to encourage people to take cardiovascular health seriously, with taxi drivers at the centre of its community outreach.
The campaign’s screening event takes place at Bara Taxi Rank on 15 September, giving drivers access to quick health checks and the opportunity to speak to healthcare professionals about prevention and early detection.
Around 225 South Africans die from heart disease every day, while one in three adults in the country live with high blood pressure. Up to 80% of heart disease and strokes can be prevented before the age of 65 through lifestyle changes.
For taxi drivers, looking after their health can be particularly difficult. Long working hours, limited opportunities to exercise, convenient food choices and the demands of working in a busy transport environment can all make preventative healthcare harder to prioritise.
Check My Beat aims to make that process easier and a little more memorable.
Drivers will undergo screenings that check factors including blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose, along with other important indicators of cardiovascular health.
An AI-powered selfie screen will form part of the experience, followed by a personalised “Heart Health Track” created for each participant.
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Sun City’s Kasi Ride Brings 8,000 South Africans Together for GoodMandi Fine, Board member of SA Heart and co-founder of the Check my Beat project says the idea is to give drivers something they can take away from the screening that feels personal rather than simply handing them a list of numbers.
“We want to make cardiovascular health something people can engage with in a way that feels relevant to their everyday lives. The Heart Health Tracks give drivers a personal reminder of the importance of looking after their health, while using technology and music to make the message memorable.”
The campaign brings together SA Heart and a number of partners, including Jozi My Jozi and the University of the Witwatersrand.
Dr David Jankelow, cardiologist and previous president of SA Heart, says the focus is ultimately on making prevention and screening easier to access.
“Cardiovascular health requires greater attention, particularly when it comes to prevention and early screening. We know that many of the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease can be addressed through healthier lifestyle choices and early intervention.”
It is an unusual way to start a conversation about heart health, but that is the point.
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