On 29 July 2026, PinkDrive NPC partnered with the Transnet Foundation’s Phelophepa Health Care Train to bring much-needed breast cancer diagnostic services closer to medically uninsured communities in Rustenburg. This collaboration enabled women to access specialised screening and diagnostic services within their own community, reducing barriers to early detection and care.
This partnership will continue as an ongoing collaboration, subject to PinkDrive being granted access to the relevant railway stations. PinkDrive and the Transnet Foundation remain committed to expanding access to life-saving cancer screening services and strengthening early detection efforts in underserved communities across South Africa.
By connecting community-based screening with the diagnostic services needed for further investigation, the initiative is creating a clearer pathway from screening to diagnosis. On its first day, two radiologists worked from PinkDrive’s mobile unit to perform 22 mammograms and four breast biopsies, bringing specialist care closer to women who may otherwise face the cost of private healthcare or long journeys to access these services.
“Access to early detection should never depend on where a woman lives or whether she has medical insurance,” says Noelene Kotschan, Founder and CEO of PinkDrive. “Our collaboration with the Transnet Foundation’s Phelophepa Health Care Train shows what can be achieved when organisations work together for a shared purpose. By bringing mammography and breast biopsy services directly into communities, we can give more women the opportunity to receive timely care and, where cancer is detected, begin the next stage of their healthcare journey sooner.”
The initiative brings together two organisations with established mobile healthcare models. Founded in 2009, PinkDrive is a health-sector NGO that takes cancer awareness, education and screening services to communities with limited access to healthcare through its mobile health units.
The Phelophepa project was established in 1994 and now operates two fully equipped, 20-coach primary healthcare trains that travel across South Africa’s rail network, providing services that include general healthcare and cancer screening.
“The Phelophepa Health Care Train was established to bring quality healthcare services to communities that would otherwise have limited access,” says Shamona Kandida, Senior Manager of Health at the Transnet Foundation. “Working with PinkDrive enhances our ability to provide more comprehensive breast health services, from screening through to diagnostic investigation. Together, we are helping women access potentially life-changing care closer to where they live.”
Throughout the outreach period, PinkDrive and the Phelophepa Health Care Train will continue providing screening, education and diagnostic support to communities in need.
Early detection remains one of the most effective ways to improve health outcomes, and the initiative demonstrates the role that collaborative, people-centred healthcare delivery can play in bringing essential services closer to the communities that need them.