Noelene Kotschan and PinkDrive: Changing Cancer Screening in South Africa

Noelene Kotschan is the founder and CEO of PinkDrive, a pioneering organisation changing cancer screening in South Africa by taking vital health services directly to communities.

What began as a response to the devastating impact of breast cancer has grown into a nationwide effort to make early detection accessible to people who might otherwise struggle to reach screening services. PinkDrive's mobile health units travel across South Africa, bringing cancer screening and health education closer to the people who need them.

In our conversation, Noelene talks about the realities of cancer in South Africa and why early detection can make such an enormous difference. She explains how PinkDrive works, the challenges of reaching underserved communities and why taking screening services directly to people can remove some of the barriers that prevent cancers being detected early.

But this is also the story of how one person's determination can grow into something much bigger. Noelene talks candidly about building PinkDrive, finding the support needed to keep it moving and the persistence required to turn an idea into an organisation capable of creating real social impact.

We also explore the wider inequalities surrounding healthcare in South Africa. Where you live, what you earn and whether you can easily reach a health facility can all affect access to screening. PinkDrive's approach is deliberately practical: instead of waiting for people to find the service, the service goes to them.

The conversation ranges from breast cancer and cancer screening to community health, early detection and the extraordinary amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to keep mobile health services on the road. Noelene also reflects on what she has learned from the people and communities PinkDrive has encountered along the way.

This is a conversation about cancer South Africa cannot afford to ignore, but it is also about solutions: what becomes possible when healthcare is taken beyond conventional facilities and directly into communities.

Noelene's story demonstrates how an ambitious idea can become practical action, and how persistence, partnerships and community engagement can help make potentially life-saving services accessible to more South Africans.