Today in Germiston taxi and train station, the Gauteng Health's health promotion outreach 'resurrected' the lost to the screen soapie star of SABC Generation's fame; Mike Mvelase, better known to his fans by his screen name of 'Khaphela Ngcobo'. Mvelase joined volunteers and Gauteng Health Department's healthcare professionals in educating taxi drivers, hawkers and commuters on the importance of health screening before one is falls ill.
"Are you really alive?" asked surprised and delighted fans as he visited stalls and taxis at the station providing health information pamphlets on healthy lifestyles, medical male circumcision, sexually transmitted infections and Tuberculosis treatment to taxi drivers, hawkers and commuters alike.
Himself excited to meet his fans and participate in the health education initiative; Mvelase interacted smiled and spoke charmingly encouraging them to visit the make-shift testing stations, setup by the Health Department in the area, to get tested.
Mvelase said; "I have just checked my blood pressure and sugar levels which is important in ensuring that one lives a healthy lifestyle."
The department decided on this initiative because it believes that men and women, together with out-of-school youth and children, are a particularly vulnerable group in the informal sector. The time taken by, the location and nature of their work, have a direct effect on the ability of these groups to address their own and their families' health needs.
He added that taxi drivers carry many lives and they, too, must heed the call for healthy lifestyles. He added that he chose to support the Health department's initiative because he believes the informal sector, in particular, has many health risks that "are exacerbated by the unregulated nature of the sector activities, which often involve the use of hazardous materials and processes".
