Western Cape pilot pays Mitchells Plain clinic users in food vouchers for healthy habits

Public clinic users in Mitchells Plain can now earn up to R100 a month in food vouchers for things like going to an exercise session, collecting chronic medicine on time or keeping a child's vaccinations up to date.

The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness launched the pilot, called WOWRewards, in Westridge on 10 October. The department describes it as the first health rewards programme in South Africa aimed at people who use public healthcare. It plans to add Knysna in early 2027 and to enrol up to 2,000 active participants across the two sites, one urban and one rural.

"Prevention is better than cure, but making healthy choices is not always easy," said Western Cape Health and Wellness Minister Mireille Wenger. She said the pilot would show whether small rewards help people keep up healthier habits.

Who can join and what counts

The pilot is open to Mitchells Plain residents aged 18 and older who use public health facilities. According to the department, rewards are earned for booking antenatal care before 20 weeks of pregnancy and attending the scheduled visits, joining approved community exercise sessions and recognised parkrun events, taking part in weight monitoring, keeping children's routine immunisations up to date, collecting scheduled chronic medication parcels on time, and completing short learning modules on pregnancy and newborn care.

Once an activity is verified, the reward is paid through Zlto, a digital platform. Participants receive food vouchers that can be redeemed at retailers including Boxer, Shoprite and Pep, Business Day and EWN reported. "People will register on the app, upload information or evidence," the department's chief operating officer, Dr Saadiq Kariem, told EWN.

The scheme builds on the province's Western Cape on Wellness (WOW) community networks, and Zlto and local partners are helping residents to register.

R3.6m from the department's own budget

The department has set aside about R3.6 million for the pilot, Kariem told EWN, describing it as a small amount taken from its equitable share allocation. According to Business Day, the department surveyed more than 1,500 people to choose the pilot sites and the rewards on offer.

Kariem said the aim is to encourage healthier behaviour and food choices, and linked regular exercise and better eating to lower rates of chronic disease, better mental well-being and weight loss.

Business Day noted that the design borrows from incentive schemes such as Discovery's Vitality programme and Brazil's Bolsa Família cash-transfer programme. The department has also linked the province's recent diphtheria and measles outbreaks to falling immunisation coverage, and keeping children's vaccinations current is one of the rewarded activities.

The department calls WOWRewards a long-term pilot that will test whether small rewards lead to healthier habits and earlier, more consistent preventive care.