Open Project

Cape Town Systematic Healthcare Action Research Project (C-SHARP)

Project Description

The Cape Town Systematic Healthcare Action Research Project (C-SHARP) is an urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) which is integrated into primary healthcare services, that was established in 2023 and is part of the South African Population Research Infrastructure Network (SAPRIN).

SAPRIN is a network of HDSS nodes in South Africa, funded by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) and hosted by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). This network consists of seven nodes, three of which are urban, and a population under surveillance of 658,768 individuals with over 7 million person-years observed.

Key developments CHW data captured in 2026

Data captured by community health workers November 2023 to September 2026.

C-SHARP CHWs conducting home visits

C-SHARP CHWs conducting home visits

C-SHARP Project data collector

C-SHARP Project data collector

Masincedane Community Health Workers CHWs

Masincedane Community Health Workers CHWs

Bishop Lavis Community Healthcare Workers and Nurses

Bishop Lavis Community Healthcare Workers and Nurses

C-SHARP CHWs

C-SHARP CHWs

C-SHARP community health worker during a home visit

C-SHARP community health worker during a home visit

Goals/Outcomes

C-SHARP plans to support the broader SAPRIN aims of accurately measuring trends in health, population, and socio-economic indicators, and to be a platform for intervention research and policy evaluation, particularly to support development in low-income communities. At the same time, C-SHARP aims specifically to support and strengthen community-based services, an important component of community-oriented primary care (COPC) in the Western Cape, particularly through digitizing the work of the community health workers.

The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness has contracted non-profit organisations to employ community health workers and provide community-based services. In C-SHARP, we have increased the number of community health workers, and they collect data for both services and the HDSS on mobile phones, using an mHealth application we developed, called Community Health Action Mobile Platform (CHAMP).

In a health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) all households in a geographically defined area are assessed in a baseline census and then followed up regularly to measure significant events, like births, deaths and any migrations to monitor demographic trends, like birth rates, mortality rates and migration patterns, and to understand how various health issues and diseases impact communities. C-SHARP is in the process of linking HDSS data to existing health records available at the Provincial Health Data Centre, allowing for novel research analyses that can assess how socio-economic factors affect health outcomes. Local researchers can also use C-SHARP as a platform in which to embed additional studies.

Partners

Consortium Partners

The C-SHARP HDSS sites in the communities of Bishop Lavis and Nomzamo are led by the Health Intelligence Directorate, within the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness. It is implemented through a consortium of local institutions, including the City of Cape Town Municipality, the Universities of Cape Town, Stellenbosch and the Western Cape, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, the South African Medical Research Council and the Human Sciences Research Council. This consortium model allows C-SHARP to act as a shared research resource for all local stakeholders.

NPO Implementing Partners

As the appointed grant recipient, The Health Foundation has entered into sub-grant agreements with Masincedane (Nomzamo) and The Caring Network (Bishop Lavis) as project implementation partners, to facilitate the channelling of funds and enable the NPOs to carry out their day-to-day operational activities and fulfil their data collection obligations to SAPRIN.

Partnership Opportunities for the Cape Town Systematic Healthcare Action Research Project

Your support assists researchers to monitor demographic trends and to understand how various health issues and diseases impact communities, ultimately leading to data being available for healthcare problems to be addressed.
Ways to Partner
Contact Us

About SAPRIN

SAPRIN is a network of Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) nodes in South Africa, funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and hosted by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). SAPRIN integrates three established HDSS nodes in South Africa, namely, MRC/Wits University Agincourt HDSS in Bushbuckridge District, Mpumalanga (1992); University of Limpopo DIMAMO HDSS in the Capricorn District of Limpopo (1996), and the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) HDSS in uMkhanyakude District, KwaZulu-Natal (2000), linked to the University of KwaZulu-Natal to create a network of harmonised population-based cohorts for use by the wider research community and national policymakers.

To understand the particular challenges that urban communities face and the impact of rural-urban migration, SAPRIN has started expanding into urban areas. Along with C-SHARP, two other urban nodes have been established in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Zodwa Velleman - The Health Foundation Board Member

Ms Zodwa Velleman

Group Executive: Regulatory and Corporate Affairs

Zodwa Velleman is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa with international experience in litigation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and corporate and commercial law. She completed her articles at Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Africa (NSA) where she later worked as an associate, before joining Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, then ranked as the third-leading law firm in the United States.

She holds a B Juris and LLB from UWC and graduated cum laude from the GIBS Leadership Development Programme. She has also completed a short course in Public Policy at the London School of Economics.

Zodwa enjoys spending time with her family, mentoring young lawyers, and practising pottery.

Prof Lara Fairall

Prof Lara Fairall

Director of the Knowledge Translation Unit

Professor Lara Fairall is the Founding Director of the Knowledge Translation Unit (KTU). She left clinical medicine to join the UCT Lung Institute where she was charged with localising, implementing and evaluating a South African version of the WHO Practical Approach to Lung Health which became PALSA. Lara has led the expansion of PALSA to comprehensive primary healthcare across the life course, and its evolution into PACK. She has also established a partnership with the British Medical Journal (BMJ) to underpin the evidence base of the clinical recommendations made in PACK and to help spread PACK to other low middle-income countries (LMICs).

Lara is passionate about Universal Health Coverage and support for health workers to enable them to connect the communities they serve with the evidence-based care they need.

She is also an honorary Professor in the Department of Medicine at UCT and Professor and Chair in Global Healthcare Delivery at the King’s Global Health Institute at King’s College London.

Dr Japie du Toit

Dr Japie du Toit

Non-Executive Director

Senior Manager of Life Healthcare

Dr du Toit is a medical doctor and business graduate with extensive experience in the public and private health sectors. He has been involved in the Western Cape Department of Health, focusing on central hospital management, budget administration and facilitating public-private partnerships. In the private sector, he has worked as a specialist healthcare advisor at a leading consulting firm and is now with Life Healthcare, a private hospital group in South Africa.
Dr Mandla Moyo

Dr Mandla Moyo

Non-Executive Director

Chief Executive Officer of the Sports Science Institute

Dr Mandla Moyo is passionate about promoting healthy lifestyles and wellbeing. In addition to his role as Financial Director at National Health Group, he has worked with various healthcare organisations to advance this mission. Dr Moyo brings expertise in risk management, sustainability and governance, backed by 17 years of experience at Ernst & Young, a Big Four global advisory firm, where he served as a partner for 11 years. He has also acted as a strategic advisor to institutions across the public and private health sectors in the Western Cape. As a financial expert, his qualifications and professional memberships include Chartered Accountant (SA), MCom, BCompt [cum laude] (UNISA), Certificate in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). He also holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (Healthcare Management) from Liberty University, Virginia, USA. Mandla enjoys running and spending time outdoors with his family.
Mr Carl Liebenberg

Mr Carl Liebenberg

Non-Executive Director

Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Terayon Capital Partners

Carl Liebenberg has over 25 years of senior-level experience in financial services, spanning international tax, private banking, asset management and corporate finance. He has advised on equity and debt transactions in sub-Saharan Africa in sectors including waste management, retail, media, mining, ICT, financial services, infrastructure, clean energy and agriculture. Carl holds a Bachelor of Business Science degree in Finance and Economics, a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning from the University of the Free State and an MBA from the University of Cape Town.
Ms Letebele Jones

Ms Letebele Jones

Non-Executive Director

Communications Specialist

Letebele Masemola-Jones is a seasoned communications professional with extensive experience across various sectors, including film and television production, corporate communications in the oil and gas industry, international philanthropy and the legislative arm of the South African state. A global citizen with a diplomatic flair, she has travelled extensively across North and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Europe for professional and personal endeavours. These experiences have enabled her to break down communication barriers and successfully navigate diverse environments. Letebele is passionate about the power of communication to build, develop and transform lives across society. Educated in Zambia, the UK, Canada and the United States, she holds a Higher National Diploma, two degrees in Public Administration, Communications, and Film and Video, and a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from Boston University. Until the end of 2024, she served as the Communications and Engagement Manager for SKAO in South Africa.
Dr Reinder Nauta

Dr Reinder Nauta

Non-Executive Director

Founder and Managing Director of National Health Group

Dr Nauta is a healthcare entrepreneur who pioneered low-income capitation models in South Africa. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree from Stellenbosch University and furthered his studies in Primary Health Care Development at Mahidol University in Bangkok. With extensive executive-level experience in the healthcare industry, he currently serves as a director of Akacia Healthcare, a local, independent pharmaceutical manufacturer. Dr Nauta is the founder and former Managing Director of CareCross Health, one of South Africa’s leading GP networks and managed care companies. He is also a past chairman of Occupational Healthcare South Africa (OCSA) and CareWorks, a leading HIV/AIDS management company. Beyond the healthcare industry, Dr Nauta is pursuing a personal dream — managing his guest farm, Stanford Valley, in Overstrand.
Harry Grainger, CEO of The Health Foundation, 2025

Mr Harry Grainger

CEO of The Health Foundation
Harry Grainger is a visionary leader with over 30 years of experience in finance and strategic management. He began his career in accounting, gaining insight and mastering the fundamentals of business operations. This foundation led to a career-long journey in strategic management and executive leadership at various private and civic companies. As CEO of The Health Foundation, Harry is dedicated to long-term value creation, fostering a culture of innovation and driving sustainable growth. Outside the office, you’ll find Harry experimenting in the kitchen or tending to his garden.