Dis-Chem Turns “Better Health” Into A Song With Its Heritage Day Anthem

What does better health actually mean to South Africans? For Dis-Chem, the answer became a song.

The healthcare and retail group has released “Freedom”, a new Heritage Day anthem inspired by responses from South Africans about what Better Health means to them. The song brings together Dis-Chem employees, South African musicians and a 40-member staff choir around the idea that good health can give people the freedom to move, participate and live their lives more fully.

The track was released on Heritage Day, 24 September, following months of development that began with a simple question posed to Dis-Chem's social media followers.

“Dis-Chem started 2026 with a strong core belief that we wanted to get South Africans to move more, because we know that just as little as five minutes a day of moving your body will bring tremendous health benefits,” says Dis-Chem Chief Marketing Officer Megan Kim de Vroeg. “So we put the question to our social media followers: ‘What does Better Health mean to you?’”

Those responses were handed to South African conductor, composer and producer Ralf Schmitt, conductor and co-founder of the Ndlovu Youth Choir, who used them as the starting point for composing “Freedom”.

The song was first performed internally at Dis-Chem's Leadership Summit in April by the newly formed Dis-Chem Freedom Choir. The group consists of 32 employees from Gauteng, three from the Western Cape and five from KwaZulu-Natal, selected from more than 100 entries during national auditions.

For Schmitt, the responses ultimately pointed towards a broader idea

“It was a very exciting process to write a song about what Dis-Chem staff and South Africans felt Better Health means for them, and my interpretation of that was, it’s freedom,” he says.

“You know, age is going to catch up with all of us, something is going to happen to us along the way, and if you’ve got good health, you’ve got freedom.”

The composer admits he was initially surprised to discover that Dis-Chem employees were also going to form the choir.

“And boy, do they sing at Dis-Chem!” he says.

For the employees involved, the song is intended to represent more than a corporate campaign.

Glen Sefularo, a Dis-Chem merchandiser at the Tambotie Mall branch in Randfontein and a member of the choir, says the song reflects the responses gathered from South Africans themselves.

“This song describes us as individuals, what we stand for and what we are,” he says. “So, it’s not only about the person who wrote it, but it’s South Africans who are asked to reply to it, and they responded wholeheartedly.”

Following its internal performances, “Freedom” was re-recorded in August as a commercial release. The final track features the Dis-Chem Freedom Choir alongside J’Something, Amapiano vocalist Thatohatsi and hip-hop MC Early B.

For J’Something, the campaign also offered an opportunity to explore what the idea of better health means beyond a marketing message.

“Dis-Chem’s passion for improving lives can either be seen as marketing jargon, or it can be understood as the genuine purpose behind the business,” he says. “Knowing that this is its purpose – its ‘why’ – is what made it a brand I was drawn to for a campaign like this.”

The timing of the release also prompted Dis-Chem to consider what the word “freedom” means in the South African context. De Vroeg says the company considered delaying the release because of the national conversation around freedom and safety for women. Ultimately, it decided to proceed while acknowledging that the ability to live with freedom, dignity and without fear is part of what better health should mean.

“True freedom and better health depend on people being able to live their lives safely, with dignity and without fear of violence,” says de Vroeg.

“We are acutely aware of the need to provide safe spaces where all South Africans – men, women and children – can achieve their health goals as an essential part of building a healthier society.”

That adds a more complicated dimension to a song that could otherwise be viewed simply as a feel-good Heritage Day campaign. Freedom of movement is not only about physical activity. It also depends on whether people feel safe enough to move through their communities, express themselves and participate in everyday life.

J’Something similarly hopes the track can encourage people to think about freedom in broader terms.

“So that I hope that on Heritage Day, this song can revive the acknowledgement and awareness of our freedom, whether it’s freedom to move or freedom to express,” he says. “It’s a beautiful day and it’s a beautiful time to be alive to be able to do such things.”

With the commercial release, “Freedom” moves from an internal Dis-Chem project into a song intended for a much wider audience. The track is available on Spotify, Apple Music and other major music streaming platforms, while an accompanying music video, choreographed by Cape Town-based jazz funk and hip-hop choreographer Rudi Smit, is available on Dis-Chem's YouTube channel.

At its centre, however, the project remains rooted in the responses that started it. A question about Better Health became a collection of answers, those answers became lyrics and a composition, and the project eventually brought together dozens of Dis-Chem employees and South African artists.

For Dis-Chem, “Freedom” is ultimately an invitation to think about movement as part of a healthier life, while recognising that health and freedom are broader ideas than simply getting people off the couch.

And on Heritage Day, that makes the song about more than moving your body. It becomes a reflection on what people should be able to move towards, participate in and experience freely.