Joburg gears up for Mandela Day
14 July 2017
The global spotlight will fall on former President Nelson Mandela when governments, individuals, organisations and companies mark what would have been the late international statesman’s 99th birthday by dedicating 67 minutes of their time to social causes on Tuesday.
July 18 was declared International Mandela Day by the United Nations in November 2009 in recognition of the 67 years he spent fighting for freedom, justice and equality. The day is aimed at inspiring individuals to embrace the values he advocated throughout his life.
Mandela died on 5 December 2013 at the age of 95.
The City of Johannesburg has lined up several events across all seven regions in honour of the country’s first democratically elected president. The City’s celebrations will, however, start three days early when the Roodepoort Theatre, in partnership the region’s Health Department, Kofifi Media and Alexander’s Harvest Time Foundation, hosts a Family Day at the Roodepoort Civic Centre on Saturday July 15.
Various Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) teams will on Tuesday visit all the City’s regions to do work ranging from tar-patching to the provision of wheelchair ramps.
The Soweto Theatre will host two events in commemoration of Mandela Day. The first will be a Hola Ha Monate makeover for an early childhood development centre. The other will be a story-telling campaign in partnership with Nal’ibali.
Region A’s Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (CRUM) staff will, in partnership with Bontle ke Tlhago, Sticky Solutions and Gecko, clean up a wetland in Diepsloot.
Also in Region A, the City’s waste management entity Pikitup will join forces with the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), Environmental Health and CRUM to clean up streets, clear open storm water channels, educate informal traders about the importance of hygiene, fill potholes, clean blocked kerb inlets and reset dislodged kerb inlet covers in Ivory Park.
In Region B, the JRA’s maintenance teams will do tar-patching and skoffelling work, clean kerb inlets and deep-patch service roads in Vrededorp.
Region C staff will visit Itumeleng Educare Centre in Bramfischerville – which cares for 41 children aged between six months and eight years – to paint the rooms, kitchen and bathroom; build a car shade; pave the driveway; and donate books, clothing, shoes and toys.
They will also have lunch with residents of the Donovan McDonald Old Age Home in Maraisburg; and clean and paint the Naledi Old Age Home in Tshepisong.
In Region D, City staff will visit the Adelaide Tambo School for the Physically Challenged, where they will build a wheelchair ramp, rework the food garden, prune trees and paint, fumigate and clean classrooms. Also in Region D, a JRA team will visit the Sizwile School for the Deaf to copy paint and build a wheelchair ramp.
In Region E, City personnel will help with kerb inlet cleaning, pothole patching and road markings outside the Itlhokomeleng Old Age Home in Norwood. The Social Development Department and CRUM staff in Region F will, together with their stakeholders, visit a shelter for abused children and youth managed by an NGO called Time for Change at Drill Hall, and a facility for homeless people run by the City in Hillbrow.
In Region G, Regional Director Mickey Padiachee will lead clean-up activities at the Villa of Hope Children’s Home in Nancefield. Working in partnership with its entities, the City will also fix speed humps and do patchwork and skoffelling on the street outside the home.