On Monday, 18 July 2016 the world will celebrate International Nelson Mandela Day - a day dedicated to remind us of the sacrifice made by our former president, the late Nelson Mandela, when he gave 67 years of his life, fighting for our human rights.
He followed 3 rules:
The day was launched in 2009 in recognition of his birthday on 18 July and was inspired by Tata Madiba who called on future generations to change the world.
It’s also a global call to action for people everywhere to dedicate at least 67 minutes of their time to an activity that helps make the world a better place. These activities are based on the core themes of Mandela Day:
Madiba’s footprints in the Western Cape
Nelson Mandela's footprints lie deep in the Western Cape - from his 18 years on Robben Island, to his first speech as a free man on the steps of Cape Town City Hall, Madiba has left an everlasting mark on the people of this province.
Following Madiba's journey
We want to honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela by developing a heritage tourism route which traces Madiba’s journey in our province. Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities, said that this tourism route is aimed at encouraging "local and international tourists to walk in the footsteps of Madiba. We hope these initiatives will offer an authentic experience to visitors, allowing them to experience a piece of the Western Cape’s rich cultural heritage.”
The tourism route forms part of Project Khulisa, which includes a series of initiatives to boost the province’s heritage tourism offering.
In total, 5 sites had been identified for the proposed Mandela journey: Robben Island, Pollsmoor Prison, Drakenstein Correctional Centre (formerly known as the Victor Verster Correctional Facility), City Hall and Parliament.
A handy new mobile app called Madiba's Journey, was launched in 2014 by South African Tourism and the Nelson Mandela Foundation. It features 27 Madiba-inspired tourist attractions and sites of memory, 1 for each year he spent in jail as a political prisoner.
Users will be able to view the attractions on a map, build their own itineraries, and share their journeys on social media.
Madiba's Journey is available for free on iTunes and Google Play.
Making our communities Better Together
You can get involved in a wide variety of activities ranging from rebranding NGO’s to painting children’s homes. There is something for everyone; all you need is 67 minutes of your time.
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) will be supporting the good work of St Anne’s Home in Woodstock. St. Anne’s offers its services to destitute, abused, rejected and disadvantaged women and their children, from across South Africa. You can also make a contribution towards this worthy cause by donating some highly needed items, including baby formula, nappies and various toiletries.
The official handover of all the donations to St. Anne’s will take place during the week of 18 July 2016. Find out where you can drop your donations.
The Department of Social Development has partnered with the Cape Grace Hotel and will hand out food and other essentials at 2 shelters for homeless adults, in Cape Town.
The Golden Games event will take place on 18 July 2016 and will host 400 older persons from across the West Coast region. Our younger social workers and interns will engage with our older persons, doing surveys in ascertaining what challenges they’re experiencing within their communities.
What you can do to get involved on Mandela Day this year
Here are some other activities around the province that you can get involved in:
The hashtags for Mandela Day are #Time2Serve and #MandelaDay, so be sure to follow the action.
Let’s make every day a Mandela Day and grab the opportunity to positively change our communities for the better. By doing this you can continue his legacy and help move our province and country forward.