Nelson Mandela Day 2015

On Saturday, 18 July 2015 the world will celebrate International Nelson Mandela Day - a day dedicated to remind us of the sacrifice our former president, the late Nelson Mandela, made when he gave 67 years of his life, fighting for our human rights.

He followed 3 rules:

1. Free yourself.
2. Free others.
3. Serve every day.

​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:

• food security,
• education and literacy,
• shelter and infrastructure, and
• service and volunteerism.

What’s the Western Cape Government doing to celebrate Nelson Mandela Day this year?

From building eco bricks to pamper days for patients at local hospitals, our departments have several events planned for Nelson Mandela Day.

Here’s what you can look out for:

• Western Cape Education Department staff will distribute books to high schools over 3 days.
• Community Safety will provide useful information on gangsterism, youth services and further education facilities to young people in Calitzdorp. 
• Provincial Treasury will spend time with the elderly at Nazareth House and children at the Khuseleka One-Stop Centre. In addition, they’ve launched the Wecan24-project  together with Media24, a digital online newspaper for school learners.
• Staff at Cultural Affairs and Sport will donate various items to the OnsPlek charity.
• Economic Development and Tourism PAY interns will spend their 67 minutes with children at Iris House and Erica’s Place.
• Environmental Affairs and Development Planning are building eco bricks for Red Cross Youth Centre in Greyton.
• Local Government has outreach programmes planned in Khayelitsha, Dunoon, Delft, and will visit the Red Cross Children’s Hospital.
• Healthcare staff will partake in events at various hospitals across the province.

What you can do to get involved

We’ve put together a list of activities around the province that you can get involved in. These activities range from rebranding NGO’s to painting children’s homes. There is something for everyone; all you need is 67 minutes.

The hashtags for Mandela Day are #Time2Serve and #MandelaDay, so be sure to follow the action.

Read more about:

• 10 Mandela Day must-haves, and
• Nelson Mandela’s Footprint in the Western Cape

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.