4 days ago
Mandela day wraps: Food and community upliftments
Communities across South Africa marked Mandela Day 2025 with acts of generosity, with food drives and youth-focused activities.
Communities across South Africa turned out in force for Mandela Day 2025, using their 67 minutes and more to fight hunger, uplift youth and spark social change.
In honour of Mandela Day, staff from across the Caxton Group came together to pack dozens of grocery bags for underprivileged children in Diepsloot, as part of an initiative led by Spark Media in partnership with the community-focused organisation, Simple Sacks.
Caxton Mandela Day
The initiative formed part of the company's 67 minute tribute to Nelson Mandela's legacy, with employees from publications including The Citizen, Farmers Weekly, Phone Works, BMI and Hard Digital volunteering their time to assemble essential goods into simple drawstring sacks that double as schoolbags.
According to the head of marketing at Spark Media, a division of CTP Caxton, Jacqui Hansen, half of the funding for the drive was donated by Spark Media, with the other half coming from Winstel Technologies.
Picture: Supplied
'We don't do it for the photos. We might not even know which children get the bags. The school knows who needs help the most and they handle the distribution with dignity,' said Hansen.
Hansen added that Spark Media also covered logistics costs. 'Our own distribution trucks and supervisors will be delivering the parcels to the school next week.'
Picture: Supplied
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Government's Mandela Day efforts
In Nelson Mandela Bay, Minister in the Presidency Maropene Ramokgopa joined mayor Babalwa Lobishe on July 18 to lead Mandela Day activities as part of the district development model champion role in community upliftment efforts.
Concurrently, in Cape Town's Bellville, Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson spent 67 minutes assisting at MES Mould Bellville Safe Space, a homeless shelter.
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Food, dignity, and giving in action
In Cape Town and Kyalami, Ladles of Love hosted full-day youth volunteer sessions, where participants packed sandwiches, made toys for creches and assembled edible garden kits.
'Making every day a Mandela Day for small children in need is how we can honour Nelson Mandela's legacy in 2025,' said founder Danny Diliberto.
At Johannesburg's Nasrec Expo Centre, FoodForward SA hosted food-packing sessions that drew hundreds of volunteers.
Meanwhile, SA Harvest's Buckets of Nutrition drive ran at Melrose Arch and Pavilion Mall, with citizens donating essentials to matric pupils in need.
At Menlyn Maine's Central Square in Pretoria, the Gallery of Giving, an exhibit led by 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day, showcased Mandela-themed art and community-driven textile works.
The Citizen is a division group of Caxton and CTP.
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