In November 2009 the United Nations declared 18 July, late former President Nelson Mandela’s birthday, as International Nelson Mandela Day. This day not only honours his legacy, but encourages organisations and individuals to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to community service, symbolising the 67 years the global icon of the fight for justice and human rights dedicated himself to the struggle.
Caledon was a hive of activity on Friday 18 July. The Caledon Museum, in partnership with the Caledon Library and the Town Office of the Theewaterskloof Municipality, collaborated to transform two overlooked and previously rubble-filled spaces in Bergsig into gardens of hope with their “Let’s plant pride” initiative.
Education officer of the Caledon Museum Marlon Sauls said: “This community-driven initiative has left an indelible mark on both the land and the heart of its people. What began as a simple call to action blossomed into a living tapestry of unity, service and shared purpose. These spaces, once waste dumps, are now symbols of community pride, environmental stewardship and collective responsibility.”
The YeBoneers of the @HomeLearners programme as well as members of the South African police also participated in the activities. To the participants’ huge surprise, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Theewaterskloof Executive Mayor Lincoln de Bruyn showed up at the planting site. “In a moment of pure joy and symbolic unity all who were there, including the dignitaries, came together to perform the iconic Madiba Shuffle,” said Sauls. “With laughter echoing and feet moving in unison, the simple act of dance captured the heart of the day’s message: togetherness, celebration and the power of collective spirit. This spontaneous, joyful movement reminded everyone present that building a better community is not only about hard work, but also about dancing through the journey together.”
Positive impact on community
Gerhard Afrika-van Wyk of the Caledon Library said: “I think the two areas that we identified, cleared of rubble and subsequently planted will have a positive impact on the community. When the Premier asked who will give the project sustainability I said the community had to get involved, take pride as well as ownership of these scommunity gardens. We would like this to be an ongoing project and have already identified other areas where we would like to plant gardens. Anybody that would like to contribute plants is welcome to contact us.”
To Hermanus Times‘ question on what his Mandela Day message was, the Premier replied: “Today I am in the Theewaterskloof municipal area, along with Mayor Lincoln de Bruyn, and we’ve now visited our second site, the planting of a community garden. It’s not about today only, which is 67 minutes because it’s the legacy of Nelson Mandela, but rather it’s about 365 days.
“A garden has been planted here, and it’s great to be part of it and to witness it. But I’ve also been to a woman’s shelter, a GBV shelter, which is an unbelievable space that shows caring 365. I think Mandela would share the message that in this case it’s the men that need to step up. We need to step up because it’s also men that let the side down and we need to make sure that we speak up when these things happen, that men step up and that we end this scourge of GBV. I think if Madiba had one message to our country it would definitely be that we need to end this scourge. So let’s use this day to remember him, but let’s also use it to build our country, make it and the world a much better place.”
The Mayor said: “Today on Mandela Day we honour the legacy of a man who embodied compassion, forgiveness and leadership. Mandela’s selflessness, courage and dedication to justice inspires us to strive for a better world. Let us take action, big or small, to make a positive impact in our communities. As Mandela said, ‘The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’ Let us rise to the challenge, work together and continue Mandela’s work towards a bright future for all in South Africa.”
Before joining the garden project the YeBoneers visited the Tafelronde Herberg, where they spent meaningful time with elderly residents. Samantha Vent of @HomeLearning said: “The visit was filled with moments of joy, companionship and care.”
Ethos of ‘ubuntu’
Participants joined in various activities such as playing games, offering nail care to the ladies and perhaps most importantly, lending a compassionate ear to the life stories so generously shared by the elders. The Mandela Day initiatives beautifully captured the ethos of ubuntu, a sense of shared humanity through service, compassion and the building of lasting integrational and community bonds.
Representatives of insurance company AVBOB visited the Vriendelike Voëltjies nursery school, where they not only handed out a cooked meal, four plastic scooters and a new two-plate hotplate, but also undertook the repair of the playground equipment as well as painting the bathrooms.
Christa Myburgh of AVBOB said: “Children are children and one needs to walk that extra mile for them.” Cathy Baadjies, owner of Vriendelike Voëltjies, said: “We are so grateful to AVBOB for what it is doing for us. Post-Covid, it is the first organisation to offer us any assistance and we can’t thank it enough.”
The magistrates and prosecutors of the Caledon Court hosted a scrumptious tea party for the Caledon Knitting group, which regularly supplies them with hand-knitted bears. Senior State Prosecutor Magda de Villiers, Judicial Head of Office Juanita Lambert and Regional Court State Prosecutor Elsabé du Toit, thanked the ladies for knitting the bears that bring so much comfort to the vulnerable recipients they deal with. They also handed wool and beautiful long-stemmed roses out.
Court staff handed hearty, warm soup out to members of the public at the Caledon court on Friday morning. Thanks to their knitting and crocheting efforts, members of the Protea Service Centre handed 50 pairs of bed socks and 30 beanies to Caledon Hospital patients.
The Emoji Movement, assisted by AVBOB and Shante Arendse, handed soup and bread out in Donkin Square on Saturday morning.
