Various activities arranged for Mandela Day

TIMESLIVE

Nelson Mandela in 2005. File photo.
Image by: AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE

Organisations and individuals have announced what they will do on Monday to commemorate Mandela Day.

Nelson Mandela‚ the first president of the democratic South Africa in 1994‚ was born on July 18. 1918. He passed away on December 5 2013 at the age of 95.

The African National Congress in Gauteng announced its leadership and party veterans will embark on a pilgrimage to the Nelson Mandela Statue at the Union Building in Pretoria.

“The purpose of the visit is to form what we call the ‘Nelson Mandela Circle of Unity’ around our late president's statue.

“Current leaders and stalwarts of the ANC in Gauteng will partake in this memorial event‚ signifying the safeguarding of the legacy of Mandela and the passing on of his values from one generation of leaders to the next in the province‚” the party said in a statement.

The FW de Klerk Foundation said its staff will donate their time to two organisations that deal with children with disabilities.

“Staff will participate in hands-on projects at Autism Western Cape‚ and Iris House Children’s Hospice - organisations that make a meaningful‚ daily difference in the lives of children with disabilities‚’ the foundation said in a statement.

The foundation said it had supported Autism Western Cape‚ which seeks to provide information‚ as well as advisory‚ advocacy and support services to those affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The foundation said Iris House Children’s Hospice provides professional community and hospice-based respite‚ overnight and end-of-life care for special needs children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.

It said both organisations‚ based in the Western Cape‚ provided their services free of charge to special needs children and young people‚ and their families.

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said she would lead her team in giving their time at the uThando Afrika Tikkun centre in Johannesburg.

The public protector said the centre was a national non-governmental organisation that focused on development programmes to assist children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“Their focus is on a ‘cradle to career' approach‚ supporting children from infancy until they are able to work and fend for themselves.”

Activities that her team will undertake at the centre will include creating an insulation wall‚ planting seeds and plucking weeds in the centre’s vegetable garden‚ and preparing lunch for the children.

She said Afrika Tikkun was also the creator of the Smile foundation – a foundation they co-founded with Mandela and provides plastic and reconstructive surgery for children living with facial anomalies