Inspired by Mandela’s legacy and his commitment to social justice and human wellbeing, WWF South Africa’s employees rolled up their sleeves to work at various community projects across the country, contributing their 67 minutes to society to uphold Madiba’s legacy.
In the southern peninsula of Cape Town, a team of committed WWF graduate interns from WWF’s co-ordinated a group activity for about 40 WWF staff at Kommetjie’s Masiphumelele informal settlement, the home of the Masakhane Educare Centre for early childhood development. WWF teamed up with the BGCMA, GIZ, Witzenberg Municipality and litter in the polluted Wabooms River for Mandela Day.
From inland Ceres to coastal Kleinmond, residents of this fishing town have been pooling resources to clean up their coastline. Mandela Day was the town’s second demonstration of community spirit in 2016, following the Kleinmond Harbour Clean Up Day on 4 June which saw locals, equipped with garden tools and refuse bags, clearing litter around Kleinmond’s popular harbour. In Gauteng, a few of our pandas joined the Minister of Water and Sanitation on Jukskei river clean-up campaign in Alexandra.
All of these Mandela Day activities are connected to WWF’s on-going work with communities which aligns with one of WWF-SA’s strategic goals to ensure that healthy ecosystems underpin social and economic well being.
“Freedom alone is not enough without light to read at night, without time or access to water to irrigate your farm, without the ability to catch fish to feed your family.” Nelson Mandela