A group of American and South African students, aged from 11 to 19, met
with Nelson Mandela at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, on
2 June 2009. This is part of a series of activities ahead of Mandela
Day on 18 July. (Photo by Gallo Images/Foto24)
South Africa is celebrating Mandela Day.
South Africans are encouraged to spend 67 minutes of their time to help
someone who needs it. Mandela Day encourages us to be better citizens whose aim is to be the
change we want to see in our country. However, this should not only be
practised on our former president’s birthday, it should serve as a
reminder of the importance of looking out to a fellow citizen regardless
of their gender, age and race.
Charity begins at home; let us not only focus on that organisation we
have to travel for hours to get to, you could also help out your
neighbour or that elderly citizen who lives alone down the street. At
the end of the day, we need to remember that the focus should be on the
person who is on the receiving end. It is not about publicity; our
service should be offered in the spirit of Ubuntu.
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