Durban, July 09: The South African government on Thursday appealed to the people to devote 67 minutes of their time on July 18 for community service to mark the 91st birthday of country’s anti-apartheid icon and Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela.
Mandela, the country’s first democratic president, had made the world a better place and South Africans should follow in his footsteps, South Africa’s Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said.
Motlanthe also announced that all ministers and Members of Parliament would set aside July 18 to work for their communities.
“We trust that public servants, traditional leaders, religious fraternity, sports people, musicians and artists, business people, workers, students, the youth and the aged will join hands in this event to improve the lives of the vulnerable in our communities,” he said.
He urged Parliamentarians to emulate Mandela’s confidence, humility, determination and his vision.
“In those 67 minutes every individual should be involved in re-awakening the spirit of human solidarity. It is through helping others that our ability to deal with our own problems and challenges will be enhanced”, Motlanthe said.
“In each and every one of us resides the potential to fashion a united and cohesive society in which all can stand proud as one family, under the sun”, Motlanthe added.
“A global movement for positive change begins with small actions and Mandela Day should inject the spirit of promoting the spirit of the distressed,” the Deputy President said.
Major international events are planned around Mandela’s birthday each year, such as concerts, exhibitions and speeches.
This year, a series of special events will take place in New York involving many of the 46664 Movement (Mandela’s prison number) global ambassadors from the world of entertainment, music and film.
The 46664 and the Nelson Mandela Foundation together with the New York City Department of Education will also host a group of middle and high school students in South Africa this month.
The students will visit the offices of Mandela to see the work of the foundation as well as to meet South African students in order to develop a student charter that applies Mandela’s ideals to their day-to-day lives and local communities.
All money raised from Mandela Day will support the ongoing work of 46664 and the Nelson Mandela Charitable Organisations.
–Agencies