More than 200 elderly citizens of Alexandra were treated to a sumptuous lunch at the home of the Xuma family who hosted Nelson Mandela when he first arrived in Johannesburg in the early 1950s.

Organiser of the lunch, Cedric Chauke of Tshebedisano Support Network said this had become a tradition of his organisation to arrange a lunch every year on Mandela Day for the elderly residents of Alexandra.

“The lunch is meant to be an honour to the Xuma family for their generosity of housing our icon when he first arrived in Johannesburg. Due to constraints in donor funding, we were not able to include other items such as blankets and food parcels for the elderly to take home,” Chauke said.

Among the prominent residents of Alexandra at the lunch, which was sponsored by Freedom Supermarket, Alex Superspar and the Responsible Food and Beverage Association of Alexandra, was Deputy Minister in the Presidency Obed Bapela and leading Alex members of the ANC Women’s League.

To view pictures on the elderly click here.