[PHOTOS] Brighten the corner where you are

Radio 2000 and Metro FM recently visited the Pango Camp in Munsieville in an effort to give back to the community.

The trip was part of their Mandela Month campaign, during which they also went to Kempton Park to hand out food parcels to the needy.

Their sponsors, Tiger Brands, Coca-Cola and Sasko, donated tinned food, cold drinks and bread, which were handed out to members of the community.

Over 600 loaves of bread, 100 blankets and lots of biryani were handed out on the day.

Radio 2000 also set up a mobile studio and did a live radio broadcast from the camp, during which they spoke to councillors and the community leaders in the camp.

Over 145 families stood in line to receive their parcels that contained, among several other items, All Gold tomato sauce, chicken-flavoured stock, tins of baked beans and tinned fruit.

Ruben Tsime from the Munsieville Tourism Centre explained that Pango Camp is a diverse community in which most people are unemployed.

“They focus on projects like recycling to provide them with an income. Most of the people living here are very skilled – they can repair electronics and do mechanical maintenance, but they just can’t find work,” he said.

He said that the camp needs a centre where the residents can expand their skills, proper housing, a nursery school for the children, and a clinic.

Metro FM and Radio 2000 station manager, Sbongile Mtyali, said that they had been wanting to visit the camp for a while and when Mandela Month came round, they finally made the decision to visit.

“We believe this should not only be done on Mandela Day, every South African citizen has a responsibility to make time and extend a hand to help someone else, especially when you look at issues like poverty,” Sbongile said.

She added that people don’t always feel they are responsible for each other, but they are.

“Brighten the corner where you are,” she exclaimed.

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