As part of honouring the legacy of Nelson Mandela, Silulumanzi donated much-needed food parcels and a 5 000L water tank to the Living Hope Centre in Pienaar on Monday July 18.

The centre shelters 14 children, including vulnerable survivors of abuse and rape, and orphans. Previously, they were living in unfavourable conditions in the yard without access to running water, but thanks to Silulumanzi, water has been provided, along with a tank to store it.

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With “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”, serving as the theme for Mandela Day 2022, Silulumanzi was able to establish a vegetable garden as a means of promoting food security in the centre with the assistance of other stakeholders, such as Working on Fire. In addition, it assisted with the yard’s clean-up, tree branch cutting and overgrown grass removal.

“We are here to share what little we have, and in doing so we are motivated by the spirit of Nelson Mandela and all other freedom fighters. We are hoping that this JoJo tank will help with the water issues that this centre has been having so that they can have safe, clean, and potable water as we have connected water lines for them. We are here to spend our 67 minutes defending the ideals that the widely respected icon stood for and promoted, namely active citizenship and the spirit of extending a helping hand. We also have a collective obligation to support our communities,” said Richmond Jele, the spokesperson for Silulumanzi.

“Given how expensive food is, we hope that the garden will be maintained and eventually prove beneficial. Although, it may not seem much, but it will assist them in the long run. I believe that the lives of these children will be changed and I hope they stick to education as it has the power to improve people’s life.”

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Pr Reginah Maseko, the director of the centre, expressed her gratitude to all those who had played a part. “I am elated and overjoyed to receive such presents, because they are very meaningful to us. We never anticipated this visit, and it is something we haven’t had in a while. The kids are happy, and I’m happy. I appreciate everyone’s love and support,” she said.