North Coast bands together to spread Madiba’s magic

North Coast residents and the business community rallied to support a host of worthy causes in honour of Mandela Day on Tuesday, spending many more than the traditional 67 minutes to help those less privileged.

The annual celebratory campaign calls on people to spend 67 minutes of their time to support a chosen charity or to serve their local community in whichever way they can.

The 67 minutes represents the number of years Nelson Mandela fought for human rights and the abolishment of apartheid.

At Umhlali Saps, residents and businesses got together to spruce up the K9 unit and its kennels, an initiative which was two months in the making after a need for outside help was identified.

In 2019 organisers Jaqui Muir and Vanessa Coelho gave the police station a makeover, but said this year special focus was placed on upgrading the K9 unit.

“The K9 unit does not always get the recognition they deserve for the vital role it plays in the community and with keeping everyone safe,” said Muir.

More than 30 volunteers arrived to support the initiative on Tuesday morning, taking time off work to pick up brushes and paint the offices of the K9 detectives and the kennels.

Efforts extended beyond painting as volunteers also serviced fire extinguishers, damp-proofed the kennels and undertook minor structural work and repairs.

Umhlali K9 unit’s captain Rajendra Maharaj said they were beyond thankful for the efforts of the community.

“Initiatives like this motivate us to keep going the extra mile. The community’s efforts speaks highly of their desire to help us. Together with them, we will continue to root out crime, and I can say that our members are reinvigorated by today’s efforts,” he said.

At Intandokazi Crèche in Nkobongo, Umhlali Quarry rallied in partnership with Daisy Business Solutions to bring new life to the facility which looks after 82 children.

Founder Duduzile Mazibuko started the crèche from her own home in 2010 and has been looking after children up to the age of five ever since.

Teams on Tuesday installed three flush toilets, did general plumbing work, fitted doors and painted the crèche itself, spending close to R100 000.

“I’m very happy with the work done. Previously we were in a really bad situation where the children had to use a bucket system for ablutions,” said Mazibuko.

Umhlali Quarry also runs a feeding scheme at the crèche, providing children with daily meals.

Siza Water was another entity supporting a Mandela Day cause by installing an inverter at the traffic lights near Umhlali Preparatory School and donating an Xbox gaming console to the Salt Rock Library.

The inverter will alleviate significant traffic problems caused by power outages in the area, while the Xbox is designed to be used as a reward to encourage reading.

The Xbox project was promoted by Ward 22 councillor Privi Makhan, who thanked Siza Water for making it possible.

Siza Water human resources manager, Nigel Kaligan, said the company invested R50 000 to buy and install the inverter.

“We recognised the urgent need for a solution at this particular busy intersection, especially during peak hours. Given the persistent challenge of loadshedding, we trust this installation will have a positive impact,” he said.

Makhan also concluded efforts to revamp ablution facilities at the Umhlali Village bus stop, with support of the business community.

Elsewhere on the North Coast, Tongaat-based Wonderbag gave back by offering 6 700 of their innovative cooking bags at a discounted price of just R30.

The bags were also available online on Tuesday only, with in-person stock sold at community vendors, including at the Tongaat factory at Walter Reid Road.

There were many other activities on the North Coast that could not be mentioned individually in this edition, be keep an eye out for next week’s paper for more news and photos.

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