Businesses ‘flushed’ for event

Businesses might find themselves feeling ‘flushed’ as CANSA launches a truly off-the-wall campaign this week.

Toilet humour aside, local stores might find themselves sporting a bright, purple fixture on their premises in the near future, as CANSA attempts to raise funds in a fun way.

CANSA community mobiliser, Estella Naicker explained the concept further.

The premise of the project is to place a brightly coloured toilet in a totally inappropriate formal setting at certain nominated businesses, chaining the toilet to prevent removal.

Managers and owners will then have three choices to make before the loo is taken away.

“The options are to make a donation to CANSA, enter a team for Relay for Life in October, or sponsor a gift for a cancer survivor at Relay.”

Ms Naicker said once one or more of the three choices had been selected, the presiding manager or owner would be filmed making a video nomination of which business was next for the purple porcelain throne.

The videos would be posted to Facebook, YouTube and other social networks.

In this way, she continued, CANSA could leave a tangible footprint in the community while doing its best to literally flush away the disease and raise funds for numerous important expenses and research.

“We have set no target because we are dependent on goodwill of businesses.

“Many do not know our function so we aim to create awareness and inspire goodwill, and bring this to the forefront.”

As the supplier of the purple toilet, the first nomination was given to Builders Warehouse.

Nominating Game, a fellow member of the Massmart group, manager Mondli Masondo explained how cancer did not discriminate, and even a small contribution from local businesses could mean the world to someone else’s life.

Awareness was important, he added, owing to earlier detection being key to survival.

“The later cancer is discovered, the less chance there is of being cured.”