Merchants of Light spread warmth and hope during Mandela Month
From hot meals to blankets and beanies, the NPO brought Madiba’s spirit alive with kindness and support for hundreds across Gauteng during July.
Merchants of Light (MoL), an NPO that aligns with the theme of Mandela Day and aims to combat poverty and inequity, has extended the celebration into Mandela Month.
They brought warmth, hope, light, and impact to families in and around Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni – from Pimville and Klipspruit to Germiston and Primrose.
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Photos: Rage Inc Productions
Supported by entities like Kit Kat Cash and Carry, Red Cherry Foundation, Toyota Knights, 321 Technical Systems, and many more, they filled grocery hampers, spoiled gogos, and treated children to days of fun. In true MoL style, they fed more than 500 people across the designated project days.
Director of MoL, Catherine Constantine, said: “Our simple acts of kindness – a bowl of food, a warm blanket or a gesture of love – go a long way to creating strong bonds in a community. It is our job to keep creating these bonds in the communities we call home.”
She added that continuing these acts of kindness is the only way to keep Madiba’s memory and legacy alive.
Photos: Rage Inc Productions
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They packed the hampers with non-perishable goods, tinned items, maize meal, rice, pasta, and essentials like salt, sugar, and oil, with additional items like bread and fresh produce.
Ella Bella, co-founder of MoL, added, “This is how we should live our daily lives, with a smile and a thank you to each other, as that is the Madiba Magic which flows through our veins as South Africans.”
