The Nelson Mandela Foundation’s water drive, in partnership with Proudly South African, was a resounding success, with over 30-million litres of fresh water collected for donation to drought-stricken communities.
As part of the Operation Hydrate initiative, Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane kicked off this leg of the campaign at the Foundation on Friday 29 January.
Over the weekend, thousands of volunteers, businesses, schoolchildren and others responded to the call, contributing an incredible total of 30.5-million litres of water, with a rand value of R61 137 442. This will go a long way towards helping communities that have felt the full effect of the worst drought to hit South Africa in more than 20 years.
Already four million litres of water have been distributed to key areas, while the majority of the donations will head out on Tuesday 2 February once the final numbers are tallied.
The CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Sello Hatang, was overwhelmed by the generosity of South Africans from all walks of life.
“We are truly reimagining the legacy of Madiba. Of course, this initiative goes beyond the donation drive here at the Foundation. In the spirit of Mandela Day, we need to look at how we can make this sustainable, and continue to provide assistance to communities in need on a daily basis.”