Nelson Mandela Foundation and Vodacom Foundation celebrate 10 years of existence

Nelson Mandela thanked everyone, via a video message at the awards evening, who had given of their time and energy on Mandela Day in service to those less fortunate

October 14, 2009 – The Vodacom Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Foundation came together yesterday evening in Johannesburg, South Africa, to celebrate 10 years of their existence by giving something back.

The Vodacom Foundation, in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, presented the Gift of Giving Award to the City of Matlosana (formerly Klerksdorp), in the North West Province, and radio station Kaya FM for their work during the build-up to and on Mandela Day.

Mandela Day, launched on July 18 this year, Nelson Mandela’s 91st birthday, is an initiative encouraging all people to make the world a better place by making a difference in their communities. People were encouraged to donate 67 minutes of their time or more on that day to promote social cohesion. (The number 67 symbolises the number of years Mr Mandela has been involved in activism.)

Kaya FM was presented with the award for its proactive approach to the initiative. The radio station put together 67 stories of communities that were living the Mandela Day concept every day, while the City of Matlosana mobilised 67 professionals and community members to clean up disability centres across the municipality.

“This award is a token of appreciation to everyone who took part in Mandela Day,” said the Head of the Memory Programme and acting CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Verne Harris, at the event.

He said there had been thousands of candidates for the award and that in the end the two recipients had been chosen for embodying the spirit of the initiative.

Vodacom Foundation trustee Bob Collymore explained that the Vodacom Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Foundation had been in partnership since 2007.

“The Vodacom Foundation supported the Nelson Mandela Foundation in the implementation of its pilot HIV/AIDS community conversations in 2007.

“These conversations stimulated dialogue in a range of South African communities, especially focused on young people, to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS through the articulation of community challenges and putting into place community-driven structures to address the problems they face. Now in the third year of implementation, these dialogues have had resounding success.”

Handing over the awards, South African Member of Parliament Buti Manamela said everyone needed to contribute to the Mandela Day initiative.

“It’s important for all of us, particularly the youth, to take forward the legacy of Mr Mandela,” he said.

The two recipients of the award were presented with R67 000 each, which they will donate to community organisations.

The evening closed with a video message from Mr Mandela, who thanked everyone who had given of their time and energy on Mandela Day in service to those less fortunate.

“We have been pleased, and honoured, by the way Mandela Day has been responded to,” said Mr Mandela in his video address. “People have made it an occasion not to focus on one man, but rather to work with each other in communities to make the world a better place. Most importantly, they have gone beyond 67 minutes, or one day, and have found ways to promote continuing work that will make a difference. I thank each one of you who made a contribution. We value your continued support.”

For Greg Maloka, Managing Director of Kaya FM, and Rosy Thabanchu, City of Matlosana Speaker of Council, receiving the award and being involved with the Mandela Day initiative has been a tremendous honour.

“A lot of us [at Kaya FM] have been inspired by the spirit of Madiba,” said Maloka at the event. “To be involved in a campaign based on his values and to be honoured for that work is indescribable.”

Thabanchu added that the Mandela Day initiative had really brought home the need for citizens to come together to uplift their own communities.

Ironically, the awards evening took place while South Africa’s cell phone operators, including Vodacom, were being grilled by parliament about what are perceived to be unreasonable pricing structures by those organisations.

Earlier in the day representatives of Kaya FM and the City of Matlosana toured the Nelson Mandela Foundation, where the work of the Foundation’s Centre of Memory and Dialogue was explained to them.

“The aim,” said the Foundation’s Information Communications Manager, Sello Hatang, “is to create ambassadors for life. People who go out and talk about the work of the Foundation to create a better world.”

“We wanted to give them a tour of the Foundation’s work and how it led up to Mandela Day,” added Ruth Rensburg, Resource Mobilisation Manager.

She explained why the two organisations had been chosen.

“I was amazed at how the City of Matlosana and Kaya FM went beyond the call of duty for Mandela Day. The whole City of Matlosana was involved in the initiative,” she said. While a number of media organisations had done sterling work for Mandela Day, the Foundation felt that Kaya FM had taken the initiative a step further, she explained.

Click to listen to Mr Mandela’s Mandela Day message (1.5MB).