SAPS and CPF donating some goodies
Qgeberha
By Joseph Chirume.
Hundreds of Nelson Mandela Bay residents celebrated the 67 minutes of Mandela Day in a melancholy mood following a series of cold-blooded murders of young girls a few weeks ago. The brutal incidents inevitably sparked outrage in communities where the killings occurred.
First to be discovered were two bodies of young girls found on 18 June in KwaNobuhle, Kariega, whose bodies were found dumped in a bush and badly burnt. Though some suspects were swiftly arrested over the case, the community felt angered that the continued killings of young girls were continuing unabated.
As this was not enough, barely a few days later, the charred body of Lithaliyanda Ntini was found dumped in the bushes in NU6, Motherwell on 27 June 2025. Ntini was buried on Saturday(yesterday) during a ceremony punctuated by fear and anger.
However, with all these gruesome deaths leaving scars in the community, residents of Nelson Mandela Bay pulled resources together by extending a hand to the less privileged in honor of Madiba to mark the annual Mandela Day.
The Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa spearheaded several activities including officiating at a soup kitchen donation in Kamvelihle.
Minister Ramokgopa said, “We are really proud of the mayor and her team, most particular the ward councillor of this particular area who took this initiative to actually have a good relationship with private sectors so that as we open soup kitchens and food gardens such as this one we do it knowing that this kind of initiatives are going to be successful and sustainable, because we deal with sustainability more than just success.”
Minister Ramokggopa was also joined by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Mayor, Babalwa Lobishe and the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Public health, Cllr Thsonono Buyeye in a clean-up campaign in ward 53.
“The initiative formed part of the Mandela Day commemorations, aimed at promoting cleanliness, restoring community pride, and reinforcing the shared responsibility of keeping neighbourhoods safe, hygienic, and liveable.
“This community clean-up is one of several Mandela Day activities rolled out across Nelson Mandela Bay to honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela through service, unity, and positive action,” said NMB in a statement.
Several ward councillors led from the front as they doubled down their roles in their communities in honor of Madiba.
Ward 14 councillor, Mbulelo Qupe attended the Go Gogo Go event held at the Mendi Arts Centre, New Brighton. The event is an initiative pioneered by the elderly people of the area.
Cllr Qupe said, “Today we are here at the Mendi Arts Centre with the Go Gogo Go project to celebrate the 67 minutes in honour of Tata Madiba. They donated scarfs for schoolchildren since it is wintertime and is very cold. They have been doing this since they began the project in 2016.”
Not to be outdone was the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Police, in collaboration with Motherwell South African Police Service, Motherwell Community Policing Forum, victim support volunteers, community patrollers, Mojazz kids, and other Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) activists participated in an Awareness Walk.
The walk commenced at Motherwell SAPS to Mandela Peace Park during which participants walked in solidarity, while listening to a poem by a local poet and a performance by Mojazz kids highlighting the devastating impact of GBVF on women and children.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Traffic and Licensing Department also joined in the celebrations by donating essential cleaning materials to the Sinethemba Children’s Centre at the corner of Stanford Road and Cottrell Street, Korsten.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality said in a statement, ” As part of their visit, they generously donated essential cleaning supplies including washing powder, Handy Andy, Jik, and Sunlight dishwashing liquid, along with cool drinks and cakes to bring smiles to the little ones. The visit was filled with joy, laughter, and moments of connection between the children, caregivers, and the Traffic and the Licensing team.”
As residents commemorated Mandela Day, they ensured that their mind and bodies were kept fit given the proliferation of lifestyle diseases that are affecting many people.
Ward 59 councillor, Cllr Bulelani Matenjwa took a strenuous test of fitness by participating in the Mandela Day 5 km Fun KM Fun/ Run which kicked off at Vulumzi Senior Secondary School.
Cllr Matenjwa said, “Today we are having a Mandela 67-minute Run for Vulumzi secondary school as part of their fund raising. They started it in 2019. This is my second time running in the race, it’s funny and encouraging as it gives a lot of hope and also doing good for one’s health and also encouraging those that are sitting at home to just take a few minutes to participate. We encourage our citizens to come and join. Next year we will be here again for Mandela Day. The numbers are growing. People are joining and are enjoying it.”
