Staff at Sun International properties around the country rallied in support of Nelson Mandela Day on July 18, with myriad community projects underway to help others in the spirit of the country’s former leader.
On Mandela Day, South Africans are encouraged to spend 67 minutes of their time in service to others in need, in appreciation of the 67 years that Mandela spent fighting for justice, equality and human rights for all.
“This year, we dedicate the entire month of July, Mandela Month, to doing good and encouraged our staff to do ‘what they can, wherever they are, with what they can’,” said Sun International SED Manager Heidi Edson. “Staff at our hotels and casinos were asked to donate non-perishable food items and to pack food parcels for 67 minutes, and we are happy that many of them joined arms to do so.” Collectively, the group, including staff at Central Office, packed 169 760 meals across the country for Rise Against Hunger. Several other feeding scheme initiatives were also completed.
Mandela Day activations by properties included:
Boardwalk Hotel and Casino in Gqeberha collaborated with the Gaming Board on a sanitary towel drive to donate to schools in rural areas. Staff also packed 167 buckets of non-perishable items in 67 minutes, to be donated to several local NGOs.
Flamingo Casino in Kimberley partnered with Lenmead Hospital and invited local businesses to join in making as many sandwiches as they could within 67 minutes. Together, 4 183 sandwiches were made and distributed, along with collected boxes of spreads, to local charities.
Sibaya Casino in Durban linked up with Rise Against Hunger Africa at Reddam House Umhlanga and helped pack 91 800 nutritious meals that will be distributed to Early Childhood Development centres that the NGO supports.
Sun City Resort in the North West started a large renovation worth almost half a million rand at Makgophaneng Primary School in Ga-Ramokoka Village. On Mandela Day, staff rallied to paint the entire school (which since opening in 1971 has deteriorated terribly over the years) as well as planting a vegetable garden. The garden now has spinach, beetroot, cabbage and carrots with five new citrus trees, which will be able to feed a number of the community in the future. A special thanks to Mayor Cllr Nkotswe and her delegation, who visited on the day and endorsed the work being done to make the school a better environment for learning. Sun City will complete work on the school with floors tiled in the classrooms, the kitchen renovation and further vegetable garden work, including a net shed and irrigation system by the end of the month.
In Cape Town, GrandWest sponsored R175 000 for a meal-packing event in aid of Rise Against Hunger, and for providing the dry ingredients required for the 32 000 meals that were packed at Excelsior High School in Belhar. A total of 180 volunteers worked across four production lines to pack the dried ingredients into meal boxes. Volunteers include staff from the GrandWest Adopt a School programme and external stakeholders who worked alongside pupils from Excelsior High School, AZ Berman High School in Mitchells Plain and Bellville South High School. GrandWest invited each of the schools to nominate two early childhood development centres within their community to receive the meal boxes.
The Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town staff packed more than 6 000 meals for the Rise Against Hunger effort.
Golden Valley Casino in Worcester handed over a mini school library and reading room to grade one to four learners at De Tuinen Primary School. They also kept little feet dry at Bo-Doornriver Primary with a donation of rain boots for the winter season.
The Maslow hotel and Central Office in Johannesburg did a delivery of a bed and two as well as bed and bathroom linen to the value of R19,540 to Tembisa High school’s hospitality class.
“We are pleased to have helped Tembisa High with a meaningful donation that will add value to the hospitality classes and school’s criterium,” said Herman Swart, General Manager of The Maslow, Sandton.
The items included a double bed and two rollaway beds, bed linen, duvet inner, duvet covers, pillows, pillowcases, sheets, face cloths, towels, hand towels and bathmats.
The donation was made on Mandela Day which coincided nicely with the return of school for the third term.
Meropa Casino in Limpopo donated sanitary products that included toothbrushes, toothpaste, roll-on deodorant, bath soap, face cloths, toilet paper and sanitary pads, as well as nappies to Seshego Victim Empowerment Centre to the value of R4,000. This acts as the first part of the casino’s bigger donations to other charities across the region in weeks to come.
Wild Coast Sun on the South Coast focused on children this Mandela Month, with a clothing and games donation to special needs children at Ikhaya Lembizana, and planted vegetables at Plangweni JS school.
Windmill Casino in Bloemfontein had 67 employees that joined hands with Trinity Methodist Church, Betterbond and OUTsurance on July 13 to pack 29 592 meals for Rise Against Hunger, which were distributed to beneficiaries on Mandela Day.
Carnival City in Brakpan, Johannesburg has rallied employees in its Share the warmth this winter campaign with a blanket drive and will be making a donation to Tholakela Centre of Hope in Kwatsaduza, an orphanage that covers the communities of Tsakane, Geluskdal, Duduza, and Kwathema. The donation has been scheduled for the end of next week.
“Our purpose at Sun International is to ensure ongoing support and contribution to communities through our SED and CSI initiatives by engaging our staff through volunteering initiatives,” Edson said. “We hope that our efforts this Mandela Day have a lasting impact on those who need it most.”
