Members of Parliament and the Cabinet will dedicate 67 minutes of their time to doing community work on 18 July, to celebrate Nelson Mandela Day.
ANC Chief Whip Dr Mathole Motshekga said at a news briefing on Tuesday that all Chief Whips of political parties represented in Parliament had agreed to support Mandela Day.
"Hundreds of our Members of Parliament, Members of the Executive and departments, Parliament, civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have made a commitment to galvanise the people to take part in this meaningful contribution to humanity," Dr Motshekga said.
Mandela Day celebrations, which will culminate in a mass rally in East London on July 18, will be marked by all involved dedicating 67 minutes of their time to community work.
July 18 marks Mandela's 91st birthday and the 67 minutes reflects 67 years of uninterrupted and selfless service in the course of his extraordinary life, to the people of South Africa and the world. The objectives of the day are, among others, to foster moral regeneration, especially among the youth, to ensure promotion of the values of ubuntu as espoused by Madiba, and to help ensure that people helped each other to weather the storm created by the economic crunch, as well as to create sustainable livelihoods.
Dr Motshekga said Parliament had heeded President Jacob Zuma's call during the State of the Nation Address and had engaged various stakeholders to ensure that every willing South African citizen could lend a helping hand during Madiba's birthday.
"Mandela Day will be a celebration of Mandela's life, values and principles and a global call to action for people to recognise their individual power to make an imprint and change the world around them," he said.
The annual celebration of Nelson Mandela Day, an initiative of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the 46664 Campaign, was currently enjoying huge support from communities across the world.
Mandela's grandson, Chief Zwelivelile Mandela, said as a representative of the Mandela family he was joining the event in order “to give a more authentic story of his (Nelson Mandela's) legacy."
"The role he (Mandela) played was shaped by his rural background," he said.
He thanked the government for honouring his grandfather in this way and said there was a need to unlock Mandela's real identity as it had been impacted upon by many in his journey.
He said Mandela's response on hearing about the tribute was that "he hopes that on this day, we will pay tribute to the many men and women who walked the journey with him."
Dr Motshekga said the theme for Mandela Day would be: "Working together for the common good of our nation."
"Government's rural pilot project in Giyani, which aims to develop villages in the Greater Giyani Municipality through the construction of shopping malls, internet cafes and development of agrarian reform programmes, will also form part of our focus during this celebration," Dr Motshekga said.
Issued by: Parliament of South Africa
8 July 2009
Source: Parliament of South Africa (http://www.parliament.gov.za)
