Every year, on July 18, the world celebrates Nelson Mandela International Day in honour of freedom fighter and former South African President, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

Mandela Day which coincides with the former President’s birthday promotes the spirit of humanity by encouraging every individual to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to doing community work.

As a way of celebrating this day on Thursday (July 18, 2013), Durban University of Technology students and staff members were engaged in various activities.

Eleven BTech students, together with their lecturers, from the Department of Hospitality and Tourism visited the Association for the Age (TEFTA), a local old age home at Ridge Road in Overport, Durban.

Here, the students served tea, muffins and a cake which they had baked in celebration of Mandela’s birthday. The message on the cake read: “Happy birthday Madiba from DUT Hotel School”.

“The community outreach is to keep Madiba’s beliefs and his teachings for the country and people (alive). It is also to encourage the spirit of ubuntu,” said Ricka Maniram, a lecturer in the Department.

Meanwhile, the Journalism Programme at the City Campus celebrated Mandela Day with a 67-minute event organised by its first-year students.
The event opened with the singing of the South African (SA) national anthem, a way in which journalism students and lecturers celebrated the rainbow nation Mandela fought hard for.

Campbell Drama Society, of DUT’s Campbell residence, wrote and performed “The Interrogation”, a short play based on the years of the struggle for freedom in SA.

For its Mandela Day programme, the Gandhi Development Trust (GDT) in partnership with Art for Humanity, DUT’s Department of Child and Youth Care and other partners, volunteered their time in revitalising and resourcing Macedonia Crèche in Umzinyathi, North of Durban.
Located in a peri-urban residential area, Macedonia Crèche is a poorly-resourced Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre which services a total of 54 children, many of whom are non-paying owing to poverty.

The jam-packed programme included the painting of a Mandela mural, with the help of artist and DUT BTech Fine Arts student Jono Hornby. Art for Humanity donated a banner which was placed on a wall near the entrance of the crèche.

An existing food garden at the crèche was enhanced to create a sustainable food source for both the attendees and the orphaned children fed at the crèche daily.

Umzinyathi community members, who were also invited to this event, were offered free voluntary HIV testing and counseling by the DUT clinic.

— Thabo Maile, Chelsea Pieterse and Ziyanda Dlembula

Pic 1
First-year Journalism student Sithabiso Mdlele performs a song in honour of Nelson Mandela during the Mandela Day celebrations held by the DUT Journalism Programme on Thursday (July 18, 2013)

Pic 2
BTech students from the Department of Hospitality and Tourism with TEFTA residents.