Cape Town. Yesterday, Nelson Mandela, the former president, national hero and founder of the new South Africa, celebrated his 93rd birthday. Millions of South Africans paid tribute to the anti-apartheid icon and celebrated the “Mandela Day”. On that day the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) announced that as part of its Nurture our World (NOW) initiative, it will be partnering with four local community projects in order to further advance skills development and contribute to the social upliftment of communities in the Western Cape.
Rashid Toefy, CTICC Chief Executive Officer, says: “The overarching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world, and to empower communities. It is therefore fitting that we formalise our commitment on this day”. The CTICC has joined forces with The Haven Night Shelter, the Ambalini Harvest of Hope, The Mitchells Plain School of Skills and the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR).
More than 60 staff members dedicated 67 minutes of their time in honor of Nelson Mandela, and were engaged in activities at the four organisations throughout the course of the day. This not only provided an opportunity for the staff to be at the coalface of what these organizations do, but to also experience first-hand the difference that one individual can make. “We believe that the successful companies of the future will be those that integrate business and employees’ personal values, and we have ensured that our staff played an integral role in the selection of these organisations,” says Toefy.
“Since inception, one of the core objectives of the CTICC has been to stimulate economic growth and job creation, and this partnership speaks directly to that objective. The Mandela Day initiative serves as a launch platform for the centre’s on-going social responsibility commitment to these organisations,” Toefy concludes.
