Mandela Day – 67 Minutes Together

Posted on Thu July 18, 2024.

Mandela Day not only serves to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, but it is a day which serves as a call to action for individuals and organisations to make a positive impact in their own communities.

This Mandela Day, we joined forces with local community members and organizations to clean-up a garbage filled trench which runs alongside a settlement on the outskirts of Oudtshoorn. The Cango Wildlife Ranch team was joined by the Wild Animal Volunteers, Oudtshoorn & De Rust Tourism, La Pension Guesthouse, and the Tourism Safety Officer from the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (Western Cape Government). We spent the morning filling up countless refuse bags that were graciously sponsored by Vredebest Oudtshoorn. It wasn’t long before our ‘fleet’ of vehicles drew the attention of local residents, many of whom jumped in to help, creating a great opportunity to engage, teach and inspire.

We believe in conservation through education, and we believe that action and awareness go hand-in-hand. Litter leaves its mark long after its use, and more conscious efforts need to be made to unlearn habits that affect our environments, such as purchasing/using single-use plastic bags. The goal of this initiative was not only to beautify the area, but to instill pride in all the area that some call home, whilst aiming to preserve local fauna and flora in the region.

Our almost 50-person crew, all gloved and masked up, filled refuse bag after refuse bag, with pretty much everything imaginable! The endless stream of single-use plastics, tangled wires, diapers, feminine hygiene products, broken appliances, shards of glass, old clothes, food waste and more… it felt never-ending. In fact, there were areas where the heaped and compacted trash formed bridges along the 1.5m trench. It was overwhelming. But with every bag filled, we knew that was one less bag of trash impacting the environment.

We extend a special thank you to W/O Du Plessis and W/O Combrinck for being present and ensuring everyone remained safe, and thank you to Oudtshoorn Courant for popping by to say hi! Additionally, a big thank you to Ambrose and Rowayda from Oudtshoorn Municipality for all your advice and guidance. Last but not least, thank you to Hannes Visser and Mayor Chris Macpherson for your visit and kind words of encouragement!

While we only managed to clean a 250-metre section of the trench, we filled 369 refuse bags and are proud of the ‘dent’ that we made, and the people that we managed to inspire. We intend to action more future clean-ups, at various locations, and the more collaboration the better! Together, we really can make a difference.

In closing, please remember to shop consciously, dispose of waste properly in designated areas, recycle/upcycle where possible, and strive to leave every area cleaner than how you found it.

 

 

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