8 ways you can spend your 67 minutes

In July, we honour and celebrate the legacy of a man who gave 67 years of his life fighting for human rights and social justice. Dedicating just 67 minutes on 18 July, Nelson Mandela International Day gives us all the opportunity to give back in the spirit of Madiba.
17 Jul 2026
Image credit:
Image credit: Nelson Mandela Day

This year's theme, “It’s still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity”, is as relevant as ever.

In 2025, Statistics South Africa found that approximately 37.9% of South Africa's population lives below the lower-bound poverty line of R1,300 per person per month.

It's becoming an ever-deepening crisis as the unemployment rate continues to rise.

Madiba himself said: “It is in your hands to make our world a better one for all, especially the poor, vulnerable and marginalised.”

If you’re still unsure about how to get involved, we’ve compiled a list of this year’s biggest Mandela Day events.

1. Feed the hungry

Ladles of Love

Ladles of Love is inviting residents, families, schools, faith communities, local businesses, companies and neighbourhood groups to become “Hands-On Heroes” by giving 67 minutes of practical service in support of 20,000 preschool children in under-resourced communities.

The flagship events will take place at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Friday, 17 July 2026, and at the Johannesburg EXPO Centre, Nasrec, on Wednesday, 22 July 2026.

The idea is simple. Book your spot, arrive on the day and use your hands to help make something that will support children, families and communities who need it.

You can get tickets here.

Chefs with Compassion

Chefs with Compassion is calling on home cooks, corporate teams, professional chefs, hotels, restaurants, catering companies and culinary schools across South Africa to help push it beyond 10 million meals through this year's #67000litres Challenge.

After exceeding its target by cooking 142,462 litres of soup for more than 500,000 vulnerable South Africans last year, the organisation is once again rallying the nation to unite against hunger and food waste through South Africa's largest annual collaboration of chefs and cooks cooking for good.

Whether you're cooking from home or leading a brigade in a professional kitchen, your contribution could help Chefs with Compassion cross the 10 million meals served milestone while ensuring thousands more vulnerable South Africans receive a nutritious meal.

Sign up to be part of the challenge here.

GoodHope FM and 5FM food packing

Two of the country’s biggest radio stations are holding meal‑packing events for Mandela Day.

In Johannesburg, 5FM is joining Rise Against Hunger Africa’s Mandela Month campaign on 17 July 2026, as the station heads to the Sandton Convention Centre for a full‑day meal‑packing takeover, specifically aimed at helping kids in early childhood development (ECD).

As part of the national Feed the Future – 3 Million Meals in 31 Days movement, 5FM will broadcast live from 9am – 6pm, with the station’s on‑air fam, Youngblood 5 (YB 5) contributors, celebs and 5 Nation friends of the station jumping in to help pack thousands of meals for vulnerable children across South Africa.

While over in the Western Cape, its sister station, Good Hope FM, will join Rise Against Hunger Africa at its meal‑packing event on 17 July 2026 at Morgenhof Wine Estate, Stellenbosch.

Earlier this month, the Cape Town-based station joined more than 700 volunteers at the GrandWest Casino to pack 129,600 nutritious meals for vulnerable children across the province.

Salesian Institute Youth Projects

This Mandela Day, award-winning celebrity chef, television personality and long-time Salesian Institute Youth Projects (SIYP) Ambassador, Jenny Morris, is once again calling on the public, businesses and community groups to spend their 67 minutes making a meaningful difference.

On Friday, 17 July, SIYP in Green Point will transform into a bustling community kitchen as hundreds of volunteers gather to chop vegetables, prepare sandwiches and cook thousands of litres of nutritious soup for vulnerable communities across Cape Town.

The event also supports the SIYP’s Learn to Live School of Skills Programme, which provides daily meals and food security for more than 230 young people, making every donation and every volunteer hour count long after Mandela Day has ended.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring a chopping board, a sharp knife, a potato peeler, a bag of vegetables, plaster, plenty of enthusiasm and a sense of humour.

Donations of non-perishable food items, dry goods and pet food are also welcomed to help support the institute's ongoing feeding programmes.

Corporations are invited to book volunteer tables as part of their Mandela Day initiatives, while individuals are encouraged to simply arrive and join a team.

For further information, go here.

2. Run for shoes

Emeris Ruimsig is collaborating with My Walk Made with Soul (My Walk), Love Cities, and Run/Walk For Life to host a fundraising 5km walk and run at its Ruimsig Johannesburg Campus.

The family-friendly event, which will start at 8am on 18 July, invites the community to come together in support of My Walk, which provides learners with access to durable school shoes.

Members of the public are encouraged to register, bring family and friends, and spend their Mandela Day taking steps towards a future where every child has access to the dignity and opportunity that a pair of school shoes can provide.

To honour the 67 Mandela Day minutes, all those finishing within 67 minutes will be entered into a lucky draw that will take place 67 minutes after the start time.

There will also be medals for the first 500 finishers, with consolation prizes for the next 100 finishers.

Tickets can be purchased here.

3. Get playing

The Do More Foundation and Kids Collab have partnered on a “67 Minutes of Play” campaign.

Its aims are twofold – to raise public awareness about the importance of outdoor play for young children’s development, and to bring the joy of movement to young children in 675 under-resourced ECD centres.

Each ECD centre will receive a Move & Play kit, which is packed with practical resources — colourful cones, balls, beanbags, chalk, and a parachute — that enrich group play for up to 50 children.

ECD practitioners will be supported with printed guides, in-person training, and ongoing communication to help build children’s motor and cognitive skills through outdoor play.

To support the “67 Minutes of Play” Mandela Day campaign, click here.

4. Decorate a dogbox

The Dogbox Project

On Saturday 18 July, from 10am to 2pm, CapeGate Shopping Centre will open its Centre Court to families, volunteers and animal lovers for its annual The Dogbox Project, which has become a Mandela Day tradition, transforming painted kennels into warm, dry homes for needy dogs.

The Dogbox Project began in 2012 as a single Mandela Day gesture and has grown into an annual event because the need has never gone away.

Local shelters are often short of blankets and food, but kennels remain the highest cost and the hardest item for many shelters to afford on their own.

CapeGate and its partner businesses sponsor the kennels, and on the day, members of the public paint them, turning a few hours into shelter dogs can use through winter cold and summer heat.

This year, the project aims to have 67 teams painting 67 kennels, in keeping with Mandela Day’s call to give of your time to help others.

Businesses, schools, families and individuals are all welcome, whether by rounding up a team in advance or simply joining in on the day.

Kennels painted on the day will go to six shelters: Grace Animal Sanctuary, Fisantekraal Animal Welfare, Help a Paw, Farm Paws, Dead Animals Walking and Hantam Animal Rescue.

Mdzananda Animal Clinic

In keeping with the theme of dogs, the Mdzananda Animal Clinic and Shelter in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, is inviting the public to celebrate Mandela Day by making a meaningful difference in the lives of animals while experiencing the organisation’s work firsthand.

This year, Mdzananda is inviting individuals, families and corporate groups to spend their 67 minutes visiting the clinic and shelter during its Mandela Day Open Days.

Guided tours will take place on Friday, 17 July, and Saturday, 18 July, offering visitors an opportunity to see the organisation’s life-changing work in action and learn more about animal welfare in Khayelitsha.

Tours can be booked by emailing Kelly at az.oc.adnanazdm@dnuf.

As part of the Mandela Day celebrations, Mdzananda has partnered with Four Paws South Africa to distribute 67 kennels and more than 670 care packs to community dogs that have spent months waiting for shelter during the cold winter months.

5. Help with dignity bags

HospiVision needs your help with packing dignity bags this Mandela Day. The NPO will be packing 499 dignity bags for patients who arrive at our partner hospitals with nothing: no soap, no toothbrush, no towel of their own.

Packing will take place on Saturday, 18 July, at two hubs: Tygerberg Hospital in the Western Cape and De La Porte Oasis in Gauteng.

The bags are then handed to patients personally by our hospital volunteers the following week.

You can get involved by dropping off a toiletry item before 18 July, ordering something from our Takealot wishlist for delivery, donating any amount via BackaBuddy, or joining the packing day itself.

6. Craft for a cause

On Nelson Mandela Day, 18 July, Hyde Park Corner’s Centre Court will host what is believed to be the world’s largest handmade scarf chandelier, marking 10 years of the Secret Scarves Shh... campaign run by 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day.

Shoppers are invited to take part by knitting, crocheting or donating wool at the Yarn by Design Expo, a décor and design showcase which runs at the centre from 18 to 30 July.

The campaign began a decade ago as a simple act: leaving a hand-knitted or crocheted scarf in a public place for someone in need.

It has since grown into a nationwide movement of kindness.

Thousands of scarves, made by volunteers known as the KnitWits of 67 Blankets, have been left in parks, on fences, around trees and in public spaces across South Africa.

Some have even been handed out from Johannesburg’s City Sightseeing Red Bus, each carrying a handwritten message of care.

To mark the anniversary, Centre Court will become the Yarn by Design Expo, featuring three curated living spaces designed by Cabbages & Roses and dressed in colour-coded handcrafted scarves and bespoke blankets.

The bespoke scarf chandelier will hang above the installation, pieced together entirely from handmade scarves by the 67 Blankets Gauteng KnitWits especially for the installation.

Everyone is invited to bring along their handmade scarves and blankets to donate to 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day, helping to keep someone warm in winter.

Need supplies? A wool retailer will be on site, where you can purchase wool to donate or to start your own handmade creation.

The Yarn by Design Expo runs at Hyde Park Corner's Centre Court on 18 July. Entry is free.

7. Donate blood

This Mandela Day, the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is inviting South Africans to transform a simple act of generosity into a lifetime of impact by donating blood.

The impact of blood donation will be felt longer after the day is done.

It continues in emergency rooms, operating theatres, maternity wards and hospital beds across the country, where donated blood gives someone another chance to recover, celebrate another milestone, and experience another tomorrow.

That's why SANBS is encouraging more South Africans, especially first-time donors, to become part of a community of everyday heroes whose generosity gives strangers a second chance at life.

“Whether you have donated before or have always wondered if you should, Mandela Day is the perfect opportunity to take that first step,” says Monique Schreiner, senior manager: donor relations at SANBS.

“The donation process is safe, simple and takes less than 67 minutes from start to finish. Yet those minutes could mean a lifetime for someone else.”

8. Clean up a cemetry

JHF and Friends of Johannesburg Cemeteries are hosting a clean-up at Braamfontein Cemetery on 18 July.

You can spend your 67 minutes helping to care for heritage graves and remove the debris still there in the aftermath of the huge storms earlier this year.

City Parks has done the heavy lifting, clearing trees and branches damaged by massive storms earlier this year.

JHF and Friends of Johannesburg Cemeteries are now stepping in to tackle the finer details: clearing smaller debris/branches in the storm-damaged section and cleaning historic headstones.

Join them from 8.30am, expect to finish by 1.30pm.


 
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