Every July, South Africa pauses to honour a man who spent 67 years of his life fighting for human rights and dignity. Nelson Mandela International Day asks for so little in return: just 67 minutes of your time, given in service to someone else.
This year’s theme — “It’s still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity” — feels especially urgent. With close to 38% of South Africans living below the lower-bound poverty line, and unemployment still climbing, the call to action carries real weight. As Mandela himself put it, the responsibility to build a better world for the poor, vulnerable and marginalised rests with all of us.
One of the clearest examples of what that looks like in practice is happening in Green Point.
Salesian Institute Youth Projects: A Kitchen With a Bigger Purpose
On Friday, 17 July, the Salesian Institute Youth Projects (SIYP) transformed into a full-scale community kitchen. Hundreds of volunteers — corporates, families, first-timers — came together to chop vegetables, prepare sandwiches and cook thousands of litres of nutritious soup for vulnerable communities across Cape Town.
The event was once again fronted by celebrity chef and long-time SIYP ambassador Jenny Morris, who has supported the institute for years. “Mandela Day reminds us that sharing a meal can restore dignity, hope and connection,” she said. “Every bowl of soup, every sandwich made and every person who gives their time helps build a stronger community.”
Crucially, the day isn’t just a feel-good, one-off gesture. It directly supports SIYP’s Learn to Live School of Skills Programme, which provides daily meals and food security to more than 230 young people year-round, alongside education and skills training that helps them build a path to independence. Every vegetable chopped on Mandela Day feeds into that ongoing work.
Volunteers were asked to bring the basics — a chopping board, a sharp knife, a potato peeler, a bag of vegetables, a plaster, and plenty of enthusiasm. SIYP also collected donations of non-perishable food, dry goods and pet food to sustain its feeding programmes well beyond Mandela Day itself, and invited businesses to book volunteer tables as part of their own corporate giving initiatives.
As Jo da Silva, SIYP’s fundraising manager, put it: “This event is about far more than making soup — it’s about investing in hope, dignity, and opportunity for the youth we serve.”
If you missed this year’s event, SIYP welcomes volunteers, donations and corporate partnerships throughout the year — not just on Mandela Day. You can find out more here.
7 More Ways South Africans Spent Their 67 Minutes
SIYP wasn’t the only organisation turning Mandela’s legacy into action this year. Here’s a snapshot of what else was happening around the country.
Feed the hungry, elsewhere in the city. Ladles of Love turned volunteers into “Hands-On Heroes” in support of 20,000 preschool children, with flagship events at DHL Stadium in Cape Town and the Johannesburg Expo Centre. Chefs with Compassion pushed toward 10 million meals served through its #67000litres Challenge, while 5FM and Good Hope FM ran meal-packing events in Sandton and Stellenbosch respectively.
Run for shoes. Emeris Ruimsig hosted a 5km fun run and walk with My Walk Made with Soul, getting durable school shoes onto the feet of kids who need them.
Get playing. The Do More Foundation and Kids Collab delivered play kits to 675 under-resourced early childhood development centres through their “67 Minutes of Play” campaign.
Decorate a dogbox. CapeGate Shopping Centre’s Dogbox Project had volunteers painting kennels for shelter dogs, while the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha opened its doors for guided tours.
Help with dignity bags. HospiVision packed nearly 500 dignity bags — soap, toothbrushes, towels — for patients arriving at partner hospitals with nothing.
Craft for a cause. Marking a decade of its Secret Scarves campaign, 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day built what’s believed to be the world’s largest handmade scarf chandelier at Hyde Park Corner.
Donate blood. The South African National Blood Service used Mandela Day to encourage first-time donors, with the process taking less than 67 minutes start to finish.
Whatever cause you choose, the spirit is the same: a small, deliberate act of service, multiplied across a country. As Mandela said, it’s still in our hands.
Source: #MandelaDay2026: 8 ways you can spend your 67 minutes, Bizcommunity, 17 July 2026.