Mandela Day: Choose your legacy at the NWU

By Michelle Hammann

Mandela Day is an international annual celebration on 18 July to commemorate late president Nelson Mandela’s lasting legacy. People around the world are encouraged to make Mandela’s principles and values part of their lives.

“It is easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build,” Nelson Mandela said.

It is particularly important at the North-West University (NWU) because it aligns closely with the university's values of service, social responsibility, human dignity and community engagement.

Dr Corrie Rheeder, campus chief director with the assigned function of the Potchefstroom Campus, said it is an opportunity for students and staff members to make a meaningful difference in the communities the university serves.

“In the build-up to Nelson Mandela Day, and inspired by Nelson Mandela's legacy, the NWU encourages everyone to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to serving others, symbolising the 67 years Mandela devoted to public service,” she said.

The Community and Stakeholder Engagement (CSE) portfolio of the Students' Campus Council (SCC) on the NWU Potchefstroom Campus oversees various student and residence community projects throughout the year.

This includes educational support at schools such as Ikalafeng and Mohadin Primary, early childhood development initiatives at Growing Trees and Paballo, and healthcare and support at facilities such as Witrand Psychiatric Hospital. The SCC: CSE portfolio also collaborates with welfare organisations such as Childline South Africa and The Cancer Association of South Africa.

These are some of the activities the NWU staff and students engaged in during July:

Cachet Park City Improvement District (CID) – Clean-up Project in Potchefstroom. The CID is a non-profit company, focusing on providing a safe, clean and green environment for the community. This year, for Nelson Mandela Day, the Cachet Park CID is joined by volunteering NWU students in a clean-up project to honour Nelson Mandela's legacy through meaningful community service and to demonstrate the university's commitment to community engagement and service.

The NWU Faculty of Education’s Fun Run. This is to encourage healthy lifestyles among staff and students while raising funds for the Meal-a-Day Initiative.

The NWU Library and Information Service’s Mandela Month Vegetable Seed Donation Drive. Students are staff can donate packets of vegetable seeds at all NWU Libraries across the Mahikeng, Potchefstroom, and Vanderbijlpark campuses.

Big Prims: In the week leading up to Nelson Mandela Day, the SCC on the Potchefstroom Campus hosts the annual Big Prims fundraising campaign. During the event, the Primaria (senior student leaders) of all the residences and day houses, together with the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the SCC, spent 48 hours fasting while confined to a glass box at the campus amphitheatre. The event raises awareness of the daily food insecurity and financial hardships experienced by some underprivileged students on campus and encourages support for those in need.

This year, The United Nations celebrates Nelson Mandela’s life by inviting everyone to make their own choices and compare it with the real choices that Mandela made during 10 key moments in his fight for freedom.

It is an interactive Mandela Day experience, which teaches everyone in simple language not only what he accomplished but also the sacrifices, values and choices that he made along his journey.

At the NWU, students are encouraged to make Mandela’s values and principles part of their own lives, creating a legacy and leaving it for the next generation.

Asive Mrwebi is part of the House Committee for Bellatrix Day House. Her roles include transformation and diversity with current affairs, media and communication and peer helpers.

“Mandela Day is not only a day of remembrance; it is a call to reflect on the kind of legacy we are choosing to build. Madiba’s life taught us that true greatness is not found in what we accumulate for ourselves, but in the lives that we touch and the change we help create,” she said.

Laura Müller-Graça, the digital marketing manager at PUKfm, says that the meaning of Mandela Day is rooted in being of service to others as Mandela was.

“As an NWU student, Mandela Day is about spreading kindness and doing acts of service across my community in honour and remembrance of the late president,” she said.

Kutlwano Rampitsang, a PUKfm marketing member, agreed that it is a day to give back to the community. It is to remember the time Mandela spent in prison and the 67 years that he fought against social injustice and for South Africans’ human rights.

“For me, it is a day to remember those who fought for us and to give back what I can to my community”, she said.

Aimee Bancroft, assistant at the NWU disability rights unit on the Potchefstroom Campus, stated that she sees Nelson Mandela Day as a reminder that everyone can make a difference in their communities not only on 18 July, but throughout the year.

“You can uplift your community through volunteering, assisting a friend, mentoring a student, or just being more compassionate in our day-to-day lives. It's the little things that can make a big difference,” she said.

Dr Corrie stated that Mandela Day reminds everyone that they have the power to make a difference.

“At the NWU, we honour Madiba's legacy by serving others with compassion, dignity and purpose. Whether through volunteering, supporting those in need, or caring for our environment, every act of kindness strengthens our university and the communities we serve. Together, let us dedicate our 67 minutes—and much more—to creating a better future for all,” she said.

For the NWU community, Nelson Mandela Day is therefore not only about remembering one of South Africa's greatest leaders but also about living his legacy through service, leadership and a commitment to improving the lives of others.