Dam to be named after Madiba
Celebrations a major milestone in the story of Mandela
SOUTH AFRICA’S secondlargest dam, Vanderkloof Dam in the Northern Cape, will be renamed after Nelson Mandela as part of his centenary celebrations.
This was announced by the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) as it plans to celebrate the centenary events of Mandela and Albertina Sisulu.
Committee chairperson Jeff Radebe said Mandela and Sisulu – both born in 1918, in July and October respectively – had dedicated their lives to the struggle for freedom and had contributed to the birth of a new South Africa.
“We celebrate the birth of the founding father of our democracy, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, under the theme ‘Be the legacy’, as well as Mama Albertina Nontsikelelo Sisulu, one of the shining examples of our Struggle who dedicated her life to the service of her people under the theme ‘A Woman of fortitude’,” Radebe said.
“These celebrations are a major milestone in the incredible story of both Nelson Mandela and Albertina Sisulu in our nation’s journey to freedom and liberation.”
He outlined various events planned to celebrate the role of the duo in the Struggle.
Radebe said the IMC was working in close collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Foundation as well as the Sisulu family to ensure the government develops a successful centenary programme.
According to Radebe, the renaming of the Vanderkloof Dam will take place in September.
“On July 18 the government will hold a national event at Nasrec, Gauteng, in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to celebrate the International Nelson Mandela Day and the centenary of the birth of this international icon.
“On this day too in Carnarvon in the Northern Cape the 64th and final antenna of the MeerKAT will be dedicated to Nelson Mandela,” Radebe said.
He urged South Africans to observe the last Friday of the month as #MandelaFridays and to help those in need. Radebe listed a series of events which would be dedicated to Mandela, including the June 16, 1976 commemoration which will be held in Limpopo.
Other events that will be dedicated to Mandela include the annual iNkosi Albert Luthuli Oral History Memorial, the Nelson Mandela football challenge on September 29, and the 2018 Big Walk co-ordinated by the Sport and Recreation Department on October 7. The 2018 Comrades Marathon will also be dedicated to Mandela.
“The IMC is delighted to work with the Nelson Mandela Foundation on the June 16 Nelson Mandela annual lecture, which will be delivered by former US president Barack Obama.
“The lecture will take place at the Ellis Park Arena on July 17,” Radebe said.
A Nelson Mandela tribute seminar and dinner will be held on the margins of the UN General Assembly and a statue of Mandela will be unveiled in the UN complex in September.
Also in September, a bust of Mandela will be unveiled in Havana, Cuba, in the Park of Africa Heroes.
Detailing plans for Sisulu, Radebe said a special orchid will be named after Sisulu on May 19, saying “this special orchid was first discovered in Gauteng in 1918 and last observed in 1956”.
“A small colony of less than 120 individuals remaining was discovered in 2007 on the foothills outside Mogale City (Krugersdorp) next to the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens.
“This orchid is very rare and currently only known from one remaining locality in Western Gauteng,” Radebe said.
Other events would be a debate in June with the leadership of #FeesMustFall and other organisations, as well as a search for surviving participants of the 1956 Women’s March to the Union Buildings.
The official launch of Sisulu centenary will be held in October.
Sisulu would be remembered as a fearless leader in the Struggle and a mother of the South African nation, Radebe said.