Pretoria - To commemorate the Nelson Mandela International Day yesterday, Miss South Africa Top 10 finalist Lebogang Mahlangu spent her 67 minutes at the Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa Centre in Soshanguve.
Mahlangu was one of the celebrities who interacted with troubled teens while cleaning, playing games and doing gardening with them at the school, also known as the Soshanguve Secure Centre.
Also present were members of the cast of reality TV show Umndeni and a soccer team from the community. Activities included a soccer match for the children inside the facility and those from the community, gardening, cleaning, sorting out clothes according to their colour, and motivational talks.
Staff at the centre also participated in the day’s events.
Mahlangu said Mandela Day was all about “active citizenship”.
“Now we are just saying give 67 minutes of your time, but what if all of us did something like this everyday by connecting with the youth and encouraging them to keep going.
“If we were all to do this, I think our communities would be much better places.”
Solly Mehlape, a resident in the area, said they chose the facility because of the limited activities and interaction the children there had. They also wanted to educate young people. The team that played was made up of troubled and unruly youth from the community, he said.
“We want to remove them from the streets and keep them away from bad stuff such as nyaope, and other drugs. We are helping them to be responsible and better people. This is also to remind them that in case they do crime or anything unlawful, they will end up here with limited interaction and activities, and we want them to have good manners,” Mehlape said.
Polygamist and reality TV star Baba Maseko said it was important that he commemorated the day with the children at the centre.
“Mandela Day means a lot to us because Madiba fought for us. So it would be unfair for us not to do something in return on this day,” he said.
Pretoria News