Sponsors of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Goodwill Parcel Project have pledged goods worth R2.4 million towards the project as it marks its 16th anniversary.
The pledges were made over the weekend during the Goodwill Project Gala Dinner in Tshwane.
The sponsored goods will be provided as gifts to members of the SANDF, who are currently deployed in the continent and along South African borders.
Speaking at the dinner, the Chief of the South African National Defence Force, General Solly Shoke, commended the good deeds of the business community, who continue supporting the noble Goodwill Project.
He said the support to the men and women doing selfless service away from their beloved families over the festive season is a gesture that has come a long way.
“Your contribution helps us to reach out and say thank you to our soldiers, who continue making a supreme sacrifice for the country, and to their families who play a pivotal support role in our soldiers’ quest to safeguard our borders and promote peace and stability across the African continent in all the SANDF’s missions. Without you, the SANDF Goodwill Project would be difficult to sustain,” Shoke said.
The SANDF Goodwill Project was started 16 years ago by then Sergeant Major of the SANDF, Master Chief Warrant Officer Jacobs, who asked all the SANDF sergeants major to contribute R1 towards a project that would go into reaching out to deployed soldiers and their loved ones left behind to run families.
The sergeants major surpassed their target in the first year and their generosity raised a whopping amount of R25 000, which went into buying food parcels for each soldier deployed in Burundi at the time.
Since its inception, the SANDF Goodwill Parcel Project has grown from strength to strength, currently with over 14 corporate sponsors alongside four service fund sponsors and has since raised R65.4 million channelled to a good cause. - SAnews.gov.za
