Celebrities unite to support Mandela Day

Monday, July 5, 2010

Pretoria - South African and international celebrities are to join a group of bikers this year for a five-day tour in support of Mandela Day.

According to Sello Hatang, Manager of Information Communications at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the tour will start in Johannesburg on July 13 and arrive in Cape Town on Sunday, July 18.

He said those who will be giving their time to promote Mandela Day will include international actors, adventurers, media people, sportsmen and women and artists.

"Bikers are asked to support the Mandela Day tour by performing a good service of some kind in their own home town and local communities," he said.

The bikers and their entourage, sponsored by the Vodacom Foundation, Spar and Absa, will be welcomed by town and city mayors across the country and then be put to work for 67 minutes on various community projects in each region.

The Mandela Day bikers include businessman and YFM DJ Paul Mvulane Mnisi, previously known as Rudeboy Paul; The Rude Awakening 94.7 Highveld stereo's Jeremy Mansfield, Isidingo actor Jack Devnarain; former Egoli actor Darren Kelfkens; Survivor contestant Hanna Grobler Survivor SA; prominent businessman and owner of the first black owned Harley Davidson dealership in SA Sean Shipalana and OFM presenter James Kilbourn, former Bafana player and SuperSport presenter Marc Batchelor and prominent business professional at the Development Bank of SA Sithembiso Khoza among others.

"The group will consist of both prominent and ordinary people supporting the cause of Mandela day. Other high profile bikers will also be part of the initiative," he said, adding that additional names will be confirmed at a later stage.

Mandela Day, July 18, celebrates the 92nd birthday of Nelson Mandela, and is a call to action for all South Africans to make a difference in the places in which they live and work.

Declared 'Nelson Mandela International Day' by the United Nations last year, July 18 is one day in the year that people across the globe band together to serve the communities around them and work towards a better future.