How will you spend your 67 minutes this year?

Nelson Mandela Day, 18 July, is a chance for South Africans to come together and spend 67 minutes to make the world a better place.

If you’re still not sure how you’re going to change the world this year, why not lend a hand at the Witkoppen Health and Welfare Centre?

On Nelson Mandela Day 2019, Douglasdale resident Rosemary Snead and a group of other volunteers will be making improvements to the gardens inside the Witkoppen Health and Welfare Centre, located at the corner of William Nicol Drive and Uranium Road.

Although the facility has undergone a number of improvements over the past few months (including the installation of a pharmacy for patients), Snead felt it was important to give patients something beautiful to look at while they wait. The initiative will take place at the centre from 9am to 4pm and all volunteers are welcome.

“I was waiting to collect my medication [from the pharmacy] and was sitting in the newly painted area which I felt was so beautiful,” she told Fourways Review. “But there were empty spaces each side and I thought ‘that’s not good enough’ and decided to do something about it.”

Snead got to work finding people willing to donate their time, energy, plants, and other necessities to create beautiful gardens inside the facility.

Rosie Phiri, the owner of Rustic Garden Centre on Witkoppen Road, eagerly agreed to support the project and has donated a number of plants to be placed in the area including agapanthus and wild garlic.

She said she was very happy to help with the project.

The Indaba Hotel has also agreed to help and will provide soup and bread rolls to feed volunteers, plants and the services of two of its gardeners on the day.

The centre’s staff hope that the efforts will also have a positive impact on the community.

“The main thing we want is the community to get involved with the clinic,” said Sandile Nkosi of the centre who has been working alongside Snead and Phiri.

“We may be small, but we want to put Witkoppen on the map so that patients can access our services and that we get support.”

Snead and the others are appealing to the community to support the initiative in a number of ways:

• Financial donations are welcome,

you can find Witkoppen’s banking

details on their website

• More plants are welcome: please try and donate hardy plants that do not need too much maintenance

• Enthusiastic volunteers to spend 67 minutes lending a hand. Snead also encourages Unemployed people to attend and help on the day, in the hope that the day would be an opportunity to make contacts for future employment

• Equipment such as rakes, garden forks, and spades

• Fertiliser and compost.

“This is a chance to give back to the society which is something so badly needed today. South Africa needs to come together and do something together, and here is your chance,” Snead concluded.

Details: Rosemary Snead rosemarysnead@hotmail.com;

Sandile Nkosi sandilen@witkoppen.co.za; 011 705 2438; 083 542 3685.

Related article:

Nelson Mandela Foundation launches a rose named after former statesman