Honouring Nelson Mandela’s legacy with community action

During his 90th birthday celebrations in 2008, Mandela made a call to action: “It is in your hands to make our world a better one for all, especially the poor, vulnerable and marginalised.” 

It was in that spirit that a team of SKAO and SARAO staff joined forces with local organisations* and the nongovernmental organisation The Chosen Foundation to organise two initiatives in Carnarvon, the closest town to the SKA-Mid and MeerKAT telescope site: a pop-up free clothing shop, and a major renovation of a local home to improve the living conditions of the family living there. 

“As an observatory we are committed to improving social equity, and that’s shared by our partner SARAO, which has been working in these communities for many years, so Mandela Day is an ideal moment to come together and make a tangible difference,” said SKA-Mid Communications Specialist Khomotso Mokori, who co-led the initiatives alongside SARAO Stakeholder Relations Manager Nomfundo Makhubo.

Mandela Day clothing drive 

The Stakeholder Relations and Outreach teams had identified a need for donations of clothing, footwear, bedding and kitchen items for local people, so a call went out to staff spread across South Africa: teams based in the area, colleagues in Cape Town, and those at SARAO’s Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory near Johannesburg.

The staff mobilised. Dozens of items were collected and sorted, boxes were packed, and the donations were transported hundreds of kilometres to Carnarvon in the Northern Cape. There the teams filled the tables of a pop-up store, named Shop for Free, which opened on Mandela Day. Local people were welcomed in, offered refreshments of soup, bread and vetkoek – a traditional fried bread – and encouraged to take up to two items that fit them. More than 95 children and 30 adults came to the store.

A safe home 

At the same time, the team was finalising the second of the initiatives – renovating a local family home that had fallen into disrepair. “This family has an elderly blind grandmother who lives with her seven grandchildren, and the conditions in their home were really heartbreaking. The house was falling apart in places,” Mokori said. 

“The Chosen Ones Foundation put out a call to companies and organisations to rally around and see how we could all work together to clean up the house for the family,” Makhubo added. 

“When the SARAO and SKAO team inspected the home, they identified other areas that needed serious attention and rallied more support from the site-based team in the form of skills, building materials, unused furniture and other construction materials. Partner contractors like WBHO also contributed paint and other materials. It was a case of all hands on deck to make sure we gave this family a dignified home.”

That meant upgrading the electrics, which in places had live wires hanging loose, by installing a new, safe electrical distribution board, proper electrical tubing, and lighting inside and out; the home had previously only had a light in one room. 

New beds – seven in total, including three sets of bunks – were welded at the Engineering Operations Centre in Klerefontein (which serves the SKA-Mid and MeerKAT telescopes) using recycled steel from the construction activities on site. 

They were installed in the house complete with space-themed bedding. New storage cupboards and kitchen cabinets were also fitted, along with fresh curtains. The work took around a week, and the home was ready to be handed back to the family in time for Mandela Day.

“All this was made possible by the remarkable team of people working with SARAO and the SKAO under the leadership of Dawie le Roux, Khulekani Keswa and Mashakanya Mashiloane. They all worked tirelessly to make sure that this family gets a dignified home,” said Makhubo. 

“We have been in Carnarvon for years, so this is our community too. Many of the staff members who contributed their skills and time came through initiatives driven by the SARAO Human Capacity Development Programme in local communities through the years. It is amazing to see what a big impact such investments have had, not only on the construction of the MeerKAT and SKA-Mid telescopes, but in the lives of everyday people in our communities.”

To mark last year’s Mandela Day, the SARAO and SKAO team worked together with partner contractors in another local town, replacing an unsafe building at an early childhood development centre in Williston. A new building and terrace were installed, and the exterior has since been decorated with a mural by a local artist. 

*These initiatives were supported by Kareeberg Municipality, the Northern Cape Social Development Department, the Chosen Foundation, and the South African Police Service. We thank them for their collaboration.