Cape Town’s Miss SA Top 15 semi-finalist supports Mandela Day
By CityLife Arts Writer
The Miss South Africa Organisation, in conjunction with the pageant’s sponsor Brand South Africa, took part on Mandela Day on Saturday with the 15 semi-finalists making a difference in their provinces and communities around the country.
Cape Town’s Jordan van der Vyver (24) helped out at Ladles of Love in the morning making sandwiches and at the Woodstock Brewery in the afternoon peeling vegetables for a soup kitchen.
Says van der Vyver: “I was amazed to learn that Woodstock Brewery, which has converted their beer-brewing barrels into soup making equipment, normally uses two tons of veggies a day for their soup kitchen, but we managed to peel one ton in just 67 minutes.
“They have fed 1,3 million people since April and usually feed between 16,000 and 21,000 people every day. But they need volunteers as they are busy making soup six days a week and distributing it every day. It is amazing what they’re doing so please get in touch with them if you are keen to help.”
In other parts of the country, Gauteng-based Anarzade Omar, Aphelele Mbiyo, Busisiwe Mmotla, Chantelle Pretorius, Shudufhadzo Musida, Karishma Ramdev, Melissa Nayimuli, Natasha Joubert and Olin-Shae de La Cruz participtated in a number of different activities throughout the day, including helping children paint a mural at the Thuthuzela Aid Community Centre in Alexandra, joining The Pad Run at Musawawa settlement in the East Rand distributing sanitary pads to young girls and working at a soup kitchen run by the Ikhemeleng Foundation in Diepsloot.
In the North West,Thato Mosehle was involved with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, visiting destitute families and distributing food parcels in Potchefstroom, while in Eswatini Savannah Schutzler got involved with Solidarity Eswatini and its Yebo Action, distributing food parcels, blankets, clothes, sanitary items, masks and hand sanitiser to vulnerable communities in Ezulwini. Palesa Keswa (Free State) and Lebogang Mahlangu and Matsepo Sithole (KwaZulu Natal) worked with the Red Cross in their provinces to assist with providing hot meals and medical attention to those in need.
Said Miss South Africa Organisation CEO, Stephanie Weil: “We are so proud of all the girls, who willingly, and with much enthusiasm, gave of their time to make a difference on Mandela Day.”
Miss South Africa is presented by Weil Entertainment in association with M-Net, Mzansi Magic, Sun International and Brand South Africa.