“We should be proud as South Africans to be joined by the world in celebrating not only the life of the icon of the world, but also his ideals of building a better world for all.”

This was the main message of Minister of Water Affairs, Edna Molewa, when she joined the Gauteng Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, the City of Johannesburg and the Gift of the Givers, as well as 3 000 residents of Alexandra in the completion and handover of 69 dwellings for the people living on the bank of the Jukskei River in Alexandra, as part of Nelson Mandela International Day celebrations on 18 July.

“The overarching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good,” said Molewa.

The structures will benefit 69 local families, including child-headed households, whose homes are on the banks of the Jukskei River which has had a recurring flood pattern in recent times.

The Department of Water Affairs also held their own Nelson Mandela International Day celebrations on Saturday 20 July, when Molewa kept her promise to residents of informal settlements and rural areas around Haartebeespoort dam. Originally, the Minister held a Public Participation Program and handed over resuscitated boreholes to the rural community of Refentse in the Madibeng Local Municipality on Saturday the 2nd March 2013. During the event Molewa committed to undertaking various community projects which will serve as Ministerial Community Service Programs or Outreach programs with Haartebeespoort informal settlements being used as a test project before rolling the program out to the rest of the Province.

With July being Nelson Mandela Month, the Ministry has seen it fit to honour the

promise made to residents when she visited the area in March and has commenced with Phase 2 of these projects.