There’s no doubt that 2018 is a special year for South Africans as we are celebrate Tata Madiba’s 100th birthday!

Year after year the 18th of July has been known as Mandela Day, a day in which South Africans (and the rest of the world) reflects back on what has been done, and look forward to what will be done to make the world a better place while celebrating Madiba’s life and legacy in a sustainable way that will bring about enduring change.

Mandela Day is about more than just putting 67 minutes aside for one day of the year, but it is a conscious decision to take action, inspire change and to make every day a Mandela Day.

Want to be part of the Madiba Centenary Celebrations in Nelson Mandela Bay?

As a destination named after the global icon Madiba, there are a few ways for you to be part of the special celebrations.

Mandela Day Flag Hoisting

In celebration of Madiba’s birthday, Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism (NMBT) will host a special Flag Hoisting Ceremony at the Donkin Reserve where a special edition Nelson Mandela Centenary flag will be raised between 07h30 and 08h30 (18 July 2018).

NMBT CEO, Ms Mandlakazi Skefile, said: “It is an honour for us to carry the name of the great Tata Madiba, and an even bigger honour to raise the Centenary Flag on Mandela Day for the very first time. Our aim is to promote the spirit of kindness and humanity amongst our locals and visitors, whilst setting the tone for all the Mandela Day initiatives taking place around the city that day.”

The event will also raise awareness for the Caring for Girls Foundation, an initiative that raises funds to supply sanitary towels to underprivileged school girls in South Africa. If you are attending, you can bring along packs of sanitary towels to donate towards the cause (donation boxes will be stationed around the venue on the day).

For more information about this special event in the Bay, click here.

Support Andisa Liba

Bay local, Andisa Liba, is part of the Trek4Mandela initiative and she is joining a team of climbers that will summit Mount Kilimanjaro. Through this initiative funds are raised to purchase sanitary towels to keep girls in school throughout South Africa.

Andisa is raising funds for a school in Nelson Mandela Bay and said, “If my involvement can aid in keeping just one young girl in school then I’ve done my bit. I truly believe that if we can do small things with big love we can make a huge difference.”

Keep a girl child in school and SMS “ANDISA” to 42513 to pledge R30.

Your 67 minutes

Get together and get involved this year, whether you lend someone a helping hand, share a coffee or something to eat. No matter how small your action, Mandela Day is about changing the world for the better, just as Nelson Mandela did every day.

The official website, www.mandeladay.com, suggests that, “By giving a little of your time each day to making a change that’s close to your heart or by giving a little of your time to make a difference to the life of someone else, you can start changing the world around you. Start with what you are passionate about and where you know your actions will have a lasting impact.”

Join other Mandela Day events in and around the Bay

Join one of these events below:

Radisson Blu – Mandela Week with the Blu at various beneficiaries until Friday, the 20th of July.

UVIWE – A creative Mandela Day with UVIWE

Bridge Street Brewery - Valley Clean Up

Something Good -  Soup Day

Mandela Day at Nazareth House

Cat Care with R & W Credit Solutions 

Discover Route 67

Have you explored Route 67 yet?  Route 67 forms part the greater Nelson Mandela Bay Arts Journey which includes a number of art galleries and different locations such as the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Museum, the Athenaeum Building, Uitenhage Market Square and the artEC Art Gallery to name a few.

Discover more of your city and explore Route 67 which starts at the Campanile and climbs the staircase to Vuyisile Mini Market Square which is the centre of the City. Tour guides are available to join you on this journey and will share valuable information about the art pieces with you. 

You can also download the Route 67 brochure. 

Download the Madiba’s Journey App

From Cape Town to Durban to Nelson Mandela Bay, South African Tourism has identified 100 experiences, attractions and destinations with strong historical and social ties to Madiba’s life.

Download the Madiba’s Journey app and start building your South African itinerary to visit these special places. 

Listen to some music

South African musician Sipho 'Hotstix' Mabuse has compiled a special tribute playlist for Nelson Mandela's centenary birthday on the music service, Deezer. Through this playlist Mabuse tells the story of the music Madbia loved such as The Manhattan Brothers, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Brenda Fassie.

If you want to listen to it online, click here. 

Watch some TV

From 18 to 22 July 2018 DStv brings a unique Mandela 100 Tribute Pop-Up Channel to all its customers across Africa.  The channel will feature an exceptional mix of films, documentaries, archive footage from M-Net’s multiple award-winning actuality programme Carte Blanche as well as exclusive celebrity interviews. If you want to know what else to expect during this five-day broadcast, click here.