Durban — As an ode to Nelson Mandela’s legacy, Mandela’s former official photographer, Kevin Joseph, is honouring Mandela Month by giving aid to charities.
Joseph, of Mandela in Focus, together with House of Arushka by Aruskha Naidoo, plan to donate to Open Door Crisis Centre, which will offer counselling and help to people who have been abused and victims of human trafficking. They also plan to donate to the Shepherd’s Keep Home for abandoned babies.
Joseph and Naidoo will hold a charity dinner where they will be giving away 67 or more hampers. They will also be running an auction to generate funds, at which people from Australia and England are expected to be bidding online on the day of the event.
Naidoo said they wanted to be involved in education and sport to empower the youth “so that they grow into secure societies free of drugs and for them to be inspired all the time”.
“We want to give back in commemoration of Mandela because of the type of person he was and how many lives he changed. We also want to continue with that legacy. I started with just making a gift for a friend and people liked it. I have now expanded to offering people gifts just to see the smile on their faces,” said Naidoo.
Naidoo said this comes easily to her because she was always passionate about helping people and seeing them prosper.
Joseph said that as Mandela’s photographer he learnt a lot from him and the power of giving back is what he took to heart.
“We always want to know how we can do better and make a difference and we are always rising above any challenges that we might face. I got most of my strength from Mandela and I’m determined on passing the spirit of Ubuntu to more people,” he said.
Joseph added that Mandela encouraged diversity and unity in the country and that is why “even people from other countries agreed to be part of this initiative”.
He said Mandela taught them to be proud of everything they did, and that the event was going to be a success and something to be proud of.
The black-tie event will be held at the Radisson Blu Hotel on July 30, with Ryan Loubser’s painting of Mandela being auctioned.
The general manager of Radisson Blu, Marius Earle, said it was an honour to be part of this initiative, which would not only honour Mandela but also prove to be of help to those less fortunate.
“Thank you for the opportunity of hosting this memorable event here. This building is going to break records and so is this event. The building has had proper occupants from the get-go and I have no doubt that people will also come in numbers to support this good cause,” said Earle.
Daily News