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Government urges South Africans to help violence-affected communities in honour of Madiba

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On the eve of International Mandela Day, government is calling on all South Africans to help communities that were ravaged by the recent violence to clean up the devastation left behind.

Acting government spokesperson, Michael Currin, says this year’s theme is “One hand can feed another”.

He says the public can donate non-perishable food items to the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s #Each1Feed1 distribution network at all participating malls on Mandela Day.

Participating malls will have clearly marked signage and those dropping off donations will be met by a Mandela Day representative at the collection point.

Currin says this initiative will run for six months.

“One call: Clean up. #CleanUpSouthAfrica. Let’s make our founding father proud of us, that we clean-up our country. We start the rebuilding process, we give a helping hand to neighbours who might be in distress. We make sure we don’t turn a blind eye to anyone who hasn’t got a meal or something to eat. And we take our nation forward. And we build on our democracy that was left to us by our giant leader,” says Currin.

Government’s call comes as South Africans join together to clean-up areas that were affected by the violence that has claimed the lives of 212 people and led to the arrest of thousands others.

In Alexandra township, north of Johannesburg, hundreds of residents and volunteers have come together to clear rubble, debris and litter from the streets.

The same scenes have been seen in other areas affected by the recent riots:

Other South Africans have also started opening their hearts and wallets to assist victims of the mayhem.

Humanitarian organisations and airlines deliver food aid in KwaZulu-Natal:

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