Inspired to make a difference on Mandela Day 2013, gold mining major AngloGold Ashanti spent R1.9-million on uplifting the company’s host and labour-sending communities to honour the life and legacy of former President Nelson Mandela on the elder statesman’s ninety-fifth birthday.

Volunteers from AngloGold Ashanti and the Department of Mineral Resources, as well as Members of Parliament and organised labour, spent the day working on community development initiatives currently under way in Gauteng, the North West, the Free State and the Eastern Cape.

“Eight community development projects were identified earlier this year by the com-pany, which realised that positive change begins with small actions,” says AngloGold Ashanti sustainability VP Malebogo Mahape-Marimo, explaining that nonprofit organisations and institutions can apply for funding through the company’s socio- economic development fund.

In Carletonville, Gauteng, volunteers dedi-cated more than 67 minutes of their time to Ubuntu Safe House, a centre in Kokosi that caters for distressed and destitute children with the aim of eventually reintegrating these children into mainstream society.

“We supported the centre on Mandela Day in July 2012, when we renovated the building and provided cooking equipment and furni-ture, including beds and blankets,” says Mahape-Marimo.

She adds that, while the centre initially catered for boys, AngloGold Ashanti spent Mandela Day renovating an additional block that now enables the centre to also cater for girls.

Volunteers also renovated Greenspark Old Age Home and Rooipoort Preschool, both near Carletonville, and donated 50 blankets to the preschool as part of AngloGold Ashanti’s Winter Warm Up campaign.

Moreover, the mining major joined the Matlosana municipality, community organis-ation Khuma Multi-Purpose Centre and other nonprofit organisations in the Stilfontein community, near AngloGold’s Vaal River operations, to ensure that the 120 children of the Khuma Crèche continue their learning in an enabling environment.

Here, volunteers painted parts of the crèche and helped expand the vegetable garden.

Also in Matlosana, volunteers gave Kofifi Community Park a much-needed facelift by cleaning the park and installing new play-ground equipment to create social cohesion in the community.

Meanwhile, learners at Vierfontein Primary School, in the Free State, received school shoes and uniforms, while renovations and repairs were done at Excellent Preschool, in Ikageng, Potchefstroom, where AngloGold Ashanti’s regional head office is located.

Volunteers also helped improve the pre-school’s existing vegetable garden by planting vegetable seeds and seedlings to help provide food for the children. Moreover, the gold major donated mattresses, kitchen utensils, educational toys and blankets for the children.