Bikers for Mandela Day 2016

Fellow motorbikers DJ Fresh, Zelda la Grange, Angie Khumalo, Alex Caige and others will embark on the seventh annual Bikers for Mandela day on Thursday, 14 July 2016.

According to Zelda la Grange, convener of this event and the Patron of the 1st for Women Foundation, “our group will inspire women and girls, but specifically victims and survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) to help restore their confidence. We will ‘inspire confidence’ to put themselves first, to walk away from an abusive relationship and remind themselves to care and love for themselves. In Mozambique, we’ll be educated about the fight against Malaria, profiling awareness.”

1st for Women Insurance, via its charitable trust, the 1st for Women Foundation, will once again be supporting the group on their journey. “Our goal is to sustain the humanitarian legacy of Madiba by supporting a number of organisations for 67 minutes each. It is our hope that our actions will inspire the communities we visit, motivate them to take charge of their destinies and change their circumstances for the better,” says Robyn Farrell, Executive Head of 1st for Women Insurance.

On 14 July, the team will visit Bethany Home in Johannesburg to plant a vegetable garden which will provide the organisation with fresh and nutritious produce. The bikers will refurbish an old jungle gym for the children who live at Bethany Home. The 1st for Women Foundation will donate R50 000 to the organisation to strengthen their efforts. Bethany Home was founded in 1989 as a shelter and place of rehabilitation for abused women and their children.

The bikers travel will then travel to Nelspruit, where a free screening* of the 2015 South African drama “Dis ek, Anna” will be hosted by Emnotweni. The movie – which will be screened at the Movies@Emntoweni cinema – tells the story of a young women, who avenges years of abuse suffered at the hands of her stepfather.

After the screening of the award-winning film, Charlene Brouwer, who plays the lead role in the film as well as Josina Machel daughter of Mrs Graça Machel will give educational and inspiring talks on sexual violence and abuse. Adding their voice to the campaign and appearing on stage with them will be Angie Khumalo, Karen Zoid, Karlien van Jaarsveld, DJ Fresh, Johrne van Huyssteen, Alex Caige, Dianne Broodryk and Mac Masina.

On Friday, 15 July, the team heads to Baberton where, together with GRIP (Greater Rape Intervention Project) they will refurbish an area at the Baberton Police Station used for their victim empowerment programme. This area is used to support and prepare victims of GBV, and is currently in a dire state. The 1st for Women Foundation will donate R50 000 to the GRIP to help support and assist survivors of sexual violence and raise awareness of sexual offences within the greater Nelspruit area (Mpumalanga).

The bikers will travel to Mozambique on Saturday, 16 July, and meet up with the Goodbye Malaria team. Founded by Nando’s, Goodbye Malaria’s aim is to educate and assist with the awareness around the fight against Malaria on the continent.

On Sunday, 17 July, the bikers will return to Nelspruit to refurbish the GRIP waiting, reception and consulting areas at the Rob Ferreira hospital in Nelspruit which is in desperate need of attention. The Bikers will again contribute to turning it into a more female friendly area for victims of abuse.

The last project to visit will be on Mandela day, Monday 18 July 2016 when the Bikers will work at Meetse a Bophelo in Mamelodi East. Apart from joining the team of Marsh, Africa’s pre-eminent insurance broker and risk advisor, on a major clean-up operation the group will aim to assist young people who have been orphaned, in foster homes or child headed households - often victims of rape and abuse - to help restore and instil hope, confidence and self-respect.

Bikers for Mandela day 2016 is made possible by 1st for Women Insurance and is supported by Nando’s, Landrover SA, TracN4, and Netcare 911. The SABC Foundation and Marsh Africa Pty Ltd will make donations in support of some of the organisations the Bikers visit along the route.

“We have crossed over 12 000 km’s since the inception of this initiative in 2010 and assisted over 20 charitable organisations through Bikers for Mandela day. We look forward to paying tribute to Madiba’s unwavering legacy once again. We believe that every small action of goodwill leads to a larger movement in the right direction,” concluded La Grange.

* The free screening of Dis ek, Anna will be on 14 July 2016 at 14h00 and 17h00 at Movies@ Emnotweni. Although in Afrikaans, the movie is subtitled in English. Seats are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. There is an age restriction of PG16.

For enquiries or interviews with any of the personalities involved, please contact Lee-Ann Collingridge, Flow Communications, on 011 440 4841 or 072 125 2826.