In 2009, Nelson Mandela gifted the world his birthday as an international day of service. 2023 marks 105 years since Madiba was born.
This year, the race begins at Houghton Primary School and follows the route Nelson Mandela walked for exercise when he lived in Houghton. The suburb was the home of President Mandela for a number of years when he returned from Robben Island. His 13th venue address has been converted into Sanctuary Mandela, a boutique hotel and convening space.
Houghton Estate is also the suburb that hosts the Nelson Mandela Centre for Memory, where the Foundation is housed. Madiba was often seen walking in the suburb. Many have wonderful memories of unplanned and surprise encounters and chats with the statesman.
The Foundation calls upon everyone to use Mandela Day as a day that brings people together to take action against poverty and advance the project of nation-building. This year’s theme for Mandela Day is Climate, Food and Solidarity and our call to action is “Its in your hands” to take action against climate change.
This year the Mandela Day Walk and Run will include 5km, 10km and 21km routes and will be held in partnership with Balwin Properties, Supabets, Discovery Vitality, Clover, Vision Tactical, Mahindra, Brand SA, Power FM and INX TV.
The race will start at 08h00 on Sunday, 16 July 2023, and will be timed with Discovery Vitality who are offering points for Vitality members who participate. Tickets are available at https://www.nelsonmandela.org/activities/entry/mandela-day-houghton-run, starting at R100 for the 5km walk, R150 for the 10km run and R200 for the 21km run. All race proceeds will go towards continuing the work of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
For more information, please visit https://www.nelsonmandela.org/activities/entry/mandela-day-houghton-run or http://onreg.com/mandeladay23.
