‘Voluntourism’ seizes Mandela Day Donkin celebrations

NELSON Mandela Day, July 18, dawned warm with mild winds, a rarity for the Windy City, Port Elizabeth.  Smiles, sounds of laughter, and the excitement of Nelson Mandela Day filled the air in Central in the early afternoon of uTata Madiba’s 93rd birthday.

Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism (NMBT) and a host of cleaning volunteers swarmed upon a section of the Donkin Heritage Trail in a cleanup initiative aimed at restoring the appearance of historical sites in the city.

Glove on one hand and garbage bag in the other, volunteers cheerfully picked up garbage and cleaned the attractions and streets along the trail, giving 67-minutes of volunteer time as a tribute to world icon and city namesake Nelson Mandela.

“NMBT has taken the initiative to clean up the city’s attractions so as to enhance the quality of tourism attractions in Nelson Mandela Bay,” said NMBT chief executive Mandlakazi Skefile, adding that this was only the beginning of the cleanup effort, which would spread to other significant attractions in the city.

Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Zanoxolo Wayile, in blue overalls, joined the cleanup and encouraged volunteers – many of them NMBT members – to offer their assistance everyday and not only on Nelson Mandela Day.

Over 120 people attended and the group collected over 250 bags of trash along the route – the equivalent of 2,5-tonnes of refuse. “This was an amazing feat of volunteerism and solidarity” said NMBT marketing manager, Titus Chuene. 

The cleanup started at the Donkin Reserve, moving past historical gems Fort Frederick, the Athenaeum building, Number Seven Castle Hill, the Opera House and back to the Donkin Reserve. NMBT conceptualised the proactive campaign to clean the historical sites, which have in the past received little attention, but are again gaining prominence after city efforts to reinvigorate the CBD.

“Mandela Day provided the perfect opportunity for us to launch an initiative to clean up the attractions and to encourage residents to get involved – given the loss of some of the city’s other tourism icons. Even though it is not NMBT’s responsibility to clean up the sites, it reflects badly on the city as a whole if these crucial sites are not maintained in good order. This is what prompted us to conceptualize and launch the clean-up idea,” said Chuene.

Management and maintenance of the Donkin Trail is the responsibility of the tourism, culture, heritage and museums sub-directorate at the municipality.

“We would like to thank all the volunteers who gave of their time to come and join us on this initiative. It is truly a reflection of the calibre of people in the Friendly City. As we organize more of these events, with a view to getting more volunteers involved with tourism in the city, we hope to see you there,” added Chuene.