Unlimited 67

Unlimited 67 minutes of service is probably not the brightest of ideas, and perhaps it’s a little old-fashioned of me to write about a subject that is somewhat out of date. But where better to hide if not behind the tagline “Make every day a Mandela Day”.

Don’t get me wrong. This is not an attempt to discredit anybody who has made an effort to visit an orphanage, paint the walls of a dilapidated school, bring toys for the less fortunate or render cleaning services to an old-age home. But just how much of a difference does this service make?
There are hundreds of reasons Nelson Mandela is recognised all over the world, because he has made massive and disproportionate contributions to the wellbeing of all humanity. Even so, there is one that stands out, and certainly the primary reason South Africans have dedicated the month of July to making their own little contributions to society in honour of this remarkable man.
The astonishing fact is that he was imprisoned for 27 years, and upon his release came back the same man he was prior to his incarceration, a master advocate for a non-sexist, nonracial and democratic South Africa.

Justifiably, Madiba is possessed of a rare personality trait: an infinite capacity to serve. Nonetheless, each of us has the potential to make far greater contributions to society. It’s how much we embrace our infinite capabilities that determines our capacity to effect change. As Mahatma Gandhi clearly stated: “A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes.”

In a country where so many of us live in despair, why not do a 67 that matters and save the future of 67 students facing deregistration at varsity, put up 67 tanks in towns where people can donate old clothes to the have-nots, donate 67 mobile libraries to 67 communities every year, or simply do a 67 not limited to minutes.

Nelson Mandela paved the way. Let us in the same spirit give fellow South Africans an unlimited 67 of service.