Johannesburg - ANC Youth League members did volunteer work on Wednesday at a family welfare organisation in Khutsong on the West Rand run by an Afrikaner women's body.
They did so as part of their 67-minute contribution to mark former president Nelson Mandela's birthday on Wednesday.
SA Vrouefederasie regional manager for Carletonville, Suzette Oosthuizen, said: “There were a lot of people.”
She said the league visited a centre for the aged in the area and helped with the food gardens, which residents had been struggling to establish.
“For the elderly to work in the garden is a challenge,” said Oosthuizen.
They enjoyed having the young people over. “We should have it more often,” she said. Her wish was that someone would make a year-long commitment to help out.
League spokeswoman Khusela Sangoni-Khawe said: “As much as we speak about economic freedom, we understand the key components are about looking after people in general, including the elderly.”
It was irrelevant that the family welfare organisations they visited were run by Afrikaners.
“I don't think the divisions in our society are such that we (should) forget that we are one people,” she said.
Every year on Mandela's birthday, people are encouraged to donate 67 minutes of their time to some form of community service in his honour. - Sapa