If you are still stuck in a rut about what to do this Thursday for Mandela Day, you could use your 67 minutes to build a kennel for a township animal this winter.
The Mdzananda Animal Clinic, based in Khayelitsha, is hosting its kennel building event after a 3-year hiatus.
Nelson Mandela Day is commemorated across the globe day in honour of Nelson Mandela, on 18 July, which is the day he was born. The first UN Mandela Day was held on 18 July 2010.

The NPO says 2 events will be hosted to accommodate the public and work groups. A public kennel building day will take place on Thursday, while a corporate kennel building day will be held on Saturday. You can use your 67 minutes at any point from 9am until 2pm.
READ MORE: Mandela Day with FoodForward SA
“Winter can be very cold in Cape Town with icy temperatures, heavy rains and gale force winds. In the Khayelitsha township, only a small number of pets have shelter or can sleep indoors. Many pets sleep outside without blankets or kennels,” said Marcelle du Plessis, Fundraising, Communications and Programmes Executive.

In 2019, 35 kennels were built. These kennels were made from donated, dismantled wooden pallets. Completed kennels were handed out to community pets in need of shelter.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BE PREPARED
Wood and instruction manuals on how to build a kennel will be provided. Participants need to bring a measuring tape, pencil, hammer and paintbrush per person. If participants wish to bring any extra nails, varnish, paint, hand saws or anything to make their kennel pretty it will be welcomed but is not essential.

The cost to participate is donation based and space is limited to 100 people per event. The organisation aims to raise R67 000. Booking is essential. Tickets for the public event can be bought on Quicket at www.qkt.io/kennelbuild2024 and bookings for the corporate event can be made by emailing marcelle@mdzananda.co.za