Empact Group volunteers pull 520kg of waste from the Umgeni River in Mandela Day work planned to last well past the day itself

Volunteers from Empact Group and its catering division Feedem removed 160 bags of waste, weighing a combined 520kg, from the Umgeni River and Beachwood Mangroves in Durban last week, working alongside the Litterboom Project as part of a wider set of Nelson Mandela Day activities across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

From food gardens and food parcels to the removal of more than half a tonne of waste, Empactors supported projects designed to endure after 18 July. Mandela Day draws thousands of South Africans into acts of service each year. The more important question is what remains once the volunteers have packed up and gone home.

For Empact Group and its catering division Feedem, this year’s answer lay in practical projects with a longer life: vegetable gardens at care facilities and children’s homes, food parcels for families in need and the removal of 520 kilograms of waste from the Beachwood Mangroves in Durban.

Employees across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape took part in the national initiative, combining immediate support with projects intended to deliver value after Mandela Day had passed.

“Mandela Day gives businesses an opportunity to examine the value their contribution creates,” says Group Human Resources Executive, Salwa Albertyn. “We wanted our employees’ time and effort to result in something practical, whether that was food reaching a child, vegetables growing in a garden or waste being removed from a sensitive natural environment.” 

The work began at Empact Group’s head office, where employees from Empact and Feedem packed non-perishable food and essential supplies for No More Victims in Eldorado Park and Wings of Inspiration in Krugersdorp.

The parcels were packed, loaded and prepared for delivery by Johannesburg-based employees. Gardening tools and vegetable seedlings were also sent to the children’s homes ahead of the planting activities.

In Gauteng, teams visited the No More Victims homes and Wings of Inspiration. Employees prepared the soil, added fertiliser and planted vegetable gardens intended to provide a continuing source of fresh produce for the homes and the children in their care.

On the southern tip of our country, employees from Empact’s Cape Town office visited Alta Du Toit, a residential care facility for people with intellectual disabilities. The team spent time with residents and planted vegetable gardens to support the facility’s food supply.

KwaZulu-Natal employees focused on the natural environment. Working with the Litterboom Project, the team cleaned the Beachwood Mangroves on the Umgeni River, removing 160 bags of litter and pollutants with a combined weight of 520 kilograms.

The mangroves form part of a sensitive coastal habitat where waste carried by rivers and stormwater systems can accumulate, threatening plant life, wildlife and surrounding waterways. Removing more than half a tonne of debris gave the team’s contribution a clear and measurable result.

“Corporate volunteering carries greater weight when it responds to an identified need,” says Albertyn. “The purpose was to support the organisations and environments involved in a useful way, rather than simply complete an annual activity.”

Empactors also donated clothing, toys and other essential items to the children’s homes.

Taken together, the projects addressed different forms of need. Food parcels provided immediate support. Vegetable gardens created the prospect of future harvests. The mangrove clean-up removed a substantial volume of pollution from a vulnerable natural area.

The initiative also gave employees across the business a direct opportunity to put Empact Group’s value of care into practice.

“Our colleagues gave their time, energy and effort generously,” adds Albertyn. “The result can be seen in food delivered, gardens planted and hundreds of kilograms of waste removed.”

Mandela Day may place service in the national spotlight for one day each year, but its value rests in what follows. For the communities and environments supported by Empact Group and Feedem, the work was planned with that longer view in mind.