The honorable MEC for Health Mr. Sicelo Gqobana led the department to celebrate Nelson Mandela's 93rd birthday in the community of Xonxa in Lady Frere.
To mark the 67 minutes, the MEC together with senior departmental officials embarked on a community project and painted the Nxoxa clinic and handed out food parcels to the needy families in the village. Celebrating the former statesman's birthday, the MEC also handed out blankets to the excited villagers who performed stimulating songs to demonstrate their appreciation.
Addressing the community, the MEC said Mandela decided to leave school to fight for this country's freedom. "Mandela realized that the life that our parents were living was not conducive under the oppressors and decided to leave to fight for freedom. We have to celebrate because on this day in Qunu in 1918 a boy of his caliber was born and changed the lives of the South Africans", Gqobana said.
The MEC also brought a change to the life of a 35year-old physically disabled Mr Mrwebi, he gave the bed-ridden man a wheelchair. Speaking on behalf of his son, mother Nongakubani Mrwebi could not hold her tears and said her son has been unable to move around and to get outside the house. "My son was physically disabled from birth and has been confined in bed for the rest of his life. We only take him out of the house when we go for check-ups to the hospital, that's when he gets to see the sun," said the excited mother.
The MEC said Mrwebi would be trained by nurses in the clinic until he is able to use the wheelchair.
To mark the birthday celebrations, the MEC cut the cake while the community was singing birthday songs wishing Madiba a happy birthday.