Mandela Day: Khorixas youth serve community, bring dignity to inmates

In the spirit of Mandela Day and its call to “make every day a day of service”, a group of dynamic young people in Khorixas are taking matters, along with rakes, brooms and scissors, into their own hands.On Friday, the group plans to carry out two community initiatives in honour of the day: cleaning the town’s only playground and offering free haircuts and sanitation products to inmates at the Khorixas Police Station jail.“We are not trying to change the world in one day,” said Clemans Miyanicwe, founder of the Khorixas Young-Up Movement. “But we are doing our small part. If we wait for someone else to act, we might wait forever – meanwhile snakes are nesting in our playgrounds," he said.The playground, known as Khorixas Speelgrond, has fallen into disrepair, with overgrown grass, stubborn weeds, unruly trees and a makeshift dumpsite along the fence turning it from a safe haven into a safety hazard for children.Mandela Day is an annual global celebration that takes place on 18 July to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela.This is not the first time the playground has received attention. In 2022, it was cleaned by Rural Dialogue Namibia under Miyanicwe’s leadership, also in honour of Mandela Day.“Clearly, the weeds didn’t get the memo that Mandela stood for a cleaner, better society,” he quipped.A right to dignityThis year’s efforts extend beyond the playground.The team plans to offer basic haircuts and hygiene items to up to 50 trial-awaiting inmates at the local police station holding cells. Local barber Ellis Geiriseb has volunteered his services free of charge.“Just because someone is behind bars does not mean we forget their humanity,” Miyanicwe said. “Let’s not forget: these are people awaiting trial, and as the Constitution reminds us, they are innocent until proven guilty. They deserve dignity too.”So far, the Khorixas constituency office has contributed refuse bags and Khorixas Community Radio has helped spread awareness.But more is needed, especially water, juice, food for the volunteers and toiletries like soap, toothpaste, washing powder and other basic hygiene products for the inmates.“We want to make this a regular thing, every third month or whenever the need arises,” Miyanicwe explained. “But for that, we need more than goodwill. We need real community support; it is time to give back.”He added: “Mandela laid the foundation. We are just patching the cracks and maybe trimming a few branches while we are at it.”

Mandela Day: Khorixas youth serve community, bring dignity to inmates

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-16

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Mandela Day: Khorixas youth serve community, bring dignity to inmates

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-16

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