South African Minister Ebrahim Patel launches Mandela Fashion Award for Designers, Scholarships & other Living Memorials

 South African Minister of Economic Development – Ebrahim Patel

With the passing of a great icon, there are always ways to remember them. For Nelson Mandela, it was his love for mankind, his works of humanitarianism and the struggle against apartheid that freed the South African people. Now, we can add three more accolades to the South African giant as the South African Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel has announced the launch of 3 living memorials to the legacy of Nelson Mandela.

Addressing a group of workers in the Pep Clothing Factory memorial service for Mandela in Cape Town, he announced a Mandela Scholarship to 10 university students, a Madiba School Bursary for 100 primary or high school children with disabilities and special needs and a Mandela Fashion Award for designers who promote local jobs and fashion innovation.

The memorials are to be sponsored by the South African Clothing and Textiles Workers Union(SACTWU).

Speaking at the event, Ebrahim said “These awards speak to three key things we remember Madiba for: his passion for education, his love for children and of course, and his colourful shirts. They ensure that the memory of a great man is carried forward in acts that transform the lives of people. The result was that the previous offer by the National Party government for wide scale tariff reduction was replaced with a more balanced trade agreement that has helped to save tens of thousands of clothing and textile jobs. It is the measure of the man that he did this while he was in Norway in December 1993, ready to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.”

 The memorial gathering was marked by songs on the life of Madiba, as Afrikaans and Xhosa speaking workers stood patiently in the sun during the open air gathering at the country’s largest clothing factory.

 By Jennifer Obiuwevbi