In what would have been the 100th birthday for the late president Nelson Mandela, FUCHS Lubricants South Africa staff pledged their 67 minutes by establishing a self-sustainable vegetable garden at Bakgethwa Oprhan Centre in Ivory Park, Gauteng.

Bakgethwa was founded by Matankiso Makhetha in 2011, who opened her home to abandoned or orphaned children in the community. She saw the need to provide shelter and a home for these children, and sprung into action with virtually no assistance.

“This is an example of what active citizenship is all about and this is why FUCHS chose this home. We support active citizenship at all levels whether as individuals or corporates and recognise that we can all make a difference to improve the lives of others if we care to,” said Esther Seabi, Transformation Executive at FUCHS Lubricants.

FUCHS staff worked alongside the children at the centre preparing the garden, which will benefit the centre in the long-term, producing various vegetables including beans, carrots and spinach. The seed gamification is expected to take seven to 14 days before the sprouts appear. A staff volunteer, who is also a keen gardener, will lead a team that will go out on weekends to assist with the upkeep as well as train and coach the children on how to take care of the garden.

“There are currently 13 children living at the home aged between 3 and 15 years. We are grateful for the garden which will go a long way in helping alleviate the money we spend on food, especially healthy vegetables for the children,” said Ms Matankiso.

"We are proud to have pledged our time and service as part of the Mandela Day centenary celebrations. We want to honour his legacy and let him be remembered," said Paul Deppe, MD FUCHS Lubricants SA.

“As FUCHS Lubricants, we are dedicated to seeing the upliftment of our people and communities and this project is one way for us to give back,” he said.