In the true spirit of Nelson Mandela Day, the SMU community left their offices, their work stations, dressed in overalls and embarked on operation topa-topa (clean-up operation) for more than 67 minutes.

Led by Prof de Beer SMU the Vice-Chancellor and Mr Tshepo Lechaba NEHAWU Chairperson, the volunteers divided into three groups. The one group went to Residence 1B, along with the Prof de Beer and Mr Lechaba and there, they scrubbed and mopped up the bathrooms and leaving them fresh and sparkling clean.

The second group, carrying black refuse bags, picked up the litter strewn outside the residences. The third group then cleaned all the litter around the main buildings including the parking lots where they picked up tons of dried up leaves.

At the end of the 67 minutes the community returned to their work stations confident that they have contributed to make the surrounds pristine. This collective action will hopefully contribute to raise the level of environmental consciousness of the university so that no one throws litter all over and more join the movement to pick up litter whenever they come across it, anywhere on campus. These local actions will go a long way to connect and enhance the global campaigns to create a better world, for future generations, just as Nelson Mandela did, spending 67 years of his life, in service of human kind.