PICS: Fresh cuts on Mandela Day

A community organisation partnered with barbers and hairdressers to give the laaities fresh looks for the opening of schools.

The Development Centre for Community Upliftment from Belhar gave their 67 minutes for Mandela Day and also handed out hygiene packs.

Founder Camelita Reizenburg says: “We held the event from 10am until 4pm. Our event was to get the scholars ready for school. We gave 67 haircuts for boys, 67 hair braids for girls and 67 hygiene packs.

“We partnered with barbers in the community to give free haircuts to the boys, each barber donated 67 minutes and the same with the ladies for the girls hair.”

Part of their programme was to explain to the young kids the reason for celebrating Mandela Day.

“We had lunch and we had motivational talks while their hair was being done,” says Camelita.

Barber Hashim Jacobs says he enjoyed giving back to his community: “I’m doing this voluntarily, it was a privilege to cut their hair and see a smile on their face.”

Wayde van der Ross, 13, said he was very excited that he would go to school with a new look: “It feels really good to have people giving us free haircuts.”

Camelita says they hope to make it an annual event.

“What stood out yesterday was the smiles on the scholars’ faces. I also assisted a six-year-old that was in need of a wash, blow and dry whose parents are both drug addicts.

“Our partners were the Huguenot square library including volunteer barbers Keanen Kok and Washeem Jacob and ladies from the community, Keesha Engelbrecht and Jacqueline Dirtks.”

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