Nelson Mandela Childrens Hospital

Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital

In 2012 Barloworld made a commitment to the development of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital by offering to provide access to Caterpillar equipment for site development where the hospital is to be built. We have committed R2.3 million to its establishment so far, including access to R1.5 million’s worth of Cat Rental equipment for earthworks and an Avis-branded passenger vehicle over two years, worth R100 000.

We made this commitment to the children’s hospital because as a company and individuals we are inspired by Madiba’s unparalleled stature as a global icon, a statesman and role model who had the courage of his convictions and lived his true values. This project is also very much aligned to Barloworld’s value system and belief that communities and business are inextricably linked, a belief that has spanned the 112 years of us being in business as a proudly South African company.

Tuesday, 20 March 2014, marked a memorable day when Barloworld was invited to attend the official ground-breaking ceremony held at the proposed hospital site in Parktown, to mark the beginning of the journey towards the realisation of Madiba’s vision for the children on the African continent and the world. We have a history of collaborating on signature Mandela projects, such as the building of the Nelson Mandela Barloworld Agricultural High School, a gift to the communities of the Rain Queen in Modjadji, Limpopo Province.

It was a humbling experience to be part of this historic occasion with South African dignitaries and personalities, and international funders, hosted by Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust CEO and Barloworld non-executive director, Ms Sibongile Mkhabela, the unveiling of the place where the children of southern Africa, our future leaders, can come to be healed and nurtured irrespective of their social and economic status. This will be another one of Madiba’s important legacies; as Barloworld we are proud to have been given the opportunity to be part of it.

Madiba’s legacy lives on in the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital and its immense impact will be felt for generations to come; and so will our legacy as Barloworld, through each and every child who benefits from the hospital.