LET’S GET TOGETHER THIS MANDELA DAY
Community Chest of the Western Cape is proud to partner with Young Urbanists in a unique Mandela Celebration this year. We are bringing South Africans from all walks of life together to create the longest ever Bree Street Langtafel where we will sit as equals and break bread together.
And we want you to join us in making the event possible.
The Mandela Day Langtafel will take place on Saturday, 18 July or Sunday 19 July, weather dependant.
Outlined below are all the details of how you could get involved. Should the event be cancelled due to adverse weather, donations can be refunded.
Please feel free to contact me directly or the Head of Marketing and Communications, Tanya Nefdt, on (021) 487 1500 / tanya@comchest.org.za should you have any questions.
We look forward to being seated alongside you.
Best regards,
Peter Heeger, CEO
Cell: 082 882 1313
Email: peter@comchest.org.za
Nelson Mandela
Langtafel on Bree Street
Mandela Day 2026, 18th of July
Adopt a Block:
This Mandela Day, Community Chest and Young Urbanists will transform Bree Street into the Mandela Day Langtafel on Bree, a public long table from Wale to Strand Street, including one section of Shortmarket Street. The Langtafel will form part of Bree Street Sundays on 18 July, from 10:00 to 17:00. We expect over 1,600 people seated at the table, with more than 3,000 people attending the open street.
The project responds to this year’s Mandela Day theme, “It is in your hands to combat poverty and inequality”, by creating a shared civic action in the heart of the city. People can bring food, buy from local restaurants, volunteer, donate, or support meals for others.
We are inviting businesses and organisations to adopt one of only fi ve street blocks. Your support will help provide tables, seating, volunteer support, and the practical elements needed to bring Cape Town together around one table.
The proposed blocks are Wale to Church, Church to Shortmarket, Shortmarket Street from Loop to Bree, Shortmarket to Hout, Hout to Castle, and Castle to Strand.
On the day, we are planning to feed between 300 and 500 people experiencing homelessness with the same meal that others will be able to buy from participating restaurants, so that everyone can sit together, share the same street, and break bread at one table.
The lead partners are Community Chest, Young Urbanists NPC, and Studio H. Mission for Inner City Cape Town may also join as a partner.
One street.
One long table.
One shared meal for the city.
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About Bree St Sundays / Open Streets Experiments and Young Urbanists NPC:
Bree Street Sundays is an Open Streets initiative in the Cape Town CBD, developed by Young Urbanists NPC with Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, and supported by the Safe Passage Programme and Mission for Inner City Cape Town.
For Mandela Day, the Langtafel will use this open street to create one long public table where Cape Town can eat, volunteer, donate, and break bread together.
Young Urbanists NPC is a platform for open dialogue, engagement and action aimed at challenging the apartheid legacies we face in our cities. It brings together a growing network of practitioners, activists, government officials, civil society leaders and academics working toward more inclusive, accessible and sustainable South African cities.
About Community Chest:
For 98 years, Community Chest has been connecting donors, businesses and communities to create meaningful and measurable social impact. As one of South Africa's longest-standing and most trusted non-profit organisations, we are constantly exploring innovative ways for Corporates to give back. Our five core focus areas are health, education, income generation, community development and humanitarian relief. Together we can build a nation of Active Citizenship.
About Studio H:
Studio H is a culinary-minded design team that offers creative brand solutions. We specialise in content production, trend reports and forecasting, recipe development, as well as the designing of immersive brand experiences and spaces all over the world. Our work is driven by the senses, defined by science and innovation, and our approach is deeply rooted in exploring a sustainable future.
About Mission For Inner City Cape Town:
The Mission for Inner City Cape Town is a new non-profit entity designed to enhance and promote South Africa’s most successful Inner City by bringing government, businesses, and people together to reimagine and revive our streets and public spaces for all. At the heart of The Mission is the belief that the Inner City is not just a physical space, but a living, evolving environment created by those who use it. The Mission will work to unlock the full potential of the Inner City by delivering innovative placemaking interventions and effective destination marketing in collaboration with the City of Cape Town, Central City Improvement District (CCID), and other agencies and initiatives.
