As South Africans prepare to honour Nelson Mandela Day on Saturday, 18 July, thousands of handcrafted blankets, scarves, and other lovingly created items will make their way into communities across the country as 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day once again mobilises one of South Africa’s largest volunteer movements.
Throughout July, hundreds of KnitWits, schools, businesses, community organisations and volunteers will gather in shopping centres, hospitals, clinics, public parks and community spaces to knit, distribute and share warmth with people who need it most. From public knitting events and the much-loved Secret Scarves Shhh campaign to large-scale blanket handovers and community outreach programmes, the movement will once again transform simple acts of kindness into tangible expressions of Madiba’s legacy.
This year’s programme includes public knitting activations, the much-loved Secret Scarves Shhh campaign, large-scale blanket handovers and community outreach events across Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Free State.
One of the highlights of Mandela Day will be the second annual partnership between 67 Blankets and City Sightseeing Johannesburg (Red Bus). Travelling through Johannesburg CBD and surrounding areas with KnitWits handing out hundreds of hand-knitted scarves, spreading warmth, kindness and meaningful human connection in honour of Nelson Mandela’s legacy.
“Mandela Day reminds us that kindness is something we do, not something we simply talk about,” says Annie Robinson Grealy, Chief Operating Officer of 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day. “Across South Africa, our KnitWits have spent months creating thousands of handcrafted blankets, scarves, and other items that will find their way into communities this winter. Every handover is made possible by volunteers who believe that dignity begins with compassion, and every item carries the message that someone cares. We invite South Africans to join us at our public activations and experience the extraordinary impact of ordinary people working together.”
The annual campaign is made possible by hundreds of volunteers who knit throughout the year to ensure people facing South Africa’s harsh winter receive not only warmth, but also dignity, comfort and the knowledge that someone cared enough to make something by hand especially for them.
The Secret Scarves Shhh campaign has become one of 67 Blankets’ best-loved Mandela Day traditions. Colourful handcrafted scarves are tied to fences and public spaces with handwritten notes inviting anyone who needs one to simply take one.
“When we started 67 Blankets, we dreamed of creating warmth, but what has grown over the years is so much bigger than blankets,” says Carolyn Steyn, founder of 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day. “We have built a community that connects people through generosity, creativity and kindness. Every scarf tied to a fence, blanket wrapped around someone’s shoulders and every conversation shared reminds us that Madiba’s legacy lives on through our actions. If each of us can make even one person feel seen, valued and cared for, then together we really can change lives, one stitch at a time.”
2026 Mandela Day Activations
GAUTENG
Tuesday, 14 July – Sunday, 19 July | All day – Bedford Centre – Sit ‘n Knit & Learn.
Wednesday, 15 July – Friday, 31 July | 18:00–21:00 – Hyde Park Corner Centre Court – Made for Living launch and Secret Scarves installation.
Thursday, 16 July | 08:30 – Witkoppen Clinic, Cedar Lakes Group – Secret Scarves handover.
Thursday, 16 July | 10:00 – The Family Africa, 879 Buffalo Street, Diepsloot – Scarf handover
Thursday, 16 – Sunday, 19 July – Ferndale on Republic – Learn to knit or crochet for 67 minutes.
Thursday, 16 July – West Rand Oncology Department – Knee rugs handover.
Friday, 17 July | 09:00 – Weltevreden Park Government Clinic – Secret Scarves handout.
Friday, 17 July | 13:00–15:00 – Dainfern Taxi Rank (Outside Fourways Crossing) – Secret Scarves Handover.
Friday, 17 July | 14:00 – Midrand West Clinic – Secret Scarves.
Saturday, 18 July | 9:00 – City Sightseeing Red Bus departs from Oxford Road, Rosebank and travels through Johannesburg CBD doing Secret Scarf handovers and community engagement.
Saturday, 18 July | 10:30 – Rosebank Union Church – Secret Scarves.
WESTERN CAPE
Wednesday, 15 July | 14:30 – Kromboom Park, Athlone – Scarves, meals and fruit.
Saturday, 18 July | 15:00 – Maynardville Park – Kekel en Kraai Group – Secret Scarves handover.
Saturday, 18 – Sunday, 19 July – Pinelands Library – Knit Squares Together.
Tuesday, 21 July – Protea Cancer House, Tygerberg Hospital – Blankets and bed socks handover.
Thursday, 23 July | 12:00 – House of Thebiso, Langeberg Glen – Blankets, baby goods and soft toys.
EASTERN CAPE
Friday, 17 July | 15:00 – Mount Pleasant, Gqeberha – Warmth in Every Stitch Secret Scarves.
KWAZULU-NATAL
Wednesday, 15 July | 09:30–12:00 – Springside Café, Hillcrest.
FREE STATE
Thursday, 16 July | 10:00 – Invitation to Squares for Mandela Day – 25 Monument Road, General de Wet, Bloemfontein.
Saturday, 18 July | 11:00 – Kommisdrift, Thaba Nchu – Blanket, scarf and soup handover with Her Majesty Kgosi Gaboilelwe Moroka and GBFS of St Patrick Church.
