iStart2Sing from the Mountain Tops of Rustler's Valley ...

"We have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans both black and white will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity – a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world " – Nelson Mandela

Sello Hatang (CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation) shares the legacy

 of Madiba with the Naledi Village Community in Rustler's Valley.

"We say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the challenges of a sustainable world today and tomorrow, We still have a dream... It is a dream deeply rooted in the words of Nelson Mandela...

We have a dream that one day South Africa will rise up and live out the true meaning of Madiba's dream: "A world where the truth is self-evident: that all diverse people imagine a new future and a sustainable world together."

We have a dream that one day in the streets of every village. town and city our sons and daughters will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

We have a dream that one day even the World, a world sweltering with the heat of war, sweltering with the heat of climate change, will be transformed into an oasis of sustainability and peace.

We have a dream that the son of the sons of our sons will one day live in a world where they will not be affected by the greed of politicians, religious and business leaders, but by the actions of the character of leaders who create a sustainable world.

We have a dream today.

We have a dream that one day, all over the World, with its vicious extremists, with its leaders having their lips dripping with the words of division and denial; one day right here in the World, little Christian boys and girls will be able to join hands with little Muslim, Atheist, Agnostic and Hindu boys and girls as sisters and brothers.

We have a dream today.

We have a dream that one day every village, town and city shall have food, water and energy, the polluted places will be made clean, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of a united South Africa shall be revealed, and everybody shall see it together.

A new dawn beckons ...

This is our hope. This is the faith that we go back into the World with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our world into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to build together, to struggle together, to green together, to stand up for a sustainable world together, knowing that we will save this earth..

This will be the day when all the children of the World will be able to sing with a new meaning, "iStart2 sing from the mountain side..."

And if Madiba's dream is our dream this must become true. So let sustainability sing from the prodigious mountaintops of Rustler's Valley. Let sustainability sing from the mighty deserts of the Kalahari. Let sustainability sing from the diverse geography of the Cradle of Mankind, from the frightening waters of the Cape of Storms!

Let sustainability sing from the snowcapped Mountains of the Drakensberg in Kwazulu Natal...

Let sustainability sing from the curvaceous land of the Free State! Let it sing from Table Mountain to the Northwest...

But not only that; let sustainability sing from Mpumalanga to the Eastern Cape, from the Northern Cape to Mapungubwe!

Let sustainability sing from the Valley of a Thousand Hills!

Let sustainability sing from every township in Gauteng. From every province, let sustainability sing a song together.

And when this happens, when we allow a sustainable world, when we let it sing from every village and every town, from every city and every country, we will be able to speed up that day when all the children, abled and disabled, black men and white men, religious and non-religious people will be able to join hands and sing in the words of Nelson Mandela: "We have triumphed ..."
 (With Apology to Martin Luther King) 

"Rustler's Valley is sacred..."

 ... says Jay Naidoo whilst watching the community members of The Naledi Village gathering in the school classroom on a chilly Good Friday over the long weekend. A community who has become the proud owners in their own right to the 40 hectares of land housing EarthRise Mountain Lodge and the surrounding farm.

They have partnered with the non-profit EarthRise Trust to co-create a vision and strategy to develop community-driven livelihoods. Now, with exciting farming initiatives being developed and the lodge reconstruction complete, Naledi is entering a new phase of growth and development. The Naledi Village is the heart of Rustler's Valley ... 

 Japie Lephatsi and Anton Chaka, community elders in discussion with 

former Food and Allied Workers Union general secretary Mandla Gxanyana

 Anton Chaka explains the benefits of solar lights and thanks 

iStart2 and the WakaWaka Foundation 

for their generous contribution.

 The Naledi Community in Rustler's Valley starts2! 

A truly sacred place...

Follow our story and tune in to the iStart2 Show on Thursday 31 March 2016 at 17h30 for interviews with Jay Naidoo, Gino Govender and Anton Chaka to find out more about the exciting happenings at Rustler's Valley.
 
Pierre du Toit & Keitu Gwangwa host the iStart2 Show on Thursdays at 17h30. Radio Today broadcasts on 1485 MW (AM) in greater Johannesburg and countrywide on ‪#‎DStv‬ audio channel 869. Radio Today also streams globally on www.1485.org.za.

Thank you to the community of Rustler's Valley for your wonderful hospitality. We left with hope for a better, sustainable future!

Upcoming events:

We hope to see you there! 

Tickets available here