Casual Day project leader Vanessa du Plessis says; “We are privileged to be working with some very passionate young people who have not let their disability get in the way of them making a contribution to society. Casual Day plays a significant part in realising the dream of equality and justice for all and our ambassadors are excellent examples of how we can all emulate Madiba to be changemakers in our world."

“Their role is one of self-advocacy and inspiration in spreading the Casual Day message to a wider audience. They will be leading by example and demonstrating how giving a little to make a difference to the life of someone else, can start changing the world around you.”

Casual Day is South Africa’s most successful fundraising project for persons with disabilities – and the amount raised for last year has climbed to R28-million. Sponsored by The Edcon Group, Casual Day is the flagship project of the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA), which, this year, celebrates 75 years of service to the community of persons with disabilities.

Casual Day changes lives one R10 sticker at a time. The ambassadors are there to give society a deeper understanding of the world of disability and how to make the world a more respectful and nurturing place for everybody.

Some of the new ambassadors that will be celebrating Mandela Day on 18 July this year include; Javelin champion Junior Mavuso, Paralympic swimmer Adri Visser, Miss Deaf Lefa Manamela, author Nenio Mbazima, and counsellor Kutloano Olga Mokoena.

The new ambassadors join long-time ambassadors , 2J Harmonix, Thuli Matlala and the Think Beyond team, Khumo Moyane and Patrick Mashegwana, in promoting inclusion and accessibility for persons with disabilities.

Concludes Vanessa du Plessis; “These ambassadors, who were chosen because they demonstrate an active commitment to the promotion of disability awareness, exemplify good citizenship and are capable of acting as influential advocates for disability, have been welcomed in time to take part in our Mandela Day activations.”

The over-arching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better – this is what Casual Day beneficiary organisations will be doing on Friday, 4 September.

For more information, visit www.casualday.co.za. Alternatively connect with them on Facebook or Twitter.