This Mandela Day, South Africans are encouraged to support mental health by donating, volunteering or partnering with SADAG to ensure no call for help goes unanswered.
Every day, thousands of South Africans contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) seeking support for depression, anxiety, trauma, suicide crises and other mental health challenges. For many, making that first call is one of the bravest decisions they will ever make.
Unlike many public services, SADAG receives no government funding. Its free mental health services are sustained through donations, corporate partnerships and the generosity of individuals who believe everyone deserves access to support, regardless of their financial circumstances.
As Mandela Day approaches on 18 July, the organisation is encouraging South Africans to dedicate their 67 minutes to protecting mental health and ensuring that life-saving services remain available to those who need them most.
Every donation helps keep SADAG’s free Suicide Crisis Helplines operating, supports volunteer counsellors and enables thousands of calls, WhatsApp conversations and online requests for assistance to be answered each month.
Individuals can contribute by making a Mandela Day donation of R67, giving a once-off contribution or becoming a monthly donor to help sustain the organisation’s long-term work.
SADAG is also appealing for donations in kind, including laptops, second-hand computer equipment, stationery and winter essentials such as blankets, shoes and clothing for community mental health organisations it supports.
Those wanting to give their time can volunteer alongside the SADAG team by helping refresh community counselling containers in Diepsloot and Ivory Park, visiting call centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town or KwaZulu-Natal, or supporting school outreach programmes that promote conversations around mental health and suicide prevention.
The organisation believes every act of generosity, whether through time, resources or financial support, helps strengthen South Africa’s mental health safety net.
This Mandela Day, SADAG is reminding South Africans that 67 minutes can become far more than a symbolic gesture. It can help answer another call, provide another counselling session and offer hope to someone facing one of the most difficult moments of their life.
