Volkswagen Group South Africa has thrown its weight behind the Letsema Circle, a pathfinder programme for health reform in the Eastern Cape, by sponsoring them with an Amarok and T5 Kombi to further their work. The handover took place at the vehicle manufacturer’s Uitenhage plant on Monday 6 June 2011.
The Letsema Circle, with Dr Mamphela Ramphele as its Founder, works in close partnership with the Eastern Cape Department of Health. In the province, the Letsema Circle is present in Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and the Intsika Yethu and King Sabata Dalindyebo municipalities.
The organisation makes use of an approach which involves a high degree of citizen engagement and state effectiveness. It encourages individuals and communities to confront their lack of self-confidence and self-respect and support one another in the healing process. The reaffirmation of the human dignity of all people regardless of poverty and life circumstances, coupled with the promotion of the power of collective action, has released enormous energy in all the communities it reaches.
“The Letsema Circle envisions self-reliant communities in which its people ‘Walk Together’ as one and with community partners to build a community of which they can be proud,” said Dr Ramphele.
“It then activates and mobilises members of communities to find their own solutions towards improving their living conditions, whether it be in the areas of health, education, food security or income security,” she continued.
“Finally, we then help them to find ways to work with the other partners who have an interest in the community,” said Ramphele.
Early fruits of the Letsema Circle’s collective effort:
- Nurses in Uitenhage have undergone a remarkable mind-set shift which has led to shorter waiting times and a better patient experience.
- Schools in Cofimvaba have adopted the approach to get leaners to consider how their lifestyle affects their dreams.
- A soup kitchen at Mqanduli used to accept charitable donations from a local retail store, but now produces surplus fresh produce from the communal gardens that not only make them self-reliant, but also able to generate a profit that can be used within the community.
“Tackling some of the more rural areas of the Eastern Cape, we understand that the team always goes beyond the call of duty battling logistical and infrastructural challenges, to which we hope our sponsorship will go a far way,” said Volkswagen Group South Africa Managing Director, David Powels.
“One of our goals is to be a Company with meaning and impact, and we understand that our long term success depends upon – and therefore must contribute to – the health of the economy, environment and society,” he said.
“The Letsema Circle’s work falls squarely into one of our key focus areas of health and community well-being. There are also other similarities between Volkswagen and Letsema – in that both organisations believe strongly in stakeholder engagement and that sustainability is key – working with communities initially, in order to get them to the point of becoming self-sufficient and self-reliant,” said Nonkqubela Maliza, Volkswagen Group South Africa’s Corporate and Government Affairs Director.
“The ‘can do’ mentality is slowly taking root in the communities we’ve been working with,” said Ramphele. “Volkswagen Group South Africa’s sponsorship today will go a long way in helping us help these communities to help themselves, and to then to expand our work to other areas of the province. On behalf of all the people whose lives we’re touching, we thank you,”
she concluded.
“Volkswagen Group South Africa is proud to be associated with the Letsema Circle. It enhances what we believe in, and for that, we salute you,” concluded Maliza.
Alan Straton
Latest posts by Alan Straton (see all)
- Desktop Pop-Ups Become the Compliance Channel Email Cannot Deliver - 23 October 2026
- Desktop Pop-Ups Become the Compliance Channel Email Cannot Deliver - 23 October 2026
- Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Your Company/Brand Name in a Press Release Title - 23 October 2026
- Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Your Company/Brand Name in a Press Release Title - 23 October 2026
- Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Your Company/Brand Name in a Press Release Title - 23 October 2026
