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Arnold Schwarzenegger, patron of the Special Olympics, visited South Africa to promote the event
Diamond smiles: Sizile Mabaso, manager of the Anglo American Chairman’s Fund with Arnold Schwarzenegger at Takalani Home built, with a R7,6-million grant from the Anglo American and De Beers Chairman’s Fund.
From Soweto to Sarajevo, Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger is a hit with both children and adults.
The star of action hit movies like Terminator and mediocre comedies such as Junior showed off his gentle side when visiting South Africa last month to promote the Special Olympics.
Among the high-profile visits that included trips to Robben Island and Table Mountain in Cape Town, Schwarzenegger, who is patron of the Special Olympics, visited the Takalani Home for the Mentally Disabled in Diepkloof, Soweto.
Takalani Home was built in 1988 with a R7,6 million grant from the Anglo American and De Beers Chairman’s Fund. The home includes a medical care centre, a school, residential accommodation for young people, cottages for adult residents and a training workshop.
The Anglo American Chairman’s Fund is committed to supporting development initiatives that are directed towards the alleviation of poverty and the upliftment of the community.
The fund has a broad mandate, and the diversity of the programmes and sectors that it supports recognises the diverse and varied socio-economic and educational needs facing South African communities.
Some of the festivities during Schwarzenegger’s visit included musical performances by the residents of Takalani and a special tree planting ceremony. Kid Sithole (president, South African Performing Arts Association) acted as master of ceremonies and guests were addressed by Schwarzenegger, Sizile Mabaso (manager of the Anglo American Chairman’s Fund) and Nthato Motlana (Nelson Mandela Foundation). Other speakers included Bobby Motauna (manager, Kaizer Chiefs), Peta Qubeka (regional director, mayor of Johannesburg’s office) and Loretta Claiborne, a Special Olympics athlete. Claiborne’s story is told in the Disney movie The Loretta Claiborne Story. In his address, Schwarzenegger expressed admiration for the love, patience and caring he felt in the home and encouraged all South Africans to get involved with the intellectually challenged. ”Our motto for the Special Olympics is ‘Let me win, and if I cannot win, let me be brave in my attempt and celebrate in overcoming my obstacles’.”
– The Teacher/M&G Media, Johannesburg, August 2001.
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