The Manna vir die Boere Konsert at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria was a resounding success that raised almost R2.5 million in emergency relief for South Africa’s drought-stricken farmers on Saturday 20 February.
And, as if nature wanted to bless the project, the rain came pouring down when Laurika Rauch launched into the chorus of “Stuur Groete aan Mannetjie Roux”, the last song of the concert. The lyric “O stuur ons net ’n bietjie reën” (Oh send us just a little rain) never sounded more prophetic.
The concert was the brainchild of singer Adam Tas, who shared the afternoon with other Afrikaans stars like Rauch, Steve Hofmeyr, Juanita du Plessis, Kurt Darren, Corlea Botha, Jak de Priester, Pieter Koen and Jannie Moolman, under musical direction of Matthys Maree, performing in front of about 8 000 people.
Tas, a farmer himself, was touched by the work of Caring Daisies who, with the help of sponsors that provided trucks, sent out convoys of feed to farms in the Northern Cape, North West and Free State, in January. Tas approached his friends in the music industry to offer their services free of charge for a concert in aid of drought relief and, from there, the project gathered steam.
Major sponsors like Atterbury, Piet du Toit Wildbedryf, John Deere, Toyota, Pilanesberg Game Breeders, Hinterland Vleishandelaars, Wildswinkel, King Price, Media24, kykNet, RSG and more came on board to boost the campaign.
All proceeds from the concert will be managed by Caring Daisies to bring relief to farmers.
“Besides the ticket sales, which brought in a total of R1 million, the generous donations of individuals and organisations warmed our hearts,” says Anria van Heerden, head of Caring Daisies.
“Adam Tas, for example, personally donated a further R50,000. Bakkies Botha and friends donated R400,000. Piet du Toit Wildbedryf gave a donation of R800,000, and Duffield Game Breeders have indicated that, at their next auction, they will auction a valuable Black Impala split ram with 25-inch horns and the proceeds will be donated to Manna for the Farmers. And more people continue to offer more help. It is great that there is so much empathy out there. ”
According to van Heerden, the Manna for the Farmers campaign has identified several projects, coordinated in conjunction with AGRI SA, to use the drought aid effectively.
“In Koedoeskop we have a project where we transport what has been donated, feed bales, and distribute them to various areas in the North West. We also received a donation of 500 bales of feed in the Rustenburg area and the concert proceeds will be used to distribute them to the Free State, North West and Northern Cape, “says Van Heerden.
The organization continues to seek sponsorship for each load that is transported so that money raised can be used for feed purchases.
Cash donations and assistance in the form of transportation, feed and more are always welcome, contact Anria van Heerden at anria@anriavanheerden.co.za or donate to Caring Daisies at Rand Merchant Bank (FNB), Branch Code: 222-026, account number: 62321551906, Ref: Manna
