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The Nelson Mandela Day Commemorative Committee in Melbourne has a new chair.
Ms Rabecca Cecilia Mphande was recently elected as the head of the organisation on 19 June 2021 during NMDCC’s general assembly meeting held on Saturday 19 June 2021. She replaces Dr Steven Rametse who presided over the organisation since 2019.
Ms Mphande is celebrated as the First Female President for NMDCC Inc since its inception in 2015.
“I am very happy to have been elected unanimously to the position of the President. It is a great honour for me and a great opportunity to contribute to the great work that the NMDCC has been doing in the community for many years” stated Ms Mphande”, she stated, following her election.
Ms Rebecca Mphande, the new chair of the NMDCC in Melbourne
The NMDCC in Melbourne was formed on 27 July 2015. It pays its allegiance to the Nelson Mandela Day Foundation, as the trustee of the legacy of the late South-African freedom fighter and president. One of NMDCC’s key objectives is to “motivate socially transformative action that helps to change people’s lives for the better, for the realisation and restoration of dignity”.
Ms Mphande is a dynamic community advocate of the African-Australian community in Victoria. Since she arrived in Melbourne in 2003 she has been very actively involved in community work. Over the years, she has been advocating for improved access to, and the responsiveness of, universal services available to all Victorians in general and migrants’ groups in particular. Recently, along with many other African leaders, Ms Mphande has played a key role in the development of the Victorian African Communities Action plan (VACAP), a 10-year plan to help address challenges and opportunities related to Australians of African descent living and working in Victoria.
As a new chair for NMDC in Melbourne, Ms Mphande has vowed to work with all members of the organisation for the next two years to create a positive impact in the community.
The United Nations’ general assembly established the Nelson Mandela International Day in 2009 to celebrate ‘Madiba’s’ life and contribution, each year on 18th July, the day of his birth. It was inspired by a call Nelson Mandela made a year earlier, for the next generation to take on the burden of leadership in addressing the world’s social injustices when he said, “it is in your hands now.” Since then, the Nelson Mandela commemorative day is celebrated internationally to help people globally to reflect on Mandela’s contribution to the world with a focus on re-affirming a collective commitment to eradicate racism and racial discrimination globally.
