This Friday, August 24, Cameron van der Burgh will be having 252 children for lunch, with the cow that braaimeister Jan Braai gave him in honour of his gold medal at the London Olympics.

“Olympic hurdler LJ van Zyl had offered that I could keep my cow on his farm with his herd, if I decided to get the live animal,” explained the swimmer. “I figured it would be so much better to get the meat and challenge Jan Braai to come show his skills and feed some hungry kids instead.”

The gold medallist decided to donate the meat to The Nashua Children’s Charity Foundation. “The foundation then identified the children of Abangani Enkosini in Alexandra, near Sandton, to be the ones to benefit from Cameron’s gift,” says Ryk Neethling, Van der Burgh’s manager.

The cow, valued at R7 000, is being converted into the equivalent value of wors – a total of 140kg – which will be used for the mother of all boerie roll braais this coming Friday, hosted by Van der Burgh, Neethling and Jan Braai himself.

Abangani Enkosini is a cluster of shacks in the backyard of a doctor’s clinic on a small Alexandra property. Most of the children, other than a few abandoned toddlers who live in the shacks with founder Portia Mongake, are indigent and orphaned. Many of them live in child-headed households, and they all arrive at Abangani every day after school where they receive their only meal of the day through the provisions purchased monthly by The Nashua Children’s Charity Foundation. The NCCF also provides clothing, assistance with educational equipment and takes the children on outings such as the zoo, Sun City, movies, kids carnival and more.

“This generous gesture from a South African hero will mean so much to these children – and not just the meal, but Cameron and Ryk’s presence is such a special treat,” said Helen Fraser of the Nashua Children’s Charity Foundation.

Via Jacaranda Sport