THE spirit of goodness spread in Free State as people devoted their time to doing good on Mandela Day.

Thabong SAPS Women's Network, family violence, child protection and sexual offences, detective units and Thabong partnership policing spent their 67 minutes cleaning houses in the area. They also donated food to animals at St Helena Claws, an animal shelter in Welkom.

They visited Nomali Lephepha, 78, who lives with her five grandchildren. The whole family depends on her pension money and the social grant of one child.

The group donated groceries to the family and also cleaned the house while the children went to school.

The group also visited two houses in Orange Groove, one for six orphans between the ages of five to 18 years and the other was that of an old sick woman living alone.

Lieutenant-Colonel Kedibone Gopane led the group, which also cleaned the houses and cooked for the orphans while the other members cleaned, worked in the garden and fixed the fence.

Thabong partnership policing members went to Phokeng, where they painted numbers on the doors of shacks to make it easy for police to locate the houses. This will also make it easy for emergency services to respond to complaints in the area.

Virginia SAPS members visited 69-year-old Casper Fouché at his home in Harmony.

Station commander Colonel Mathibello Coobi, Captain Mojalefa Moeketsi of Thabong Cluster, volunteers from Matjhabeng community works programme and ward 8 councillor David Masienyane cleaned Fouché's house and washed his laundry and blankets.

"I'm so glad the police and volunteers came to help me. I also thank Madiba for this day because people show humanity," said Fouché.

"We chose to come and make a difference in the life of the old man in celebrating Madiba's birthday. This is just the little that we decided to make the change we want to see in our community," said Coobi.