Namhla Tshisela
Namhla Tshisela
How much would you spend to have afternoon tea with Nelson Mandela and Albertina Sisulu, or with a host of local and international celebrities?
That was the question raised at the launch of the MasterCard "Priceless Moments" charity auction yesterday at the Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa at the Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg.
The auction, to be held on eBay, will run from May 14 to May 24. It will give people worldwide an opportunity to bid for "priceless moments" with their favourite icons - and to save the lives of children with congenital heart defects.
The "moments" include attending an English Premier League soccer match with Lucas Radebe and a day with mining magnate Patrice Motsepe.
Other celebrities involved in the initiative include Baby Jake Matlala, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Tumisho Masha and Miriam Makeba.
Half the money raised from the online auction will benefit the cardiac unit and the rest will be shared by the Choc Childhood Cancer Foundation, the South African Red Cross Society, Cotlands, the Reach for a Dream Foundation, the Ithemba Trust and St Mary's Hospital.
The Sisulu centre was founded in 2003 and is unique in Africa in correcting heart defects in young children.