Chefs with Compassion breaks record with 142 462 litres of soup for Mandela Day

The Star

4 days ago

In a powerful display of national compassion, Chefs with Compassion has smashed all previous records in its sixth annual Mandela Day initiative, cooking a staggering 142 462 litres of soup, enough to feed 609 848 people across South Africa. The 2025 edition of the #67000litres for Mandela Day campaign brought together culinary schools, community kitchens, corporates, chefs, and volunteers to transform surplus food into nourishment for people in need.
'This year's success has been phenomenal,' said Chef Coo Pillay, founding director of Chefs with Compassion and president of SA Chefs. 'We exceeded last year's total by almost 40 000 litres. A standout contributor was the Tsebo Group, whose nationwide involvement added over 24 000 litres to our total. Their commitment shows what's possible when an organisation truly embraces compassion.'
Chefs with Compassion's 32 active hubs – community kitchens that cook with compassion year-round – contributed more than 80 000 litres, testament to their growing strength and preparedness. These unsung heroes, who serve their communities daily, were the backbone of this record-breaking effort.
'Chefs with Compassion is rooted in food rescue,' said Hanneke van Linge, founding director of CWC and founder of Nosh Food Rescue. 'Mandela Day is our most visible moment, but for the people in our network, this work never stops. Feeding over 600 000 people with food that would otherwise go to waste is not only possible, it's powerful. It's proof of what we can do when compassion drives collective action.'
Corporate partners played a pivotal role, including: Tsebo Group (all kitchens countrywide, 24 000 litres)
Marriott International (14 hotels)
Bon Hotels, The Capital Hotel Group, Southern Sun, and Indaba Hotel
Ster-Kinekor, who cooked alongside Chef Keegan Maistry at Guvon Academy
Primedia Head Office and Primedia Broadcasting
Essity, who cooked soup and donated sanitation supplies
Premier, who donated 2 500 loaves of bread
The Poultry Industry, led by Melinda Shaw via the Poultry Bulletin, which donated over 5 tonnes of chicken from Rainbow, Astral, and Country Bird Holdings, representing R67 000 worth of chicken from each of the three companies, as well as Nulaid, with a donation of 670 dozen eggs in Johannesburg and in Cape Town
Turn & Slice, whose generous fresh produce donation helped stock kitchens across the country
The Paul and Humile Mashatile Foundation, which contributed financially and cooked alongside Chef Moses Moloi
Compass Insurance, who donated 1,000 blankets
Rebel, who donated safety shoes for all 32 CWC hubs
Chefs such as Moses Moloi, Napo Ramaili and Thabo Letsholo, who cooked alongside corporate sponsors