Support #NewBlood campaign

IF you are wondering how you can become the agent of change that Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans to be in his inaugural address as President, look no further – become a blood donor on Human Rights Day.

The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is implementing a mass blood drive next Wednesday, 21 March, to recruit new donors and ensure there is sufficient stock of safe blood available in South Africa.

“Currently less than one per cent of South Africans donate blood even though it demands little more than giving up 30 minutes of their time at least twice a year. That means that we often experience shortages which places lives at risk, lives of babies born prematurely, lives of accident victims, lives of women giving birth and the lives of people fighting cancer,” said Silungile Mlambo, chief marketing officer for the SANBS.

He said SANBS was calling on anyone who had never donated or had not donated in over a year to lend a hand by becoming a blood donor, starting on Human Rights Day.

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“The beauty of blood donation is that virtually anyone can do it. If you’re over 16 years old, weigh over 50kg and practice a safe lifestyle, you can be a blood donor. And by giving blood you can save up to three people’s lives. So something that costs you nothing, is absolutely priceless for someone in need of blood. Nobody can make a greater impact than saving someone else’s life,” said Mlambo.

Visit www.sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 90 31 to find out where to donate on Human Rights Day.

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