Krugersdorp residents take bold steps for Cansa
The hair went flying and spray cans were emptied during Cansa's 11th Shavathon.
Krugersdorp residents came out in large numbers on a rainy Saturday (1 March) to show their support for cancer survivors, those who are battling the disease and those who have lost the battle against it as part of Cansa’s 11th annual Shavathon.
The Cansa Shavathon is one of South Africa’s best-loved events in support of a worthy cause, namely showing solidarity with those affected by cancer. Losing one’s hair is a common side-effect of cancer therapy – so shaving your head has become a symbolic gesture of support for cancer survivors.
Colouring your hair has become an option for those who prefer not to shave, or who can’t shave on the day.
In Krugersdorp Shavathon teams consisting of a group of both Cansa employees and volunteers set up stalls as early as 8am all over the area, armed with clippers and spray cans.
According to Cansa’s Western Gauteng Regional Manager Ronel Vermaak, the support from the public was overwhelming.
“We had an extremely successful Shavathon 2014 in the West Rand area overall; the passion was remarkable, we had large numbers of people who went all the way and shaved off their hair,” she says.
She made special mention of the following institutions that provided venues for stalls to be set up in Krugersdorp and thanked them for their generosity towards Cansa:
Keywest Shopping Mall
Krugersdorp Netcare Hospital – Oncology Department
Pam Golding – Krugersdorp
President Square – President Hyper
Standard Bank Key West
Cradlestone Shopping Mall
Some interesting statistics about Shavathon 2014:
784 Shavathons were organised country-wide, made up of:
• 274 workplaces
• 200 schools
• 285 malls
• 10 sporting events
• 15 other organisations
Out in the field there were:
• 79 269 cans of spray
• 1 318 Wahl Clippers
• 5 142 stencils
• 947 capes
• 818 bibs
• 6 000 posters
