The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) held a ceremony to thank Pretoria blood donors at the Southern Sun hotel in Arcadia.
About 300 people from various areas of Pretoria attended the event and were treated to an evening of song and spreading the importance of donating blood.
Vibrant TV personality Zizo Tshwete who was the master of ceremonies, kept guests entertained.
Tshwete encouraged the crowd to take photos at the event and share them on social media so as to raise awareness of blood donations.
Zone Donor Services, Willem van der Merwe, said he was pleased by the support of blood donations from Pretoria residents and added that blood donation hubs would be extended in future.
Currently, there are seven centres in Pretoria where people can donate blood. These are namely: In the east of Pretoria, Centurion, Kolonnade, Pretoria Central, Wonderpark, Quagga (in Pretoria West) and Ga-Rankuwa.
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“We plan on expanding to other areas of Pretoria as there are much more people who require blood. The consequence of blood donations is a life that has been changed,” said Van der Merwe.
He also thanked Pretoria Central staff and donors for their effort and contribution.
“We want to thank you for donating monthly. We also want to thank the Pretoria Central staff for exceptional work because they work hard, sometimes even odd hours,” said Van der Merwe.
SANBS CEO Jackie Thompson also thanked Pretoria blood donors for their blood donations.
“We want to celebrate you because you are our heroes. Thank you for donating your blood, you are saving the lives of millions of patients,” she said.
Parents of Bokang Mosia (a young boy who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour in October 2013) also gave their testimony on how their son survived due to sufficient blood donation.
His mother Zandi Mosia described how difficult it was for her and her husband Thembinkosi to deal with Bokang’s diagnosis. Bokang eventually had to go for an operation.
Zandi told the audience that while Bokang was being operated on, there was enough blood.
“Our son lay there during his operation and not once were we told that there was a shortage of blood. We want to thank you for your donation,” said Zandi.
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Bokang’s father Thembinkosi said: “It is because of people like you that our son is still alive.”
Bokang also thanked those in attendance for their donation.
Bokang has his own foundation called the The Bokang Mosia Foundation which assists underprivileged children by providing bursaries, scholarships and training. It also supports homeless children, the elderly and injured or ill children in hospitals.
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