Ready: Eddie Andrews. Picture: Eddie Andrews/Facebook
Deputy Mayor, Eddie Andrews, is swapping his pointy shoes for takkies as he prepares to tackle the 2024 Cape Town Marathon.
His goal is to raise R3.3 million to buy 42,000 pairs of school shoes through the 'Soles for Souls' initiative, addressing a critical need among Cape Town's schoolchildren.
Andrews has committed to making a difference and says: “What we have seen in terms of school shoes, (a lot of) kids don't have school shoes and most of them go to school with broken shoes or barefoot.
“We asked what we can do to remove that barrier and push away that boulder they are facing in that particular context.
“The least that I could do is to run 42.2 km, not just to raise awareness around the plight but take a step in the right direction, and hopefully it will have a ripple effect like on the water.
No recipients have been identified yet, but Andrews says they are looking at all schools in the Western Cape.
The initiative is also in collaboration with Given Gain and the Santa Shoebox Project.
Running a marathon is no small feat, but Andrews who is also a former Springbok rugby player understands the importance of fitness levels.
“For the past nine to ten months I have been training. My first half-marathon was at the beginning of February and I finished it.
"Somehow I feel the moment I hit that last 100–200 metres, they've got that blue carpet there on the floor, I think that will be an emotional moment, that I've pushed away boulders for kids and the journey that I've been on for the past couple of months,” he adds.
Andrews invites others to join him, either through financial contributions or simply spreading the word about the initiative.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za
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