THOHOYANDOU – Apart from the numerous community development projects in which it is directly involved, Thohoyandou Spar has also played a significant role in the promotion of the 2005 Casual Day (September 1).

September 1 is a day that has been declared a casual day with a view to raise the funds that are meant to benefit people with disabilities. About R8,2 million was raised in 2004. The figure escalated to a little higher than R10 million for the 2005 casual day.

It has become an annual practice for the Thohoyandou Spar to join hands with one of the local charitable organizations. The store dedicated the year 2005 to the Thohoyandou-based Fhulufhelo Primary School. The store managed to sell over 300 Casual Day stickers.

The store manager, Mr Joe Lubisi, was voted one of the Casual Day Sweethearts because of the commitment the store has shown in the project. The store has recently been awarded with the Helping Hand Award for its achievement.

During an interview with the store manager, Mr Lubisi revealed that the award did not come as a surprise to him saying his store is heartily committed to community development. “As long as we are still getting unselfish support from the community around here, we will continue to give a share back to the very same community,” he said.

Thohoyandou Spar is known for staging the historic annual marathon in conjunction with the Limpopo Mirror. About R50 000 was raised during the 2005 marathon. There were more than 500 runners in the 2005 Thohoyandou Spar/Mirror Marathon.