Pretoria - The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa in Pretoria yesterday welcomed scores of families and friends for a Mother's Day celebration.
Executive director and member of the SA National Biodiversity Institute, Leslie Mudimeli, said staff invested many hours of planning and preparations to ensure that the day was a success, and that women were celebrated in a deserving fashion.
And yesterday, Mudimeli said she was impressed by the numbers of adult and children who braved the cold weather and travelled to the Zoo to enjoy a host of activities.
These included site-seeing, learning about various animal species, and a Mother's Day event at the picnic area.
Young mother Thambisile Phiri brought her son Tshenolo, 7, and her nephews and nieces, 9 year-old Oteng Makobe and Okgone
Makobe, Fefe Madibane, 3, and Rephelege Madibane, 7, to celebrate Mother's Day and learn about animals and ecosystem.
"We decided to leave Atteridgeville and come and surround ourselves with other people who wanted to have fun, and also show appreciation for all that a mother does for her family. We appreciate you mothers. Keep rocking," she screamed.
Leah Sephelle and her daughter Boitumelo, 4, took pictures around the flamingos and hugged and kissed, celebrating their daughter-mother relationship. She said it was important to build a strong bond with children when they are still so young.
Mudimeli said: “We are pleased to host these women, more especially in a city centre, in Pretoria, where people want to be celebrating their events amidst the animals.
"It brings them closer to the other mother, which is mother nature. That is why we are very glad that we can offer this facility to the people, so they can also experience mother nature. We also need to look after her (mother nature) every day as we celebrate our mothers.”
Pretoria News