More Than A Shelter: Why HOT1027 Chose Frida Hartley For Mandela Day 2026

This Mandela Day, HOT1027 and HOT Cares will be dedicating our efforts to one of Johannesburg’s most remarkable organisations — a place that has been quietly changing lives for more than a century.

The Frida Hartley Women’s Shelter in Yeoville was founded in 1922 by British socialite Frida Hartley, who left behind a life of privilege in London to establish a safe haven for vulnerable women in Johannesburg.

More than 100 years later, her legacy continues.

Today, the shelter supports women and children affected by homelessness, poverty, gender-based violence and intimate partner abuse, providing not only accommodation, but the support needed to rebuild lives and regain independence.

What makes Frida Hartley truly unique is that it is one of the few places of safety that allows mothers to remain with their children while working towards a brighter future.

Imagine having to choose between your own safety and staying with your child.

For many women, that is a heartbreaking reality.

Frida Hartley ensures they don’t have to make that choice.

Residents receive counselling, childcare support, access to healthcare, skills development, workplace training and assistance finding employment and permanent accommodation. The shelter also supports the wider community through food programmes, educational support and outreach initiatives.

The work is needed now more than ever. South Africa’s most recent census counted more than 55,000 homeless people, with more than 44,000 living without shelter of any kind.

This Mandela Day, HOT1027 will be rolling up our sleeves to support an organisation that has spent generations helping women and children start again.

We’ll be sharing updates throughout the day as our presenters and teams work alongside the shelter to make a meaningful and lasting contribution in Madiba’s name.

Because we’re not simply improving a building.

We’re helping to strengthen a place that helps women transform their lives.

And for more than 100 years, that’s exactly what Frida Hartley has been doing.