Operation Healing Hands

Our Mission is to help patients in need while alleviating strain on SA’s state medical system. In 2016, a group of registered surgeons in the private sector decided to launch a Mandela Day initiative to honour the legacy of former president Nelson Mandela, by operating on patients desperately awaiting surgery. The hope was that this small gesture would change the lives of a few people who primarily depend on the heavy burdened South African state hospitals for relief of pain and disability.

Since 2016, this initial one-week charity drive has expanded into a full-blown Non-Profit Company. In the past 9 years, more than 1,500 underprivileged patients have been given the opportunity to experience a new, fully functioning life thanks to the life-changing surgery they received. The procedures performed are from various disciplines and includes orthopaedics, joint replacements, general surgery, urology, gynaecology, ENT, paediatric cardiology, ophthalmology and plastic surgery for skin cancers in various hospitals in and around Gauteng. OHH is proud to celebrate it’s 10th birthday in May 2026 after operating a record 325 patients in 2025. Every year the team aims to expand the project to more hospitals and deliver services to more patients in need.

This charity has achieved a 10 Star rating on the Helpmore Trust Index, meeting 10 out of 10 trust criteria, including NPO registration, financial transparency, and independent governance.