A royal delegation from South African tribes, including a queen and 10 princes and princesses, visited Magen David Adom’s headquarters in Ramla during a trip to Israel organized by the Foreign Ministry.
The visit followed a trip to Israel about a year ago by King Dalindyebo of the AbaThembu Kingdom, from South Africa’s Xhosa community. According to MDA, the king was impressed by the organization’s emergency medical capabilities and later shared what he had seen with members of his own and neighboring tribes, helping lead to the latest delegation.
(Photo: MDA)
Accompanied by Belynesh Zevadia, director of the Southern Africa region at Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the delegation toured several of MDA’s major facilities.
Among them was the National Human Milk Bank, which MDA says collects, tests and distributes about 530 liters of breast milk each month. The visitors also toured the Training and Simulation Center, which includes an ambulance driving simulator using augmented-reality technology and advanced medical training mannequins.
The delegation was shown MDA’s National Emergency Dispatch Center and its National Blood Bank, an underground facility that processes and supplies blood units to hospitals across Israel and to the IDF.
Members were also introduced to specialized emergency vehicles, including intensive care buses capable of treating and evacuating seven critically ill patients and five patients in mild condition, Unimog vehicles designed for casualty evacuation across difficult terrain, emergency motorcycles and off-road vehicles.
MDA representatives briefed the delegation on the work of the organization’s 35,000 employees and volunteers during routine emergencies and wartime, including its activity during Operations Rising Lion and Roaring Lion.
Princess Nandi Nobukhosi Maphothi described the visit as “life-changing.”
“It reminded me of the power of cooperation and partnerships, and that at the heart of humanity is respect for human values, which is the most important thing,” she said. “Even when there are disagreements, we must know how to ‘agree to disagree,’ work together on the areas where we share common ground, and always strive to find shared solutions.”
She added that she looked forward to returning home and sharing what she had learned during the visit.
MDA Director General Eli Bin said the organization viewed the visit as an opportunity to demonstrate its medical, technological and emergency-response capabilities to international guests.
“The visit of the royal delegation from South Africa is further evidence of the power of saving lives to bring together peoples, cultures and communities,” Bin said.