Charlie Panday

Parmeshwar ( Charlie ) Panday, is a customs clearing agent based in Durban, South Africa and was very active in the anti-apartheid movement.

I always did the customs clearance for  books, hospital equipment, wheelchairs, etc. that was donated to Rotary Clubs as I thought this was my way of giving to the  community.

I joined Rotary in 2016 after having been invited by Rotarians from Canada to see what they do in getting containers of school furniture etc which I was clearing and having delivered to nominated schools via the Rotary clubs in 9400. I was elected president of Rotary Club of Durban North, District 9370 in 2017. That was the start of greater things for me and Rotary as I saw the need to get more involved. In my term as president, I got 4 other clubs together and we formed R.I.C.E. ( Rotary International Community Experience ) which was a collective and we fund raised and everything went to Foundation and End Polio Now on behalf of the 5 clubs.

Not satisfied with that, I moved to the Rotary Club Reservoir Hills still in the same district and have since intensified the Literacy Project and co-incidentally, effected customs clearance of 2 x containers of mosquito nets for a club in 9400 which is close to South Africa’s most popular tourist attraction viz. Kruger National Park.

Malaria became something that I personally wanted eradicated and addressed same at RI Conference in Toronto ( 2018 ) and again in Hamburg ( 2019 ). RAM is what I wanted to get  together purely because that could be within Rotary instead of each country doing it separately.

We still get containers of aid cargo and because of my expertise, this can be done without having to pay any customs duties and vat. Clubs in all 3 districts in South Africa now benefit as we spread these donations all over.