Get ice cold, feel all warm

It was no warmer than 14C in Cape Town yesterday when TV presenter Katlego Maboe, in just pants and a vest, drenched himself with ice-cold water.

And while you wouldn't be too off the mark for calling him bonkers — the Strictly Come Dancing SA and Expresso presenter is doing it for a good cause.

It is for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge — a movement which has become a social media phenomenon — thanks to the involvement of celebrities including Oprah, singer Justin Timberlake, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher.

In the challenge willing participants soak themselves in ice cold water, to raise money for charity — the Amyotrophic lateral sclerossi (ALS) Association (in South Africa, it is the Motor Nueron Disease, which struck former Springbok Joost van der Westhuizen).

The drenched victim subsequently nominates someone else to take the challenge — they can either accept it and donate money to the picked charity (it is around R105 in the US), or decline it and donate just over R1000. This must happen within 24 hours.

Maboe said yesterday he decided to get involved, because a relative, whom he declined to name, has Motor Neuron Disease. He also nominated 5FM’’s Poppy Ntshongwana, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula and model Maps Maponyane, who all accepted.

Maponyane uploaded his clip on Youtube last night and Ntshongwana did the challenge this morning.

Maboe laughed: “It’’s so funny; it was like a summer’’s day yesterday, and this morning was cold like you couldn't believe — typical temperamental Cape Town weather. I couldn't have chosen a worse day.

“[But]At the end of the day, despite the celebrity videos and pictures, it's important to get the message across that it's not just a celebrity thing. When the challenge came up, I thought it was the ideal time, and to quote my mom, ’’You have to stand for something, or you will fall for anything’’.”