21 April 2011
President Jacob Zuma will bestow national orders, the country’s highest civilian awards, on 36 South Africans following the Freedom Day events at the Union Buildings on Wednesday.
From this year, following a decision by the Cabinet, the national orders ceremony will take place on Freedom Day, 27 April.
The Order of Ikhamanga, awarded to those who have excelled in the fields of art, culture, music, journalism and sport, will be bestowed on 14 people, including Irvin Khoza and Danny Jordaan for their contribution to South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
The Order of the Baobab, awarded for distinguished service above and beyond the call of duty and for exceptional and distinguished contributions in business and the economy, will be awarded to Nowongile Cynthia Molo for her work in the development of women through the Women in Agriculture and Rural Development initiative. Four others will receive it too.
Tsietsi Mashinini will receive the Order of Luthuli posthumously for the role he played in the 1976 Soweto student uprisings. Eight others will be bestowed with this order.
The Order of Mapungubwe, for excellence and exceptional achievement, will be awarded to Professor Pieter Steyn for his work in chemistry.
Four foreign nationals, including Brazilian President Lula da Silva, will be awarded the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo. The orders are awarded to “deserving citizens and international people,” said the Presidency’s director-general, Cassius Lubisi.
Most living recipients will attend the ceremony on Wednesday, Lubisi said.
Source: BuaNews
