The City of Cape Town will award 13 individuals with Civic Honours for their significant contribution to society.
The traditional Civic Honours Awards returns after a decade where the City gets a chance to honour great people in the Mother City.
One of the recipients of this year’s award is none other than Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, the founder of the iconic humanitarian relief organisation, Gift of the Givers.
Dr Sooliman and his NGO have become household names in South Africa, and throughout the world, for their amazing work.
Whether it’s earthquakes in Haiti, wars in Syria and Yemen or floods and fires in townships across SA, Gift of the Givers are often the first on the scene and the last to leave.
The organisation has already spearheaded more than 30 relief missions in 45 countries, and distributed aid to the value of more than R4.5 billion.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis told the Daily Voice that Dr Sooliman received several nominations from around the City.
Hill-Lewis says: “Whenever there is a disaster of any sort, a fire in a community, whether it be the floods that we had two months ago. They are instantaneously helpful.
“That is easy to understand because Gift of the Givers does incredible work in our City.
“They never ask questions, they never say ‘no’. They just say ‘how can we help.’”
Dr Sooliman, along with the other Civic Honour recipients – including the likes of playwright Athol Fugard and the late Brenda Fassie – will receive their awards on 6 December.
Hill-Lewis admits that he is a massive supporter of Dr Sooliman and Gift of the Givers.
He says: “I think he is a wonderful South African and very deserving of Cape Town Civic Honours.”