Issued by: SA Communication Service
21 JUNE 1996
A Rainbow Tribute and Service of Thanksgiving to be held in Cape Town this weekend comprises the final celebrations marking Archbishop Tutu's retirement as Archbishop after a decade of service, before he is succeeded by the Right Reverend Njongonkulu Winston Ndungane.
The penultimate event is a Rainbow Tribute fundraising banquet at the Bay Hotel tonight which aims to raise at least R180 000 from the sale of seats and from the auction of sought-after memorabilia linked to the Archbishop's life.
Embracing the Archbishop's famous quote "we are the Rainbow people", this event will truly capture the spirit of a Rainbow nation in all organisational aspects.
Proceeds from the function will benefit projects supporting people living with Aids, homeless people and NCO networking, all of which are managed by the St George's Cathedral Foundation of which the Archbishop is Chief Patron.
Amongst the guest speakers who will pay tribute to the Archbishop at this function are Dr Nthato Motlana, Chairman of New Africa Investments Limited, and Mr Trevor Manuel, Minister of Finance.
The final celebration is a Thanksgiving Service which will be held at the St Georges Cathedral this Sunday 23 June 1996 and will be addressed by President Nelson Mandela.
The service will be led by the Acting Dean of the St Georges Cathedral, Reverend Chris Ahrends and the preacher will be Dr George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury who will be presenting the Archbishop with a new award.
Archbishop Tutu will be the first recipient of this award which is likely to be granted only very occasionally and acknowledges the outstanding contribution made by people to the life of the Anglican communion throughout their ministry.
Dignataries attending the service include Executive Deputy Presidents Mr Thabo Mbeki and Mr F.W. de Klerk, King Goodwill Zwelithini of KwaZulu/Natal, HRH Princess Irene of Greece, Sir Kitumile Masire President of Botswana, President Chissano of Mozambique, HM King Letse of Lesotho, Mr Walter Sisulu and Mrs Adelaide Tambo, together with some 1200 guests and friends of the Archbishop and Mrs Tutu.
The St George's Cathedral Choir, the St George's Cathedral Singers and the Imiloje Kantu Choral Society will sing during the service which will be broadcast live on SABC Channel 1 from 10:30 to 12:30.
Commenting on the considerable efforts that have been channelled into the retirement functions for the Archbishop, Reverend Chris Ahrends, Acting Dean at the St Georges Cathedral said that although all the stops had been pulled out to pay homage to the Archbishop, that these gestures "would still not repay the debt owed to this leader for his enormous contribution to the Church and the nation".
"We have been overwhelmed by the support from organisations who have been associated with the Archbishop and from personal friends, locally and from abroad - hence both venues will be packed to capacity to honour the Archbishop and to show the love and gratitude this Rainbow nation has for him," continued Reverend Ahrends.
The Archbishop of Canterbury echoed these thoughts in a recent announcement when he said "Desmond Tutu's prophetic witness for justice in South Africa is known world-wide and was recognised by the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
His vision of the new people of South Africa as a glorious rainbow people of God has been adopted as a vision of hope and renewal all over the world and is particularly apt as an image of the Anglican Communion world-wide. He is an outstanding ambassador for Anglicanism".
As Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Archbishop will be actively involved in this Country for the next two years before he once again considers the Professorship offered to him at Emory University in Atlanta which he has put on hold.
Issued by: Destination Marketing (021) 531 4183 Contact persons: Lauren de Wet and Radka de Beer
On behalf of: The St Georges Cathedral Contact person: Reverend Chris Ahrends (021) 23 3371 or (021) fax 23 8466
For accreditation for both events: Niel du Bois of the SACS ON (021) 461 8143