Media statement by the Chancellor of the National Orders, Dr Cassius Lubisi

23 Apr 2012

Programme Director
Ladies and gentlemen of the media
Good afternoon

On the 27th of April 2012, His Excellency, President Jacob Zuma will bestow the following National Orders: The Order of Mendi for Bravery, the Order of Ikhamanga, the Order of the Baobab, the Order of Luthuli, the Order of Mapungubwe and the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo.

It is usual at this time of the year, that the President of the Republic of South Africa bestows the highest accolades upon citizens and members of the international community who have made extraordinary contributions to our country and the world. 

The National Orders are awarded to deserving citizens and eminent foreign nationals.

The President as the fount of honour in the country bestows these Orders.
The President in this regard is assisted by the Director-General in The Presidency, (who is the Chancellor of National Orders) and an Advisory Council on National Orders, in the execution of this responsibility.

At this 17th investiture ceremony, our country honours men and women for exceptional and outstanding contributions. These are women and men who have attuned their skills and knowledge so as to ameliorate human suffering and benefit human kind often at the expense of deserved emoluments for their effort.

The President will also honour posthumously Inkosi Albert Luthuli and Mr Oliver Tambo whose esteemed family names have been institutionalised in our National Orders because of the unique contributions they have made in the struggle for liberation. We are eternally grateful for their lives and the sacrifices they made to ensure that the people of South Africa are free.

Herewith then, the list of National Orders Nominees who will be admitted as Esteemed Members of our National Orders: 

Nominees for the 2012 National Orders Awards ceremony

1. Order of Mendi for Bravery

1.1 Silver

1.1.1 Neil John Sharrocks

Awarded for displaying an act of bravery by putting his life at risk to save the lives of 44 children who were at the risk of drowning when the bus they were travelling in capsized and fell into a river.

1.2 Gold

1.2.1 Michael Janse van Rensburg (Posthumous)

Awarded for displaying an act of bravery, courage and fearlessness by putting his life in danger to save the life of a fellow human being who was drowning. 

2. Order of Ikhamanga

2.1 Silver

2.1.1. Gladys Faith Agulhas

Awarded for her excellent achievement, contribution to and role in the field of arts and theatre work in South Africa, and for putting South Africa on the world map in her field. 

2.1. 2. Jonathan "Johnny" Clegg

Awarded for his excellent contribution to and achievement in the field of bridging African traditional music with other music forms, promoting racial understanding among racially divided groups in South Africa under difficult apartheid conditions, working for a non-racial society and being an outstanding spokesperson for the release of political prisoners. 

2.1.3 Muthal Naidoo

Awarded for her excellent achievement, contribution to and role in the field of arts, culture and literature in South Africa, and for giving voice to the issues of the downtrodden in South Africa through literary means.

2.1.4 Joseph Nong "Joe" Thloloe 

Awarded for his exceptional contribution to and achievement in the field of the media, literary writing and journalism, for his contribution to the liberation struggle and his role in the transformation of the media in the post-apartheid South Africa. 

2.1.5 Daniel "Cheeky" Watson 

Awarded for his exceptional contribution to the field of sport, in particular rugby. He is recognised for his excellent contribution towards the creation of non-racial rugby, and his stand in the struggle for the creation of a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.

2.2 Gold

2.2.1 Julian Sebothane Bahula

Awarded for his exceptional contribution to and achievement in the field of music and the arts and the struggle for a free and democratic South Africa. He is honoured for his outstanding achievement in the genre of jazz music, being an excellent ambassador of South African music and contributing to the development of music in South Africa and the African diaspora.

3. Order of the Baobab

3.1 Bronze

3.1.1 Selwyn "Scully" Levin 

Awarded for his immense contribution to and achievement in aviation and in the piloting field, and for being an excellent ambassador for South Africa as a top pilot and internationally recognised trainer of up-and-coming pilots.

3.1.2 Gladys Ramahuta

Awarded for her outstanding contribution to community development, women's empowerment, upliftment of the lives of rural ordinary people, and alleviating poverty through the creation of job opportunities.

3.1.3 Zane Maureen Wilson

Awarded for her outstanding contribution as an entrepreneur, mental healthcare practitioner and leader in the struggle to create awareness of diseases such as depression and anxiety and her contribution to the formation of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group.

3.2 Silver

3.2.1 Professor Daniel Gerhardus Krige 

Awarded for his immense contribution to and achievement in the field of engineering, his contribution to the field of science and geostatistics and for being an excellent ambassador for South Africa in the science and engineering field. 

3.2.2 Reverend Fenner Christian Kadalie (Posthumous)

Awarded for his exceptional contribution to society, and his dedicated service to the community of District Six and the Cape Flats through his ministry which took care of the poor and the marginalised. 

3.3. Gold

3.3.1 Professor Christopher John Robert Dugard

Awarded for his immense contribution to and achievement in the field of law, especially in the human rights and international law, for being an excellent ambassador of South Africa in the legal field and for being a human-rights law authority in South Africa and abroad. 

3.3.2 Frank Kennan Dutton 

Awarded for his exceptional contribution to and achievement in his investigative work as a dedicated and loyal policeman, for exposing the apartheid government's "Third Force", for his role in working for peace in KwaZulu-Natal, his international work in investigating and exposing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Bosnia‚ Kosovo and Darfur and assisting in establishing the causes of violence in East Timor and Sudan.

3.3.3 Lwandle Wilson Magadla (Posthumous)

Awarded for his exceptional contribution to and achievement in his work as a dedicated police officer, his outstanding contribution to cracking some of the most complex cases, his role in uncovering the truth for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and his role in working for peace in KwaZulu-Natal by exposing "Third-Force" activities and collusion between the Inkatha Freedom Party and the apartheid security forces.

4.1 Silver

4.1.1. John Stephen Gomas (Posthumous) 

Awarded for his exceptional and outstanding contribution to the struggle for workers' rights and his selfless contribution to the struggle for a free, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa.

4.1.2 Elizabeth Sophia Honman (Bettie du Toit) (Posthumous) 

Awarded for her excellent contribution to the national liberation struggle in general, and the struggle of workers' rights in particular as well as her contribution to women's rights struggles, and the realisation of a non-racial, non-sexist, free and democratic South Africa.

4.1.3 Peter Ramoshoane Mokaba (Posthumous) 

Awarded for his valiant and gallant contribution to the national liberation struggle against apartheid, and his contribution towards the creation of a non-racial, non-sexist, free and democratic South Africa.

4.2 Gold

4. 2.1 Josiah Tshangana Gumede (Posthumous) 

Awarded for his exceptional contribution to the national democratic struggle for freedom and for his exceptional leadership qualities and his contribution to the fight against racism and colonialism. 

4.2.2 Zaccheus Richard Mahabane (Posthumous) 

Awarded for his exceptional contribution to the national democratic struggle for freedom and for his exceptional contribution to fostering the unity of the oppressed people, non-racialism and in fighting for a South Africa that belongs to all.

4.2.3 Sefako Mapogo Makgatho (Posthumous) (1861 to 1951) (Not verified)

Awarded for his exceptional contribution to the national democratic struggle for freedom and for his outstanding contribution to the struggle against colonialism on the African continent and the struggle for a non-racial system and a universal education for all South African children.

4.2.4 James Sebebubijwasekgogobontharile Moroka (Posthumous) 

Awarded for his contribution to the struggle for freedom and for his outstanding contribution in the struggle for a free democratic, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa.

4.2.5 Alfred Bitini Xuma (Posthumous)

Awarded for his exceptional contribution to the national democratic struggle for freedom and for his outstanding contribution to the struggle against colonialism on the African continent and the struggle for a free, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa.

5. Order of Mapungubwe

5.1 Bronze

5.1.1 Dr Patience Mthunzi 

Awarded for her achievement in the field of bio photonics and her invaluable contribution to scientific research in South Africa and internationally.

5.2 Silver

5.2.1 Professor Barry David Schoub

Awarded for his achievement in virology and his invaluable contribution to infectious diseases and to science and the people of South Africa and internationally. 

5.3 Platinum

5.3.1 Albert Mvumbi Luthuli (Posthumous) 

Awarded for his exceptional and outstanding leadership skills, in leading a militant peaceful struggle for human rights, and a non-racial, non-sexist, free, just and democratic South Africa, which belongs to all who live in it".

5.3.2 Oliver Reginald "OR" Tambo (Posthumous) 

Awarded for his exceptional and outstanding leadership skills, in leading a militant struggle for freedom, for spearheading an international campaign to isolate apartheid, for being the glue that kept Africa National Congress (ANC) together in exile, in the struggle for the creation of non-racial, non-sexist, free, just and democratic South Africa, which belongs to all who live in it.

6. Order of the Companions of OR Tambo

6.1 Silver

6.1.1 Professor Apollon B Davidson

Awarded for being an integral part of the anti-apartheid movement, and his exceptional contribution to the struggle for the eradication of apartheid and to the development of a post-apartheid, free and democratic South Africa.

6.1.2 Randall Robinson 

Awarded for being an integral part of the anti-apartheid movement and his exceptional contribution to the struggle against apartheid through the Free South Africa Movement, for the creation of a free, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa. 

6.2 Gold

6.2.1 Edward M Kennedy (Posthumous)

Awarded for being a fearless opponent of apartheid, an outspoken critic of apartheid, and a tireless campaigner for the introduction of sanctions against the apartheid regime and his exceptional contribution to the struggle for the attainment of a non-racial, non-sexist, free and democratic South Africa.

Issued by The Presidency, April 23 2012

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