Gift of the Givers founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, has been named the Social Justice Champion for 2021.
This was announced at the third annual social justice summit and international conference, which aims to reflect on the state of social justice in South Africa.
This year it focused on economic equality and the impact of Covid-19.
Nominations closed on Sunday and Sooliman was named the winner on Tuesday.
The organisers said a social justice champion was a person who had “moved the needle consistently in 2021 to advance equality and reduce poverty, a person who has shown a commitment to justice as justice for all, while galvanising others to pull together in a socially cohesive manner”.
They said the person should show qualities of being just and fair, and an ability to distribute resources, benefits, privileges in society.
Gift of the Givers marked the announcement with a tweet of their signature green heart, while a humble Sooliman told EWN that the accolade encouraged the organisation to continue serving communities.
“Yes, we do a lot of things and we do receive a lot of awards, but these last two years my credit goes to my team.
“They work Monday to Sunday, 365 days for the year.
“They haven’t taken breaks, they haven’t taken long weekends.
“They’re driven by one process - help the country,” he said.
Among their many endeavours, the Gift of the Givers have been assisting thousands in South Africa with food and medical supplies since the coronavirus pandemic hit, while also drilling boreholes in water-poor communities.