STATEMENT BY MINISTER ANROUX MARAIS: CONGRATULATIONS TO OMAR BADSHA ON BEING RECOGNISED WITH A NATIONAL ORDER
It is with great pride that Minister Marais wishes to congratulate Omar Badsha on being named as a recipient of a National Order – the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver. This order is bestowed on South Africans who have excelled in the fields of arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sport.
Mr. Badsha received a Ministerial Commendation from Minister Marais at the 2017/18 Cultural Affairs Awards, hosted by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport. Besides his work as a photographer and artist, Mr. Badsha founded the South African History Online (SAHO) website in 1999, which has become one of Africa’s largest history websites. The website is a non-partisan people's history project and promotes a critical, open access, and democratic history of South Africa.
Minister Marais expressed her pride in this Western Cape resident’s achievement: “Omar Badsha is playing a vital role in capturing and preserving our country’s history. His achievements, both locally and internationally, are vast and have established him as one of the icons of our cultural landscape. He is certainly very deserving of this National Order as he epitomizes the values of loyalty, dedication and work in bringing the people of our country closer together.” she said.
The Order will officially be bestowed on Mr Badsha at an event hosted by The Presidency on 28 April 2018.
Stacy McLean
Spokesperson for Minister Anroux Marais
Email: Stacy.McLean@westerncape.gov.za
Tel: 021 483 4426
Cell: 083 504 117