US President Joe Biden has announced the lifting of travel restrictions imposed on Southern African countries following the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant last month.
The travel ban is expected to be officially lifted on Friday morning.
The variant was announced by South African scientists at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and led to countries swiftly closing their borders to South Africa.
According to a statement of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Interfaith Memorial Service 30 December 10am CET to honor the life and the work of Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be streamed via the South African Council of Churches (SACC) Facebook page, https://facebook.com/OfficialSACC/.
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Photo: WCC
President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the day of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s passing as one of the saddest of days in the nation’s history.
The 90-year-old social justice champion passed away in Cape Town on Sunday, 26 December 2021.
Affectionately known as “The Arch” to millions across the world, Tutu’s life was punctuated by his intense passion for human rights – displayed by his outspoken nature against the Apartheid government and by his tireless campaigning for the downtrodden people of the world.
In his address to the nation following Tutu’s death, President Ramaphosa said the clergyman was one of South Africa’s finest patriots.
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The Department of Health says the implementation of the revised COVID-19 contract tracing, quarantine and isolation protocols released last week have been suspended.
In a statement, the department said it has been “inundated with media, stakeholders and public enquiries and comments” since the release of the new protocols – leading to the decision to put the new protocols on hold.
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The City of Cape Town has issued an advisory to the public that numerous roads around the City Hall will be closed on Thursday, ahead of an interfaith tribute to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
Parade street from Caledon street to Darling street will be closed at 06:00.
A lane closure will be in place on Darling street, between Buitenkant and Corporation streets from midday onwards.
At 15:00, Darling street will be closed between Buitenkant and Lower Plein streets. Corporation street (Longmarket to Darling street) will also be closed at this time.
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The South African Council of Churches (SACC) has received the news of the passing away of Archbishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu.
We condole with the Tutu family, understanding the depth of their pain at the loss of a man who was a father to so many.
We are mobilised to support the Tutu family, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, and indeed the Anglican Church at this time, and commit to honouring the works and memory of our beloved ‘Arch’, even as we call on all to celebrate the life and ministry of such a powerful witness for the justice that God demands of all of us.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who has died today at the age of 90, was a key leader in the moral struggle against the apartheid system in South Africa, but the impact of his life’s ministry and witness extended far beyond the borders of his own country and beyond that historical moment. Also in the post-apartheid era, his principled commitment and engagement for justice for all remained unwavering. Tutu believed passionately that the Christian faith is inclusive of all, and that Christian responsibility is for the good of all people. His leadership strengthened us all in that belief and continues to call us to action upon that belief.
World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca said Archbishop Tutu was a stalwart contributor to the ecumenical movement during joyful times and times of great challenge, and taught us all the value of persistence. “We thank God for giving us Archbishop Tutu for 90 years,” said Sauca. “Through his life and works he has become an image of dignity and freedom for all human beings and inspired many to use their gifts and talents in the service of others and the mission and prophetic task of the church.”
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President Cyril Ramaphosa expresses, on behalf of all South Africans, his profound sadness at the passing today, Sunday 26 December 2021, of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu.
Archbishop Tutu, the last surviving South African laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize, passed away in Cape Town at the age of 90.
President Ramaphosa expresses his heartfelt condolences to Mam Leah Tutu, the Tutu family, the board and staff of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, the Elders and Nobel Laureate Group, and the friends, comrades and associates nationally and globally of the iconic spiritual leader, anti-apartheid activist and global human rights campaigner.
President Ramaphosa said: “The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa.
“Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.
“A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world.
“As Chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission he articulated the universal outrage at the ravages of apartheid and touchingly and profoundly demonstrated the depth of meaning of ubuntu, reconciliation and forgiveness.
“He placed his extensive academic achievements at the service of our struggle and at the service of the cause for social and economic justice the world over.
“From the pavements of resistance in South Africa to the pulpits of the world’s great cathedrals and places of worship, and the prestigious setting of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, the Arch distinguished himself as a non-sectarian, inclusive champion of universal human rights.
“In his richly inspiring yet challenging life, Desmond Tutu overcame tuberculosis, the brutality of the apartheid security forces and the intransigence of successive apartheid regimes. Neither Casspirs, teargas nor security agents could intimidate him or deter him from his steadfast belief in our liberation.
“He remained true to his convictions during our democratic dispensation and maintained his vigour and vigilance as he held leadership and the burgeoning institutions of our democracy to account in his inimitable, inescapable and always fortifying way.
“We share this moment of deep loss with Mam Leah Tutu, the Archbishop’s soulmate and source of strength and insight, who has made a monumental contribution in her own right to our freedom and to the development of our democracy.
“We pray that Archbishop Tutu’s soul will rest in peace but that his spirit will stand sentry over the future of our nation.”
A series of Bible studies leading up to the WCC 11th Assembly, to be held in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2022, is newly available from the World Council of Churches (WCC).
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The Department of Health has announced that it will start administering the Johnson & Johnson booster shot from Thursday, 24 December 2021.
This is after the South African Health Products Authority (SAHPRA) on Wednesday approved the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) booster shot to be taken at least two months after the original dose for adults over the age of 18.
The local drug watchdog also authorised the heterologous booster, also known as mix-and-match jabs, for those who had the Pfizer jab, at least after six months after the second dose.
However, according to the department, only homologous boosting is currently permitted, meaning people may only get the same vaccine that they received as their primary vaccination series.
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