Johannesburg:

Two South Africans of Indian origin have been pitted against current Miss World Roelene Strauss among seven candidates nominated by public vote for the title ‘South African of the Year.’

The two contenders are Imtiaz Sooliman, Chairman of Gift of the Givers Foundation and Salim Abdool Karim, Director of CAPRISA.

Imtiaz Sooliman is the founder and chairman of Gift of the Givers Foundation, a relief organisation which has received international accolades for its immediate relief assistance in 41 countries across the globe hit by war or natural disasters for the past two decades.

Professor Salim Abdool Karim is a South African clinical epidemiologist and the director of the Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA).

He also serves as pro-vice-chancellor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The two men will come up against Roelene Strauss, Miss SA 2014 and reigning Miss World 2014.

She is the third South African woman to have won the Miss World pageant in its history and is a medical student at the University of the Free State.

The prestigious honour will be finalised early next month.

A second strong woman candidate is the current head of the African Union (AU), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who is regarded as a trailblazer in her political career in South Africa before becoming the first woman to become chairperson of the AU.

The highly successful Protea Fire campaign to build public confidence in the national cricket side by declaring that that no matter how hot the fire burns, the national flower, Protea, will always survive, through has won Cricket South Africa a nomination in the ‘Campaigns’ category.

Proteas ODI cricket team captain AB de Villiers has been nominated in the ‘Sportsperson of The Year’ category, while former Proteas ‘keeper’ Mark Boucher is nominated in the ‘Conservation’ section for his non-profit company that aims to fight Rhino poaching in South Africa.

Boucher’s career was cut short by a serious eye injury a few years ago. The only other South African Indian in the awards is Shamiel Joosub, CEO and Executive Director of the Vodacom Group in South Africa.

An accountant by profession, Joosub has previously headed up the Spanish operations of mother company Vodafone.

He is nominated in the ‘Business Person of the Year’ category.

(With agency inputs)

source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> News> World / by OnManorama Staff / Thursday – August 20th, 2015