President to unveil OR Tambo statue and officially open Radisson Hotel and Convention Centre
President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, 27 October 2020, officially unveil a statue in honour of the late struggle stalwart and global icon Oliver Reginald Tambo at OR Tambo International Airport.
The statue will be unveiled at 08h00.
Following the unveiling of the statue, the President will officially unveil the new, R950 million Radisson Hotel & Convention Centre situated less than 10km from OR Tambo International in the City of Ekurhuleni.
The month of October has been declared by the City of Ekurhuleni as OR Tambo Month and the nine-metre tall bronze statue of OR Tambo will be unveiled exactly 103 years since the birth of the globally respected leader.
OR Tambo fought against social injustice on international platforms. He was an astute orator and from 1968 until 1982, “OR”, as he was affectionately known, delivered numerous landmark speeches to the United Nations General Assembly Committee in New York where he urged Member States to act with urgency against the unjust realities faced by the majority of people of South Africa under the apartheid regime.
The statue honouring OR Tambo stands outside the international arrivals terminal of the airport bearing his name.
Details for the statue unveiling are as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 27 October 2020
Time: 08:00 (media to arrive at 06:30)
Venue: International Arrivals, OR Tambo International Airport, Ekurhuleni
Following the unveiling, the President will proceed to the R950 million Radisson Hotel & Convention Centre which promises to be a significant boost to South Africa’s tourism economy.
The hotel, which is scheduled to open its doors to the public on 2 November 2020, will debut the Radisson Hotel Group’s fourth brand, the upscale Radisson, in South Africa and is one of the key projects and catalysts towards the realisation of the City of Ekurhuleni’s 30-year Aerotropolis Masterplan.
This plan seeks to transform the city into a global logistics hub with OR Tambo International as the springboard.
The 248-room hotel boasts state-of-the-art facilities suited to discerning leisure hospitality as well as meetings, incentives, conference and exhibitions (“MICE”) which serves business guests.
Details for the hotel opening are as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 27 October 2020
Time: 08:45 (Media to arrive at 08:00)
Venue: Estate 154, Corner 3rd and 6th Avenue Bredell, Kempton Park
In light of COVID-19 related measures, a media pool has been arranged to cover the events.
Media who are not on the list will not be granted access to the venues.
Media enquiries:
Tyrone Seale, Acting Spokesperson to the President
E-mail: media@presidency.gov.za
