[ACNS] The Primate of Southern Africa, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, is backing a new campaign that brings businesses and people together to celebrate the “great nation” of South Africa “and share its beauty, culture, diversity and achievements with the world.”

This month, Archbishop Makgoba helped to launch a new South Africa Day – the first of which will take place on 12 November 2016 and will then take place each year on the second Saturday in November.

The idea for South Africa Day is the brain child of investment strategist Chris Hart. He said that the initiative was inclusive and has asked for suggestions about how South Africa Day can be marked. Hart will serve as chairman for the initiative and Archbishop Makgoba has been appointed president.

At the launch event, the Archbishop called on business leaders to support a “South Africa Day Bursary Fund to support deserving students and learners. He is where he is today, he said, because of opportunities that were created for him by others.

“South Africa Day will bring together citizens from every part of our rainbow nation, and with that a convergence of different viewpoints, cultures and faiths,” the organisers say on their website.