Tuesday, 28th March 2006 (4167 views)

The South African Mint in Midrand has honoured Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu with a gold coin to commemorate his Nobel Peace Prize in 1994.

The Protea series will honour all of the country's Prize winners and will consist of 300 coins in total.

The 2006 series will feature a one-ounce gold coin, a one-tenth of an ounce coin, and a one-Rand sterling silver coin. They will feature an effigy of Archbishop Tutu and an excerpt from the speech he gave upon receiving his Nobel Prize.

Tito Mboweni, the Reserve Bank governor, was full of praise for the effect the Anglican dignitary had on shaping the country's future.

"The archbishop is a very, very special person, both from a religious and spiritual view, also as a councillor, peacemaker and (for) playing an important role in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission," Mr Mboweni said.

The designer of the collection, Natanya van Niekerk, revealed that the image selected for the gold coin, in which the Nobel Prize laureate's hands feature prominently, was chosen as it best depicted Archbishop Tutu's expressive personality.

 

« Back to the stories

 

The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited © and do not represent the views or opinions of the World Gold Council.