Cape Town - Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s wife Leah Tutu celebrated her birthday in style on Wednesday as mayor Patricia de Lille signed the lease of the 204-year-old The Granary building to the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.
The Arch, who has been in-and-out of hospital recently, was present to sign the lease and witness the mayor unveil the plaque on Wednesday.
Tutu opened the proceedings with a prayer.
On behalf of the foundation, his daughter, Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu said: “The legacy is not a static legacy as you can see from the logo we’ve selected for the legacy foundation, which is a tree, something that will grow and flourish, something that will bear fruit. We are not quite certain what fruit it is but that which bears rich fruit.
“As the Arch said in his prayer, we pray that the blessing that we are being granted as the legacy foundation in having this incredible heritage facility to use will be a blessing that flows out from this place to the whole of the city; to the whole of the province; the whole of our country and indeed to the whole world.”
De Lille said: “We are currently standing in front of what is going to become a monument of the work that the Arch and Mama Leah have dedicated their lives towards.
“The Granary is one of the oldest and most significant heritage buildings.
“It is a 204-year-old building so rich in history and one of the most significant architectural landmarks.”
She said it was built between 1808 and 1813 as a dwelling house and bakery.
“The complex of buildings on the erf are of high cultural, social, architectural and historic significance and form a part of the country’s heritage resources which should be protected and maintained for future generations. We feel it is only fitting that the legacies of the Arch and Mama Leah should be preserved in the same way.”
De Lille said the start of the refurbishment is set for mid-2016 and expected the process to be completed by early 2017.
“As we work towards building an inclusive city, we see The Granary as a space for all the people and the rest of the world to come together and reflect on the role that each of us can play in creating a better world.”
Cape Argus