Cape Town – The historic Old Granary building will officially be called the Desmond and Leah Tutu House next year.
This after the City Council unanimously approved the renaming of the building during the last sitting for the year on Thursday.
The City’s Directorate for Economic Growth, which tabled the proposal to change the name to honour and memorialise the life and work of the late Archbishop and his wife, made the announcement on Monday.
MMC for economic growth James Vos said: “This is an outcome that is welcomed by myself and the Economic Growth Directorate’s strategic assets department, which oversees the management of the Old Granary building.
“Our vision is to carry on the legacy of Desmond and Leah Tutu, who have not only made notable contributions to the political and socio-cultural identity of Cape Town and South Africa but are global icons for virtue and fortitude of character,” he said.
Vos also announced that the official renaming ceremony would take place in the new year.
The City’s naming committee, backed by Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, initiated a public participation process in September, calling on residents and interested parties to comment on the proposed renaming.
According to the City, the report on the outcome of this process was served before the council last week.
Cape Town deputy mayor and chairperson of the City’s naming committee, Eddie Andrews, said: “We welcome the council’s decision, and I want to thank all who participated in this process, from those who proposed the name change to the public participation unit who steered the commenting process, the mayor for his support, and finally, council who endorsed this decision.”
The historic building is situated at 11 Buitenkant Street in Zonnebloem. It was constructed between 1808 and 1813, and over the past 200 years has been used as a bakery, a granary, a jail for women, a customs house, a court and police office, and Public Works offices.
In 2015, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation co-funded the refurbishment to allow the foundation to use the space as a peace centre, archive centre, museum and City of Cape Town office space.