Dali Tambo, newly appointed President of the Variety Club SA, to host Tutu Banquet

Children's charity Variety Club, South Africa, is proud to announce the appointment of Dali Tambo as its President. He follows a long tradition of personalities, celebrities, world leaders and royalty - from Prince Philip and Tony Blair to celebrities Roger Moore and Brad Pitt - who have associated their name to furthering the good work done by the over 55 Variety Club tents around the country. He also joins Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Governor Tito Mboweni and Dr Ali Bacher, patrons of Variety - the Children's Charity.

No stranger to the limelight, Dali Tambo has a special affinity for Variety Club, which often uses entertainment events to highlight the plight of children. Says Dali, "Growing up in the UK, I was surrounded by the good works of Variety Club - from the countless Sunshine Coaches that ferried disabled children around to the celebrities, royalty and television anchors who lent their support to the charity." His Artists Against Apartheid movement during his years in exile in the United Kingdom was a great success and was a precursor to Bob Geldof's subsequent Live Aid concerts and his upcoming Live 8 initiative.

Whilst his artistic flair will add a dash of the dramatic to Variety Club, it is Dali Tambo's new-found success in business that will form the foundation of his work with Variety Club. As the CEO of Koketso Holdings, an investment company with interests in mining, pharmaceutical and other business areas, Dali hopes to be able to use his vast resources and talents to not only identify the areas where the need is greatest, but also use his business contacts to influence corporate South Africa to rally to the aid of children.

Unlike the Variety Clubs in developed countries, where the need may be for a fleet of Sunshine Coaches to ferry children or for individual children to receive life-saving operations, in South Africa the need is far greater and needs to get to the core of our problems. The looming crisis of orphaned children as a result of the ravages of HIV/AIDS and the alarming child abuse statistics makes Variety Club's work even more urgent and requires speedier solutions and greater commitment from all those involved.

Dali Tambo's first official engagement will be hosting a banquet in honour of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah's 50th Wedding Anniversary. Archbishop Tutu is patron of Variety Club and the banquet will help raise much needed funds for Variety Club's Child Abuse projects.

Although Dali believes that South Africans have an inherent sense of "ubuntu" to help their fellow man, he believes we need to take ubuntu a step closer to the European adage of "noblesse oblige" and adopt Hilary Clinton's motto of "it takes a village to raise a child." "It is time for all of us, whether we're an individual or a business, to come together to make a difference - for the sake of the children," says Dali.

Companies wishing to support Variety Club and book tables for the Desmond Tutu Banquet can contact Toni Gomes at Variety Club on Tel No: (011) 445-7760 or email or see http://www.varietyclub.co.za/cp.aspx for more information.