It is with great regret that we announce that Graça Machel is not able to visit London next week, because she must attend to an urgent family matter that requires her presence in South Africa. We are therefore unable to go forward with the event planned for 30th October at Amnesty International HQ. We know that this will be a great disappointment as you, like us, will have been looking forward to meeting and listening to Mrs Machel, who has been one of the leading figures in the Southern African liberation struggle since the mid-1970s.
Graça Machel has asked that we share the following message with you:
I am deeply disappointed not to be able to participate in the 25th anniversary event of Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) on 30th October. I have had to cancel my upcoming trip to London altogether due to an unexpected family matter which requires my physical presence in Johannesburg. ACTSA’s work for rights, equality and sustainable development in Southern Africa resonates strongly with me and I am so pleased they are positively impacting the lives of millions in the region. I sincerely hope that you will continue to celebrate their many achievements over the past 25 years and engage with them in the next chapter of their exciting journey.
Graça Machel has expressed her most sincere regret for not being able to be in London for the event, and her continued commitment to ACTSA’s work. We hope that it will be possible to host an event with her in 2020 but we cannot guarantee that will happen at this stage.
In the meantime, we will refund those who have paid for a ticket, unless you have already instructed us to convert it to a donation.
We are particularly disappointed as this meeting was meant to mark a special anniversary. However, there is still opportunity to celebrate 25 years of ACTSA becoming the successor to the AAM as we hold a special edition of our popular Annual Fundraising Dinner 2019 on Friday 29th November at South Africa House. We hope to see many of you there.
We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this cancellation has caused and hope that you will continue to support our important work for rights, equality and sustainable development in Southern Africa.
Kindest regards,
Michael Buraimoh, Director, ACTSA.