Dr Kani honoured with WWF Living Planet Award

DR John Kani received the Living Planet Award in the individual category for his work as the longest-serving trustee of the WWF Nedbank Green Trust, and for his donation of time and famous voice (whom many will remember as the voice of Rafiki in the remake of the Lion King) in support of WWF's work.

- SATURDAY STAR REPORTER

DR John Kani receives his Living Planet Award from Dr Valli Moosa at the WWF ceremony in Sandton. | Supplied

(Supplied)

This is the first time that Dr Kani's contribution to the environmental cause has been acknowledged. Over the course of a long and prestigious career, Dr Kani has received many awards, more recently an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2023 for his services to drama and theatre.

Alongside his service with the WWF Nedbank Green Trust, he generously contributed audio and visual material to several WWF campaigns. These include Earth Hour, a global movement that connects people with nature, a WWF "Nature Matters" campaign, as well as the narration for a documentary Wild Zambezi, spotlighting the environmental risks facing the Lower Zambezi River.

The pioneering partnership between Nedbank and WWF South Africa began in 1990 when very few companies were talking "green" or sustainability. At that time, Nedbank recognised the centrality of the natural environment; that it underpins all human needs from food to energy, water and livelihoods.