Imtiaz Sooliman – Ethekwini Living Legends 2016

			As a young boy, doctor Imtiaz Suleyman grew
		

			up in his family's potchefstrom
		

			shop, where his father helped customers in need
		

			with loans and preferential pricing.
		

			This was the first time MTS was exposed
		

			to compassion, which became the backbone of his
		

			future success.
		

			After qualifying in medicine, his work as a
		

			humanitarian
		

			began while MTS was standing on a parched
		

			Mozambican riverbank,
		

			watching children dig desperately for water without success,
		

			and eating the mud out of desperation.
		

			Together with the support of an Islamic medical
		

			association, he was inspired to take up the
		

			humanitarian
		

			cause.
		

			In 1990 2, while visiting Istanbul in Turkey,
		

			he was introduced to a Sufi Sheikh, who
		

			ordered Imtiaz to form an organization
		

			called The Gift of the Givers,
		

			and to serve humanity unconditionally for the rest
		

			of his life, irrespective of race, creed, or
		

			color, as well as anywhere in the world
		

			at any time.
		

			The most amazing part of this incident was
		

			that the sheikh could not speak English, while
		

			Imtiaz could not speak Turkish,
		

			yet they both understood each other perfectly,
		

			which led to the birth of the gift
		

			of the givers.
		

			Over the following 2 years, his involvement grew
		

			to the point that Imtiaz closed his medical
		

			surgery in 1994,
		

			in order to pursue his humanitarian
		

			commitments full time.
		

			Doctor Mtya Suleiman is a dedicated, energetic leader
		

			with exceptional negotiation
		

			skills, holding the trust of all those he
		

			encounters.
		

			He was awarded the Order of the Baobab
		

			in silver for his contribution to humanitarian aid
		

			in South Africa through the gift of the
		

			Givers Foundation
		

			and his humanitarian relief missions in various countries.
		

			His activities are acknowledged through more than 100
		

			diverse national and international
		

			awards,
		

			citations,
		

			commendations,
		

			and special recognitions.
		

			These recognitions
		

			include 4 awards from heads of state, including
		

			the President's Order of the Star of South
		

			Africa,
		

			the highest civilian award in South Africa.