Honorary Consul for South Africa Pays Tribute to Basil D'Oliveira

BIRMINGHAM, England, Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Avi Lasarow, recently appointed Honorary Consul for the Republic of South Africa to the Midlands, today paid tribute to the life and work of the South African-born cricketer Basil D'Oliveira at the memorial service held at Worcester Cathedral.

In 1968 Basil D'Oliveria was selected to tour South Africa with the England team, but was refused permission to play due to the South African National Party's policies of sporting isolation for non-white players, which resulted in the tour being cancelled.

Avi Lasarow, Honorary Consul of the Midlands, for the Republic of South Africa, said: "On behalf of the South African High Commission, and of the thousands of South Africans living and working in the UK, I am honoured to have the opportunity to pay respect to the life and work of Basil D'Oliveira, and the huge contribution and sacrifices he made to champion the causes of tolerance and inclusion in South Africa and the UK."

The service was attended by past and present cricketers, whilst tributes at the ceremony came from Beresford Williams, the president of the Western Province Cricket Union in South Africa, and Sir Michael Parkinson.

About Avi Lasarow
Avi Lasarow, CEO of Trimega Laboratories, is one of South Africa's leading international entrepreneurs. He founded Trimega Laboratories in 2005 and has grown it to become one of the world's leading providers of substance misuse testing services, focused on the development and marketing of drug and alcohol tests, employing 58 people in the UK, South Africa and Germany.

Avi's contribution to the development of trade relations between South Africa and the UK has included:

2011. Guest speaker at The South African Business Club, London, the City's leading South African networking organisation, on "tips learned" as an entrepreneur doing business both in the UK and South Africa.

2010. Invited to speak as part of a panel in London at the "Home-Coming Revolution" conference in London, providing insights for entrepreneurs aiming to return back to South Africa and setup a business. The Homecoming Revolution is a non-profit organisation aimed at reversing South African skills shortages.

SOURCE Honorary Consul for the Republic of South Africa to the Midlands