Along with many other South Africans, international friends and non-governmental organisations in the region, the Nelson Mandela Foundation mourns the loss of Gerald Kraak.
Through Atlantic Philanthropies he was an early funder of our then-nascent Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory project, and for some years has funded our Archival Platform partnership with the University of Cape Town.
Gerald was a visionary funder – he ‘got’ the significance of archive, understood the centrality of memory to any attempt to realize the post-apartheid, and provided the seed and core funding which made it possible for a myriad projects and organizations in these sectors to achieve sustainability.
Of course, Gerald’s canvas was much broader - he was a legend in the broader human rights funding arena.
Over many years we were privileged to get to know Gerald as a friend. He was unassuming about his extraordinary life and the contributions he made during the struggles against apartheid.
We always appreciated his humility, as well as his stellar combination of passion, insight and humour. He had perfected the art of generating pleasure while holding pain.
We will miss him. Gerald was an outstanding South African and citizen of the world. Hamba kahle friend.