Keeping the lights on at the Nelson Mandela Foundation is a challenge faced by all NGOs working in South Africa in an economy that is stubbornly slow to grow.
It’s a tough funding environment for the Foundation and appropriate that current donors are acknowledged and thanked for their contributions.
Sello Hatang, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Tokyo Sexwale, chairperson of the resource mobilisation committee of the Board, hosted donors at the Foundation – many of whom have supported the Foundation since 1999 – to thank them for their contributions. Hatang also acknowledged the smaller donors and thanked a teacher who donated R100 every month from her salary to contribute to the work of the Foundation. “These are people” he says, who “see the vision” and identify the need for local sacrifice to support the “long journey ahead” that the Foundation has undertaken. Hatang related the story of a young black child who asked her granddad when she would become white. These are the kinds of narratives that the Foundation wants to challenge and respond to.
Sexwale appealed to donors to show local support for the Foundation’s work to turn the “most emblematic of statesmen’s” legacy into reality. He also acknowledged people who donated their time and made the commitment to support Mandela Day by giving a bit of themselves. These are supporters who don’t have deep pockets and expect no recognition.
These are people who Sexwale says, “will keep the legacy alive forever”. The Foundation, in return, uses the funds appropriately as Mandela would have wanted.
Award-winning producer and friend of Mandela, Anant Singh, spoke passionately about Madiba being more interested in everybody else, especially those less fortunate. This was something he found special about Mandela. He said the work of the Foundation would continue to perpetuate Mandela’s work and added: “There will always be work to be done.” He reminded guests that “our responsibility is to continue to broaden awareness of Madiba’s legacy.”
Bazil Lauryssen, JCDecaux’s Chief Executive Officer for sub-Saharan Africa, said he felt honoured to participate in continuing Mandela’s legacy. He is particularly proud to have supported the Foundation for the past seven years and pledged his long-term commitment to supporting its work. “It’s not about the money, it’s about the value,” Lauryssen said.
Nicolette Naylor, CEO of the Ford Foundation for Southern Africa, stressed the importance of local ownership and philanthropy. The Ford Foundation supported the preservation of Mandela’s personal archives at the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Nicolette stressed the importance of asking the Foundation what it required rather than funding priorities that Ford considered important. They consider the archive as important as keeping the lights on.
Hatang and Sexwale unveiled the donor wall of Legacy Champions who have donated one-million dollars, Legacy Partners who have contributed one-million rand and donors who have contributed in kind.
Greg Maloka of Kaya FM handed over a cheque of R1-million to the Foundation. Kaya FM hosts the annual Mandela Day relay and spends R6-million to host the event. He says the symbolic gesture of handing over the baton is a significant part of their Mandela Day campaign.
In closing, Hatang said the Foundation sought to keep the “ancestry of hope alive” though the many supporters of the Foundation.
Legacy Champions
• Mr David Rockerfeller & Ms Peggy Dulany
• Mr Tokyo Sexwale
• Mr Patrice Motsepe
• President Bill Clinton
• Vodacom (Pty) Ltd
Legacy Partners
• ABSA Bank
• Anant and Vanashree Singh Foundation
• BetterWorld Funds – Education
• Brimstone Investment Corporation
• City of Cape Town
• City of Tshwane
• Coca-Cola
• Cotton On Foundation
• Department for International Development (DFID)
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für: Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
• Edcon
• Embassy of the USA
• Google/Tides Foundation
• Hasso Plattner
• Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)
• JCDecaux
• Kaya FM
• Masai Ujiri (Giants of Africa)
• Massmart
• Rhodes Trust
• SAP Africa
• South African Football Association
• South African Mint
• Svenska PostkodStiftelsen (Swedish Lottery)
• The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
• Thebe Investment Corporation
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• Volkswagen SA
• AngloGold Ashanti
• Brand South Africa
• Ford Foundation, office for Southern Africa
• Spencer Stuart
• McKinsey South Africa
Donations in kind:
• Audi
• KPMG Services (Pty) Ltd
• SABC
• Stuttafords Van Lines
• Videovision Entertainment
• HP South Africa (Pty) Ltd
• Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons
• South African Airways (SAA)
• OR Tambo International Airport
• Happy Science
• Tiger Brands Limited
• Premier FMCG
• SA Airlink (Pty) Ltd
Other donors:
• The Government of India
• National Lotteries Commission