Kagiso Trust's InBrief Newsletter - April 2014: Driven by Vision

InBRIEF Issue 13 | April 2014

Peace Liberation Development | Twitter: @Kagiso_trust | www.facebook.com/kagisotrust | www.kagiso.co.za

Driven by Vision

Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision – Ayn Rand

inside inbrief

EDUCATION CONVERSATIONS

CREAM OF THE CROP

5 MINUTES WITH LELE

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Word from Corporate Affairs Fighting Poverty

Hot Off The Press

We Are The Champions

A Dramatic Turn-Around

Playing Our Part

Money Matters

Did You Know

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“SOUTH AFRICA’S NEWS AND INFORMATION LEADER” SAfm is a national talk radio station that broadcasts an array of programming content in English. The station gives its listeners a platform to express themselves by discussing issues that affect their lives on a daily basis.

SAfm has positioned itself as ‘the leading host of the national conversation’ therefore making the station the theatre of great conversations, and it is this essence that informs the station’s brand expression ‘let’s have the conversation.’

The station invites South Africans of discerning taste, who are prepared to take responsibility for the success of this country, to join in the daily debates and conversations with experts from all sectors of society.

Core Audience:

SAfm broadcasts nationally to Listeners in the core age group 35 to 49 years.

Discerning, mature and sophisticated audience. Decision makers seeking insightful and enabling information. An urban based South African, high income earner, ambitious, confident and progressive.

Typical listener: Employed, businessman, urban USP: The station’s national appeal. Only SAfm presents News & Information

that mentally stimulates listeners and inspires them to make a positive contribution in SA.

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Word from Corporate Affairs

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n the 27th April 1994, I stood in a long queue with many South Africans from all races, accompanying my mother to cast her vote during South Africa’s first democratic elections.

She was voting at a station set up at Queensburgh Girls High School - a school I would later matriculate from.

There was a great sense of excitement in the air, where everyone (old, young, white, black, coloured, Indian) was talking animatedly about their hopes for the dawn of South Africa’s democracy, a journey away from a divided and unequal society.

Twenty years later, we look back on what we have achieved and what we would like to see going forward.

Kagiso Trust’s story is indelibly intertwined in South Africa’s rich and turbulent history, having been established when the campaign for trade sanctions against South Africa was at its peak. With Ronald Reagan in the White House and Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street, all-out sanctions were inevitable. The European Union intervened by setting up the Kagiso Trust, to fund the development of black South Africans. Archbishop Desmond

Tutu and Beyers Naudé were appointed trustees and that, as men of the church, would ensure accountability and transparency as to the ethical allocation of the funds. Eric Molobi was appointed administrator, presiding over the disbursement of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The European Union periodically sent in auditors to audit Kagiso Trust’s finances, but no irregularities were ever found.

Kagiso Trust was always intended to become apolitical, but ended up funding large numbers of anti-apartheid organisations. Most of the money went into bursaries for black students, rural development and housing projects.

The freedom gained in 1994 recognised all South Africans as full citizens; giving them the right to use any public spaces, live where they wanted, meet with anyone at any time, and also to be able to study any subject matter at an institution of their choice.

Kagiso Trust continues to contribute towards the transformation of South Africa through its education and enterprise development models - 29 years on. The current challenge for economies worldwide is providing employment opportunities for their citizens. Access to quality education is

the first step in the right direction.

Our goal has always been to equip people with the skills they need to develop and succeed. Education and entrepreneurship are a few of those key skills. Our work is about partnerships, transferable models, accountability and long term, sustainable development for communities. It has been this way since inception and in the next 30 years, we have a very specific and robust strategy to continue transforming the education system in the country and driving the economic development of our people and the nation.

As Kagiso Trust continues to grow in democratic South Africa, we hope that it will represent the very best of South Africa. That it will embody the values of integrity, sacrifice and Ubuntu which is so lacking in the world today. It is only through this attitude of accountability to others, will education and in essence South Africa be transformed.

Nontando Mthethwa Corporate Affairs Manager

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Education Conversations

Matric Results 2013 in retrospect

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In South Africa, of the 100 students that started school in 2002, 49% didn’t reach matric,” says Nic Spaull an Education researcher from the University of Stellenbosch. “11% failed matric in 2013, 24% passed matric, while only 16% passed matric with a university entrance.”

ccording to Spaull the dropout rate and weak performance of students is a result of the low quality of education and how the aftermath of apartheid continues to disadvantage black learners. Based on previous matric results it can be said that, a white child is 7 times more likely than a black child to obtain a Maths D+ and 38 times as likely to get an Aaggregate.

“These findings indicate how the low quality of education continues to condemn black children in the underclass,” Spaull told those attending

the latest instalment of the Education Conversations at the University of Johannesburg on February 19, 2014.

From discussions on the day,

The topic, Matric Results 2013 in Retrospect, questioned what the results mean for the economy, whether there were things that needed changing, what the certificate means for matrics and whether South Africa was moving in the right direction.

the general consensus was that more public attention needed to be drawn to primary schooling and there needs to be more public acknowledgment of dropouts.

Gaps in the quality of education are already apparent in grade 3 among the different quintiles added Spaull.

“What starts as three years behind then eventually becomes 4 years.”

“There is a tendency to think that schooling is a year of grade 12,” Spaull added. “While South Africa’s problems are not unique, it is imperative that we don’t become too relaxed.”

Prof Sarah Gravett, Dean of Education at the University of Johannesburg agreed. “If we want change we must start early in the foundation phase.”

Gravett also found it disconcerting that there was a lack of nuanced analysis in the press. Prof Coert Loock, Vice Academic Dean added that the issue was not as simplistic as it may appear.

“This requires a very fine balancing act between national interest and the benefit.

Previously disadvantaged schools are responding positively to the national and provincial intervention programs such as the SSIP,” said Loock. “Let

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us celebrate what we achieve and reevaluate the value of Life Orientation,” he added.

Dr Boitumelo Moreeng, Discipline Coordinator, School of Social Sciences and Language Education, from the University of the Free State, promoted the idea of putting people first.

He suggested that innovation was what was needed to change the status quo. Equally important is sacrifice, the sharing of resources, communal/ collective responsibility, political will and leadership, sustainable partnerships, research driven interventions and meaningful teacher

training. “We need to have a body that says after every three years educators need to have gone through these courses that allow you to keep your licence as a teacher trainer,” added Moreeng.

But most importantly is our need to take responsibility as individuals Moreeng said. “What have you done in your small area and space, what is it that you have done to make sure things become better?”

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1. Prof. Gravett and Students 2. Members of the panel 3 The guests engaging in a conversation

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CREAM OF THE

crop

This year began on a very high note for Kagiso Trust: the Beyers Naudé Schools Development Programme (BNSDP) schools surpassed expectations by exceeding the 2013 benchmark of an 85% matric pass rate.

BNSDP 2013 Matric Results

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agiso Trust’s pride extended to the province: the Free State claimed the number one position in the country as the best performing province with 87.4%, ahead of the North West, Gauteng and the Western Cape; the Thabo Mofutsanyana district, where the BNSDP’s 167 schools are located, achieved a remarkable 88.4% pass rate and is the provinces best performing district.

The BNSDP schools’ 2013 pass rate, 88.1%, is cause for celebration and a reminder that hard, consistent work yields great results.

The BNSDP believes in incentivising outstanding performance and this will be carried out in three stages.

1. Rewarding the Educators

Programme (EMSP).

When a school achieves a 100% pass rate, Kagiso Trust rewards the schools’ teachers and their spouses with a trip to Durban where they will get to relax, enjoy the beach and be away from their everyday environment.

It is a full bursary awarded to a learner who has perfomed exceptionally well in matric but cannot afford to further their studies. The students are enrolled at a university of their choice to study towards any qualification in commerce or engineering sciences.

This year two schools, Rantsane Secondary School and Thiboloha School for the Deaf and Blind, obtained 100% and therefore qualified for the trip.

Usually consisting of an annual of 15 students, 17 students from the class of 2013 have been awarded full bursaries by the EMSP.

2. Rewarding the Learners

3.Rewarding the Schools

BNSDP learners who pass their matric very well are also legible for a scholarship from Kagiso Trust called the Eric Molobi Scholarship

The BNSDP rewards schools that improve on their results with infrastructure.

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Every year the Free State Department of Education announces a specific benchmark which schools are supposed to achieve.

Schools that reach the benchmark are given fully furnished and equipped Libraries, Physical and Life Science Laboratories, Computer Centres and, applicable to primary schools, Mathematics Laboratories.

9 schools will be rewarded infrastructure later this year.

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In 2012 the BNSDP schools had also performed very well, reaching and exceeding the benchmark of an 80% pass rate. The BNSDP schools achieved 84.5% in 2012 and as a result, 20 schools qualified for infrastructure.

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The large number of schools (the most the programme has had since inception) meant that the class of 2012 infrastructure launch had to be divided into two phases. The first phase took place in August of 2013. The second phase is taking place in March.

The 10 schools to be rewarded are:

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Fighting Poverty and Restoring Dignity through Education

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The cold weather did not stop the proud community members of Thabo Mofutsanyana District, in the Free State Province coming out in numbers to celebrate the Beyers Naudé Schools Development Programme (BNSDP) infrastructure launch on Thursday 27th April 2014.

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he two day event saw Kagiso Trust and the Free State DoE launch infrastructure in nine secondary schools and three primary school as part of rewarding them for having met the BNSDP benchmark, as they achieved passes between 80% and 100%. The infrastructure to be rewarded to the schools is valued at over R16 million and includes Science Laboratories, Computer Centers, Libraries and Mathematics Laboratories.

Fighting Poverty and Restoring Dignity through Education was the theme for the launch and it was fitting, as with the recent 2013 matric achievement, it was evident through the day’s activities that the community was still in high spirits with the provinces number one spot.

Kagiso Trust acknowledges that government alone cannot improve education; it is a collective approach

that is required to gain the quality and accountability of education. And with this said it is evident through the success of the BNSDP that focus is on leadership and management skills for principals, teachers, governing bodies as well as learners. It’s a holistic approach that recognises that there are no shortcuts to excellence.

Kagiso Trust Chairman Dean Zwo Nevhutalu reinforced that the launch was not a form of charity but a deserving reward to schools that have worked hard. Beyers Naude one of founding trustees if Kagiso Trust was a strong advocate in investing in education in order to uplift society.

Dean Zwo stated that, “It is through education that the youth today can make a sustainable contribution to their lives and their community.”

Through the eyes of the community members you could see hope and

“It is through education that the youth today can make a sustainable contribution to their lives and their community.”

accomplishment, when they were being addressed by the Honourable MEC Tate Makgoe. With every opportunity the MEC sang praises to the overwhelming success of schools around the Free State. “Don’t worry about the problems and challenges but focus on the solutions,” said the MEC. Rural education has long been overlooked and tainted by its disadvantaged surroundings, this in turn gives little motivation to learners and teachers to better position themselves for higher results.

Kagiso Trust however is transforming the backward thinking and installing tools of improvement to these rural schools. The MEC adds that Kagiso Trust remains true to their mission of supporting rural education. Ending the day’s proceedings with simple but true words the MEC said, “We can make it, let’s make it.”

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HOT OFF THE PRESS

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WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS As the Free State Department of Education (Free State DoE) MEC, Honourable Tate Makgoe, rose from his seat to address Nthabiseng Secondary School, the learners broke their silence and enthusiastically chanted “Mampudi! Mampudi!” Meaning ‘Champion’ in Sesotho, this was not the first school to greet the MEC in such a manner. The Free State learners came to adopt this greeting for the MEC as a sign of reaffirming him that they are champions and having achieved 88.1% pass rate for their 2013 matric examinations, the Beyers Naudé Schools Development Programme (BNSDP) learners proved to be champions indeed.

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he BNSDP Infrastructure Launch played the setting for such moments where young people allowed themselves to celebrate their achievements and pledge continued performance for 2014, a 100% pass rate for each school.

The launch took place over three days, from 26 to 28 March 2014, at the Thabo Mofutsanyana district in which Kagiso Trust’s BNSDP is being implemented in 167 schools.

This launch saw seven secondary schools and three primary schools awarded with infrastructure which included fully resourced libraries,

computer laboratories, physical and life science laboratories and, for primary schools, mathematics laboratories.

The schools rewarded during the launch were those who had reached the BNSDP benchmark in 2012.

little boy danced, the educators and secondary school learners clapped and cheered for him; the boy’s face beamed with pride and he ran back to the field to give his teammates a hug. Now that’s teamwork!

The three-day affair kick-started with the BNSDP Sports Tournament held at the grounds of the University of the Free State (UFS), Qwaqwa campus.

The netball courts were just as electrifying: the primary school games were enthralling to watch as the 10-year olds impressed everyone by playing a full court. The games were lighthearted and one of the girls did a handstand during a short break. Watching the primary school sports reminded us of the importance of having fun. The secondary schools showed excellent skills in both their netball and soccer games.

Schools came out in bus loads and the DJ made sure that the learners were entertained as they cheered on their peers. A Mookodi Primary School soccer player, caught up in the excitement of having scored a goal, performed a little dance for the spectators. As the

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Later on that day the BNSDP Debating and Reading Competitions were underway. The debating finals took place between Lekgulo and Nthabiseng Secondary Schools with the topic being ‘Has much been achieved since democracy’. So good were the debaters that at times it was difficult for spectators to choose a side. The proposition, Lekgulo Secondary, mentioned social grants, the abolishment of the death penalty, free public health services, RDP housing and free education in their case while the opposition, Nthabiseng, brought to our attention the increase in corruption, the large number of people raped and the never-ending strikes.

But ultimately Lekgulo took home the shield. The reading competition was held for primary schools. The children read in Sesotho, with clarity, understanding, enunciating each word and exuding confidence. The Reading Competition prize went to Tlokweng Primary School.

Over the next two days the infrastructure launch saw the Free State DoE MEC, the Free State DoE officials, Kagiso Trust trustees, executives and staff, BNSDP service providers, representatives from Kagiso Tiso Holdings and its investee companies and a number of other

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guests travel through rural Qwaqwa visiting the ten BNSDP schools. At each school there were hundreds of people awaiting the convoy: learners, educators and community members received the guests with song, dance and music, a most humbling experience. It was not hard to see the elderly among the community, wrapped in their colourful Basotho blankets and carrying wooden walking sticks. They, too, were there to share in the celebrations of their children’ and grandchildren’s success.

An elder from the Monontsha traditional council, Mr Alfred Hlaudi Tsoaedi, could not contain his pleasure over the library and mathematics laboratory which was rewarded to Thebe ya Kgomo Primary School.

this school know that investing in their children’s education will unlock many doors for them and improve their social situation, reiterating the theme of the launch that stresses the alleviation of poverty through education.

“This is where it all starts: at foundation phase. Our children can finally learn much more about the world out there.”

Many of the Thebe ya Kgomo children, most under the age of ten, travel from beyond the mountain that overlooks the school and cross a dangerous donga every day in order to attend school.

And indeed, more and more black children are excelling in the subjects.

These subjects should be encouraged by educators to ensure that “we build better places even better than Sandton, here in Qwaqwa”.

Mr Tsoaedi mentioned that to ensure the children are safe, community members are present at the donga to supervise the safe passage of children to and from school. Although in a remote rural area, the educators and community of

The Honourable MEC Tate Makgoe spoke passionately with the learners and reminding them of where we come from as a country and encouraging the young people to possess a strong sense of self-belief.

“Verwoed said black children could not do maths and science but you have proved him wrong.”

As the learners clapped and nodded their heads in agreement to the MEC’s statement, it was clear that these bornfrees will become the champions who live the dreams for which many South Africans fought and died for.

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Popano Secondary School

A dramatic turn-around

Squint at the mountains overlooking Section A in Botshabelo in the Free State and you can just about read the name “Popano SS” carved into a hill with white stones. There are plans to enlarge it so everyone will know its name. But if this secondary school continues with its dramatic progress, there may be no need. LISA-ANNE JULIEN made a visit.

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There is basically no school here.” This was the bitter acknowledgement Mr. D.J. Koenaesele made a few days into his appointment as the acting principal at Popano Secondary School.

Learners idling from midday onwards, gang members within the student population, exposed wires hanging from broken ceilings and a fractured group of educators, all lay in wait for the new recruit.

“I needed to address the critical problems first,” he recalls. “In my first week a boy from the school was involved in a murder in the community.

I started inviting the police to come

and speak the students.” From then on, motivational speakers, from pastors to inmates from the nearby prison, became a regular part of the school assembly. This is just but one of the ingredients that went into a dynamic recipe that moved Popano Secondary from a 32% Matric pass rate in 2012 to 83.5% in 2013.

Mr. Koenaesele knew when he needed to break to bend and divert the necessary funds towards putting windows in all of the classrooms. He is proud that after almost one year only four of the windows have broken, largely as a result of strong winds as opposed to strong hands. Nteboheng Mokhethi, a Grade 12 learner, recalls dark days before the windows were put it.

“During the winter the classrooms were so dark that I could barely read the words on the pages of my text book.”

Many of the classrooms still don’t have ceilings.

A new work ethic The new principal knew that gaining the trust of the school team was going to be one of his biggest battles. Moving from a nearby secondary school where he was deputy principal for a number of years, he was a virtual unknown to the staff at Popano. “It was very difficult at first,” he admits. “The management did not work together and the learners realised this and took advantage of the gap.”

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www.kagiso.co.za .” The high levels of absenteeism among educators prompted the principal to implement the school’s leave policy to the letter. He designed a leave form that compliments the policy and where educators are required to explain unauthorised leave.

Any educator arriving after 8am must sign the register in the presence of the principal but only after giving satisfactory explanations for the tardy behaviour. He has maintained his tough stance on this, despite several court actions instituted by some educators.

Although his measures were unpopular with some, many were won over.

“Sometimes people don’t like change,” says Florence Kato, the school’s deputy principal. “People weren’t used to that.

But we managed to get an 83.5% pass rate because of him. We are blessed to have someone like him here.” Florence Kato, Head of Department, Language, agrees. “Whatever the principal does, he involves the school management team,” she says. “It’s not just his way.”

“Sometimes people don’t like change,” A new work ethic has taken up residence in the school. In the past, school ended at 2:30pm or when learners simply decided to abscond. Since 2013, Grade 10 learners sit for extra classes until 4pm, with Grade 11 and 12 staying until 5pm and 6pm respectively, even though some live up to 14km away.

Grade 12 learners also receive a second meal in the evening.

“Before learners used to bunk classes and go to the toilets to hang out or smoke,” says Thato Mlotshwa, a Grade 12 learner who wants to study engineering. “We used to have a hole in the fence everyone called ‘mango’ where kids used to slip through. But now things have totally changed. The gates can be left open and no-one would try to go out. We enjoy staying for extra classes after school.” He realises the bar has been set quite high and is confident in the potential of his classmates. “The 2014 matriculants have to compete with those from last year,” he says. “We can do it. We can achieve 90%.”

“Before, many learners never wore the correct uniforms. Our parents used to tell us they weren’t going to bother to buy them,” says RCL president, Thandeka Magobiyana. “But now we love to wear them. We wear a different uniform from the other grades. It makes us feel important and special.”

Joining forces Under Mr Koenaesele leadership the school has forged new partnerships.

In 2013 the principal approached Jim Fouche Secondary in Bloemfontein for assistance with Grade 12. As a result, Jim Fouche agreed to allow eight of their teachers to assist Popano with holiday classes in physical science, life science and computer application technology. This year Popano will continue its relationship with Jim Fouche and has established new ones with St Michaels and Eunice High School, which has offered use of its science labs for experiments.

As a school on the verge of closing in January of last year, there was an intense and concerted intervention from the district education office. Pierre Rocher, a member of the Whole School Evaluation team, visited the school and made recommendations. ”The principal remained focused on his vision to improve Grade 12 results,” Rocher says. “His dedication and focused approach contributed positively to morale of educators as well as learners.” Subject advisors as well as members of the school management governance developers (SMDGs) visited the school on an almost weekly basis, even celebrating Mandela Day with the school in 2013.

Popano Secondary does not receive any external support from private organisations apart from the Kagiso Shanduka Trust (KST). The principal is grateful to the school retreat, a prerequisite for participating in the KST project. “The process of the retreat helped me a lot as a new principal,” he reflects.

“It helped me to get to know my teachers better. It gave them the opportunity to talk and that helped me to understand the problems, the cliques, the absenteeism, and the things that I do that they don’t like.” Mr Koenaesele added that in his 20 years of teaching, no other process has offered that type This new attitude is also reflected in the of insight. “We noticed a difference in physical appearance of learners who the teachers after that weekend,” Nteboheng says. wear their new uniforms with pride.

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“They talked about the retreat, about standing together, and always called on Thandeka to tell the other classes about it.”

Community pride Mr. Koenaesele believes that winning the confidence of the parents and community is critical to the success of any school. Parents now readily volunteer to invigilate afternoon classes. This volunteering spirit is arguably one of the strongest visual affirmations of the school’s progress. “Very early on January 6th, parents volunteered to come and clean the school yard,” says Ms. Smile, secretary of the School Governing Body. “They are much more involved now.” Thandeka agrees. “When I was in Grade 10 parents were not participating that much,” she recalls. “But now they come for meetings, even in the winter, even without a school hall.”

Although the 2013 Matric results brought cheers that reverted across Botshabelo, they were not entirely surprising to Mr Koenaesele. “From the first day I arrived I saw a change in the attitude of the learners,” he remembers. “I knew we were going to get the results we did. I never received any negative reports about our learners during the camps.”

With the precedent set, confidence radiates from the learners and the air of possibility is palpable. Congratulatory visits by the MEC for Education and the MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation have left indelible impressions.

But infrastructure and budgetary challenges remain, and the school team is going beyond the proverbial call of duty to prepare 140 learners for the 2014 Matric examinations. Beyond that, the team, led by the formidable Mr. Koenaesele, work to sustain the new culture of learning at the school, and inscribe the name ‘Popano’ into the hills, minds and hearts of the people of Botshabelo.

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Playing our Part

With Maria Mokae, mother to the Eric Molobi Scholarship Programme (EMSP) students

The Big Day: Simphiwe on Graduation Day with his family and Mme Maria (far right)

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he challenges that the EMSP students face which get to me the most includes when the students are unable to produce the desired results that will see them attaining their dreams of qualifying in their registered fields of study in one way or the other.

Be it being unable to find in-service training and/or placement. I feel so helpless because all these children wished for was to become the change agents in their families and communities - and that is not happening.

With support from Semenya Furumela Consulting and other companies, we have been able to secure in-service training for the majority of our students.

Kagiso Trust’s (KT) bursary programme is unique and quite different from other bursary programmes: it is not

the bursary programme that only funds students’ tertiary fees. Over and above the full bursary that KT offers, all of the EMSP beneficiaries receive a laptop to enable them to submit typed assessments and due to the rapid increase of the technology utilization it is imperative for each scholar to be computer literate.

Kagiso Trust also conducts home visits to all new students’ homes to meet the parents and guardians of the scholars so as to ensure that they understand what the programme entails. The EMSP encourages families to participate in shaping the lives of the students and places a lot of emphasis on family values.

Furthermore KT works with the Rural Education Access Programme (REAP) to assist the students with the shift from high school to tertiary as well

as the shift from a rural environment to the city.

REAP also monitors the progress of the scholars on a monthly basis so as to ensure that the challenges experienced by the scholars are addressed timeously.

For Kagiso Trust to continue helping these young and determined people, we need assistance in the form of providing in-service training in engineering (technical, electrical and civil) and placement for the students.

There are many ways you can assist: sms BOLD STEP to 40064 to donate R20 or visit www.boldstep.co.za to donate more. You add hope, add love and add to the future. Fuel the possibilities.

Contact Maria Mokae on 0115661900 or mmokae@kagiso.co.za

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Gratitude to Kagiso Trust Dear Mme Maria I sincerely want to thank Kagiso Trust for the support they gave me throughout my studies. If it wasn’t for your support I wouldn’t be where I am right now. I wish Kagiso the best in promoting us, the youth of South Africa from poor communities to become valued citizens and the leaders of our own community because through your support I have become a better person and a role model to the upcoming generation. I also thank KT for inviting me to help in school retreats that are held in Thaba Nchu, which helps me, financially, to do job hunting since I am not yet employed Again, I want to thank our great heavenly sent mother Mme Maria Mokae for giving me great care and supporting me like I was her own child. May the good lord be with her and give her more strength to support and change other people’s life.

Thank you a lot Kagiso Trust. The attached is my National diploma to indicate that I made it!!!

Yours sincerely Siphiwe Tshabalala

Dear Mama Maria and Kagiso Trust Team I am now a qualified Civil Engineering Technician and will be graduating at the Durban University of Technology. I studied from 2011 to 2013 and I would like to thank you for fully supporting and encouraging me during my studies.

Without you I would have not been able to make it in my studies, having you in my life did give me hope.

As for you mama, you were like my own parent. As I am now qualified it is my duty to also help other pupils who are coming from disadvantaged homes in pursuing further studies. I would be happy if you and Kagiso Trust could continue helping because there are many youngsters that are struggling further their education because of poor financial situations in their homes. The graduation will be in April, but I will let you know the exact date.

I really appreciate your support.

Yours Faithfully Nduduzo Myaka

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MINUTES WITH

Naomi ‘Lele’ Ratsheko “When I was younger, everyone referred to me as ‘Eric’s Daughter’ and I’d protest: ‘I have a name’. Many years later and I have given up; I am Eric Molobi’s daughter” Who was Eric Molobi?

Eric Molobi was first a South African. He was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a friend, a colleague. He was a normal simple man who did normal things which are seen to be extraordinary.

Growing up how much knowledge did you have of the work your father did?

I remember my mother saying that my father spoke the truth and was arrested for that. I grew up in an environment that was filled with love and warmth but I missed him terribly. I was about 7 or 8 years at the time. Whenever I had that deep pain from missing my father, I would receive letters from him from Robben Island. He spent more than 8 years away from us; 6 years were spent in Robben Island and 18 months in detention.

What does his legacy mean to you?

It is everyone’s legacy. This legacy belongs to everyone he touched. His legacy can be easily individualised and so it can be owned by people depending on their interaction with my father. Eric Molobi

walked different paths: religion in his early years, business and personal. He made it so that it is easy to replicate what he did.

In what ways is your father’s legacy being honoured?

He would be so proud of Kagiso Trust.

Education was close to his heart. The Eric Molobi Scholarship Programme (EMSP) allows young adults to do what he did, which is ploughing back where they come from. This programme is befitting; it gives motivated youth a chance they would not necessarily have received and this affords them dignity.

What would you like to see the EMSP achieve?

The EMSP is a well-oiled machine; it works extremely well. The programme is managed by people who are grounded, focused and serious, people who have worked with Eric Molobi. I sit on the EMSP panel of interviewers [the selection process of new intake] and I’ve come to see that the programme is transparent and thorough. In the process these people are also busy working on their own legacies. They are passionate.

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The Molobi family is very involved and supportive of Kagiso Trust…

It is such an honour for Kagiso Trust to consider us important after 7 years since my father’s passing. It started with invitations to events and we realised that there is value we can add as a family; KT has that family spirit.

We are truly humbled that because Eric Molobi was part of Kagiso Trust, we are now part of it as well.

What are you most passionate about?

I N V I TA T I O N

I am a teacher by profession and it’s funny because Kagiso Trust’s programmes are mainly educational. I am passionate about the youth and it concerns me how many of today’s youth live for the present and fail to connect it with the future. It is important to live in the moment yet the future should not be forgotten as this train of thought creates responsible citizens. I have noticed that in high school many children avoid [Pure] Mathematics and instead either choose an ‘easier’

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subject or Mathematics Literacy. Maths is seen as this monster and I want to help children see Maths in a different light. Educators play an important role in this perception of Maths and it could be as a result of their lack of passion.

To sum it up, helping children with Maths and getting them to think about the future is my passion cum dream.

If you could have a heart-to-heart with anyone who would it be and why?

In all my forty five years I have never thought about that. (deep in thought) There are many people I deeply admire but for me it would be my dad. When he passed that’s when I learnt more about him and the work he did. I would love to engage with him on that personal level where I can ask “how did you decide to live your life the way you did?” and “how did you do it?”

My mother has this personality that has allowed her to meet people from all walks of life. And while my father was in prison, she worked double shifts so that

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Kagiso Trust InBrief

www.kagiso.co.za

Money Matters: My Top Budget Priorities

I

nitially I dreaded the idea of presenting my thoughts on the budget speech. So like many South Africans I took to analyst reviews.

South Africa has a budget of over R1 trillion to be spent within twelve months. How do we do that? Well, the Honourable Minister of Finance delineated how the money would be used. Without disagreeing with Minister Pravin Gordhan, I have

formulated my own budget allocation should it have been up to me to distribute the funds. If there was no tax and I had the responsibility to use my funds outside of government for the sole benefit of South Africa as a whole, what would I do?

I looked at how much of my finances I already have to share with the government and became uncertain as to whether I would be as generous as the Minister.

Paballo Makosholo is Kagiso Trust’s Chief Financial and Investment Executive

South Africa has varying pressing issues. The Minister of Finance responded to the challenges by allocating what government deems to be critical to achieve its objectives.

There is not much difference how the funds will be spent as depicted in the graph below

Kagiso Trust InBrief

www.kagiso.co.za

(14%)

Notwithstanding how the funds 4. Economic Affairs have been allocated, I have while back I found myself at my ventured to list My Top Budget Achildhood home and my neighbour paid me a visit. He looked me in the Priorities:

1. Education (20%) Education would receive the largest share of my pertinence. If you have seen the transformation that education brings and the condition of the majority of South African’s lives, one would be hard pressed not to give it more.

(16%)

2. Public Healthcare

Few people have not had the experience of using public services. When one is in need of medical attention but lacks the finances to be admitted to a private hospital, public clinics and hospitals are the only way, as daunting as the thought may be. But in their defence, South Africa does have some good public hospitals. For this reason, I would spend the second chunk of funds on public healthcare.

3. Housing

(15%)

A man desired to follow Jesus and Jesus attempted to discourage him, stating his personal situation: “foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of man hath nowhere to lay his head”.

These profound words speak to the living conditions of our people. More housing would have to be provided for South Africans.

eye and said “Mfetho, ke kopa o empoware” (Man, please empower me).

The look on his face spoke more than the words he uttered. So given the high unemployment rate in South Africa, I would be forced to allocate the next bit of funds to economic services in response to my neighbour and countless other South Africans.

I would have to address the building of economic infrastructures, introduce incentives to stimulate the creation of permanent jobs and expedite the environment that fosters the economic empowerment of the previously disadvantaged individuals and communities.

Some sort of administration to expend the funds would be needed; it would have to be lean and mean. For instance, should you encounter a corrupt official, why continue to allow them to handle the funds while under investigation? E tla fela tshelete (the money will be used up). None dare challenge me when I say: my budget allocation would succeed and fail in the execution of those that have been charged with the financial responsibility. So this is an area I would reduce the most to facilitate more funding for other key areas affecting our society.

Of course, there are many aspects of our society that demand serious attention: such as crime and the growing trend of budget deficit (spending more than one can afford which results in debt). As much as I am aware of these, the abovementioned remain top of my priorities. That’s my personal take.

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Kagiso Trust’s Priorities

1.

Kagiso Trust’s single largest area of investment remains education. The fact that it has received the highest budget allocation (in both the Minister’s and my budget) confirms that we are making an intervention in a key priority of government. For our sustainability, our model requires the government to continue contributing financially, rand-forrand.

2. While the Trust continues to evaluate other interventions, it is evident that unemployment is a colossal problem in our country and continues to undermine the economic strides that have been made.

Like most agencies that promote entrepreneurship, we welcomed the announcement by the Minister that R6.5 billion has been set aside to boost small to medium sized enterprises.

The Trust funds sustainable businesses which have as shareholders previously disadvantaged individuals. I am excited that the minister has allocated significant amount of funds to address economic growth.

Unlike the analyst of which I am not, I cannot make any pronouncement on whether Minister Pravin Gordhan’s budget speech was “unbalanced”, “predictable” or even “bold”. The accountant in me says wait for the Auditor General’s report on how the funds were spent before you give your verdict of whether the budget was a good one or not. And I shall do just that. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

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Kagiso Trust InBrief

www.kagiso.co.za

DID YOU KNOW?

Kagiso Trust Supports Youth Empowerment?

The majority of Kagiso Trust’s programmes are targeted at youth empowerment, starting early in a child’s life from primary to high school (Beyers Naudé Schools Development Programme, BNSDP), to tertiary education (Eric Molobi Scholarship Programme, EMSP) through to providing entrepreneurship funding (Kagiso Enterprises Rural Private Equity Fund, KERPEF).

BNSDP: intervention in schools include:

- teambuilding - curriculum training - equipping educators with computer skills - school management support - extra curriculum classes for learners - infrastructure which includes libraries,

science laboratories, computer centres

and mathematics laboratories - and youth development, among others

EMSP: BNSDP learners who perform well in their studies are selected to be beneficiaries of a full bursary which covers

- full tuition fees - textbooks and all study material - accommodation - laptop - food and travel expenses - mentoring and personal support - monthly stipend

KERPEF: the fund is not exclusive to BNSDP or EMSP beneficiaries; previously disadvantaged entrepreneurs submit their proposals and upon approval, receive funding from R500 000 to R5 million. KERPEF has a strict selection criteria:

- the business must be sustainable - the business must promote skills transfer - have a significant empowerment shareholding - and good governance

www.kagiso.co.za

Kagiso Trust InBrief

Happy Easters!!!

May you and your families be greatly blessed during the holidays.

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