Zinzile MavusoReflections by Executive Director Neeshan Balton
Ten years ago, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation was launched at Trade Route Mall, in Lenasia. Over this period, we have celebrated and we have cried. On August 21st, we marked what would have been the 89th birthday of late struggle stalwart, Ahmed Kathrada. In true ‘Kathy style’, we marked the occasion by interacting with young people about both current issues and liberation history.
It was also fitting that the Foundation devoted much of its time in the last few weeks to conceptualising and laying the basis for establishing youth clubs, which we hope will help us in taking forward the legacy of Kathrada. A workshop hosted at Constitutional Hill saw us kicking off the initiative.
The passing away of our founder Ahmed Kathrada in 2016 has dealt us a huge blow. But regardless of the challenges, we are passionate that work must be done to continue his legacy of non-racialism, selflessness and dedicated social justice activism.
This month, we are excited to have taken on two new students as interns, Alex Mdledle and Xolani Ngobeni, from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) who have joined the Foundation to gain practical experience and training as a formal component of their studies. We hope that this internship will equip and empower them.
The generous donation of two brand new laptops by Acer Africa will contribute immensely to our outputs and increase productivity. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our donors who have stood with the Foundation over the period of 10 years. To help us continue delivering in the areas of history, legacy, anti-racism and youth work, please feel free to join our growing network of generous donors and help us do much more.
Our first attempt at a fundraising pledge line saw us taking over ITV and Radio Al Ansaar during a live four-hour broadcast on August 25th from 8pm to midnight. Guests and viewers got the chance to pledge financial support which will help us continue our youth and legacy work, a vital pillar of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s work stream. Of course, you too can still donate through our secure cause page which is available on Givengain (https://www.givengain.com/cc/kathradayouthclubs/) or by simply clicking here.
This year, the Foundation has produced a wide range of publications, including those focused on the lives of anti-apartheid veterans, Isaac Mokopo, Essop and Abdulhay Jassat and Rita Ndzanga, which all speak to our history work. Others are also in the pipeline and will be launched at various public events. For a comprehensive collection of our publications you can click here.
This August edition of our newsletter reviews some of the work undertaken by the Foundation in recent weeks.
September 22nd will see us hosting our annual Heritage Banquet where Minister Ebrahim Patel and former deputy minister Mcebisi Jonas will speak.
As a follow-up to the workshop with young people at Constitutional Hill in August, we will be moving to the next chapter of our activism training programme in September.
To be part of these and other activities by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, please subscribe to our newsletter or simply email your contact details to info@kathradafoundation.org
