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A VISIT TO THE CAPE TOWN SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND
Issued by Christina Teichmann on behalf of the FW de Klerk Foundation on 06/07/2026
On Thursday, 2 July 2026, a delegation of the FW de Klerk Foundation comprising of Deputy Chairperson Christina Teichmann and Legacy Manager Brenda Steyn visited the Cape Town Society for the Blind (CTSB), a non-profit organisation offering education and training opportunities for Blind and Visually Impaired persons within a secure and supportive environment.
The CTSB is one of a few selected non-governmental organisations that received financial support from the FW de Klerk Foundation in recognition of the excellent work they are doing and the valuable contribution that they make towards fulfilling the constitutional rights of vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities. The funds dispersed in 2026 to these organisations were raised through the 2025 Nedbank SA Charity Golf Day, a yearly event of which President De Klerk is a Life Patron.
Founded in 1929, the CTSB aims to uplift Blind and Visually Impaired Persons through education, access to assistive resources and career development programmes. Clients have a number of training courses to choose from, such as Soft Skills and Braille Training, Cane and Material Loom Weaving, Re-Caning, International Computer Driving Licence Training as well as End-User Computing. Call Centre Training is the latest addition to the CTSB’s vocational course programme. “Internships during the training phase provide clients with an opportunity to get first workplace experience and make contact with potential employers”, explains Judith Coetzee, CEO of the CTSB. The overall objective of the training courses is to find suitable and long-term employment, which allows clients to generate income, take actively part in the economy, become more self-confident and live a more independent life.
While the vocational training programme is focussing on working age adults, the Low Vision Clinic, which assesses the degree of the vision impairment, caters for all age groups. The causes for sight loss differ greatly and range from stroke and cataracts to accidents and gang-related injuries.
With the financial support to the Cape Town Society for the Blind, the FW de Klerk Foundation aims to raise awareness for the needs of persons with disabilities, especially the Blind and Visually Impaired. To “make the Constitution a reality for all” is the Foundation’s mission. This goal can only be achieved if all sectors and actors of society work together.
For more information on the Cape Town Society for the Blind visit their website www.capetownsocietyfortheblind.co.za
PUBLIC LAND IS A CONSTITUTIONAL INSTRUMENT, NOT A BALANCE-SHEET ENTRY
The Constitutional Court’s Tafelberg judgment confirms that well-located public land cannot be treated merely as a commercial asset when it can help reverse apartheid’s spatial legacy. Where affordable housing is built matters, because access to employment, transport, education and essential services forms part of meaningful access to adequate housing. Municipalities and provinces must therefore manage and dispose of public land transparently, with genuine public participation and proper regard for its constitutional value.
LESSONS FROM THE 2026 GTAC CONFERENCE
The 2026 GTAC Public Economics Conference highlighted a central truth: South Africa’s employment crisis cannot be solved by training people for jobs that do not exist. Sustainable progress requires evidence-based policy, smarter public spending and greater support for the informal, township and rural economies where millions already earn their livelihoods. Ultimately, the Constitution demands a state that protects dignity, removes barriers to opportunity and measures success by real outcomes rather than the number of programmes funded.
FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION ON WITHHOLDING OF MUNICIPAL TRANSFERS
The FW de Klerk Foundation notes National Treasury’s decision to withhold transfers to non-compliant municipalities and Parliament’s call for their urgent compliance. These developments confirm what has become crystal clear: Many municipalities across South Africa faces a deep and persistent governance crisis.