Issued by Christina Teichmann on behalf of the FW de Klerk Foundation on 12/05/2025

On Wednesday, 25 April 2025, a FW de Klerk delegation, comprising of Deputy Chairperson Christina Teichmann, Legacy Programme Manager Brenda Steyn and Marketing Manager Abigail Baker, visited the U-turn head office in Kenilworth. U-turn is a non-governmental organisation that provides much needed services to the homeless. The organisation has a national footprint, with offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg and other major cities in South Africa where homelessness is a huge challenge.

This year, U-turn 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, such as children, people with special needs or – like in the case of U-turn – the homeless. The funds for these organisations were raised through the 2024 Nedbank South Africa Charity Golf Day, a yearly event of which President FW de Klerk is a Life Patron.  

By financially supporting U-turn, the FW de Klerk Foundation aims to raise  awareness for a social crisis most cities in South Africa are grappling with – homelessness.

Over the past few decades, the number of homeless persons in South Africa has increased significantly, reflecting the ongoing inequality and poverty challenges the country faces.

According to the Stats South Africa report ”A Profile of Homeless Persons in South Africa, 2022”, in 1996, the official number of homeless individuals stood at 13,135, but by 2022, that number had more than quadrupled, reaching 55,719.

The demographic analysis outlined in the report shows that men make up the majority of homeless people (70,1%) and that most homeless people are between 35-59 years of age (45%). In addition, 44% of homeless people are between 15-34 years old, an age group that should be either in school, skills training or employment.

The ultimate goal of U-turn is to facilitate a path out of homelessness – trying to facilitate and assist people with opportunities to move towards better circumstances.

Andrew Soden, the Communications and Fundraising Officer at U-turn, explained that the reasons for being homeless differ greatly from person to person and range from drug addiction, financial hardship to a dysfunctional family situation or abusive relationships.

While economic and social crises are continuing to push countless people onto the street, U-turn remains a beacon of practical hope for many.

At U-turn they aim to reconnect homeless people with their families and reintegrate them into society. The journey is often a long one and includes many steps and intervention, as the longer someone remains homeless the harder it is for them to forge a pathway out of homelessness.

It all starts with the readiness to change on the side of the homeless person. U-turn not only provides services that relate to basic needs, such as shelter and a warm meal, but they also offer rehabilitation support and work readiness programmes. Aftercare programmes, peer-support connections and six-months follow-ups aim to ensure the long lasting success of the before mentioned intervention. For more information on U-turn visit their website.