Issued by the FW de Klerk Foundation on 05/09/2023

After FW de Klerk’s passing, the FW de Klerk Foundation entered a period of deep introspection regarding its future role and orientation. Eventually, the Foundation decided to continue with its existing vision to be a self-sustaining organisation that promotes – and that will, in the long term, continue to promote the South African Constitution; national unity, reconciliation and the accommodation of diversity; and the legacy of President FW de Klerk and the South African constitutional transformation process.

The Foundation works tirelessly to promote and defend the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the rule of law; to encourage and uphold national unity, non-racialism, reconciliation and the accommodation of cultural and linguistic diversity; to promote and preserve FW de Klerk’s legacy and the legacy of South Africa’s constitutional transformation; and to support charities that care for children with disabilities and disadvantages.

Thanks to the ongoing support of the SA Nedbank Charity Golf Day (of which President FW de Klerk is a Life Patron), the FW de Klerk Foundation has been able to continue its support of the Cape Town Society for the Blind; Iris House Children’s Hospice; The National Institute for the Deaf; Salesian Life Choices; and Ladles of Love (recipients of the 2022 FW de Klerk Goodwill Award). 

The Cape Town Society for the Blind was founded in 1929 by a group of women from Cape Town who identified the need to provide training and employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired individuals within a secure and supportive environment. Today, they remain steadfast in their aim of uplifting these people through education, access to assistive resources, and career development programmes in an honest, ethical, and caring environment. 

Iris House Children’s Hospice aims to provide holistic, professional, and free community and hospice-based respite care, as well as end-of-life care for special needs children and young adults with life-threatening and/or life-limiting conditions in the Western Cape. They extend their holistic therapies and support to the families of special needs children, and endeavour to train all involved in their care to the highest standards of improving their quality of life.

Established in 1881, The National Institute for the Deaf has been dedicated to the wellbeing of the deaf community for well over a century. They are passionate about ensuring that the deaf are afforded the same opportunities in life as anyone else. They do this by providing professional guidance, work partnerships, rehabilitation, spiritual and social development, as well as offering ongoing support to help them confidently reach their full potential. Their holistic approach has helped them to change thousands of lives over the many years for which they have been operational.

Better known as Life Choices, Salesian Life Choices is a Cape Town-based youth development organisation focused on investing in youth from the Cape Flats communities. Since 2005, they have impacted over 200 000 people through ‘choices, not charity’. The services they provide are based on the five building blocks that they believe to help young people to thrive: family stability, health, education, leadership, and employment. All their efforts are aimed at connecting with youth in a way that promotes their dignity, and supports and facilitates healthy choices for themselves, their communities, and the planet.

Last but by no means least, Ladles of Love offers an invaluable service to hungry South Africans, sending out approximately 200 000 meals / 40 tons of food a week (including vegetables, maize meal, samp, oats, sugar, salt, rice, and other staples). What’s more, they have expanded to offer a number of subsidiary programmes, including their Realise a Dream enterprise development programme; Nourish Our Children initiative; Fill-a-Pot sponsorship programme; Sandwich Drive; Love a Bear Campaign; and Feed the Soil urban farming initiative.