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The Open Society Foundations are marking the 25th anniversary of the Open Society Foundation for SA, a member of the family of offices and foundations created by philanthropist George Soros. This is a project in partnership with the Open Society Foundation for SA.
This past week in Cape Town we proudly celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Open Society Foundation for SA.
To reflect on our investment in the country since 1993, we can look at the numbers: R1 billion given to more than 750 grantees.
But these numbers are part of a larger story – of George Soros’ philanthropic vision and our grantees who have collectively built and consolidated one of the most formidable civil society sectors on the continent.
That is what we are celebrating.
South Africa is the birthplace of the philanthropy of George Soros, the founder and chairperson of the Open Society Foundations. His philanthropic journey began in 1979 when he paid for more than 80 black students to attend the University of Cape Town.
Knowledge is power and Soros understood the radical nature and power of advancing the education of black people in my country, then and since.
Being black under apartheid meant that the system forced you to believe that you were undeserving of knowledge and opportunity. These bursaries played a part in challenging that.
What is less well known is that Soros funded the training of black journalists at the then Weekly Mail and supported the Black Sash community advice offices to challenge the oppressive pass laws in the 1980s.
Years later Soros opened the foundation in South Africa, with Mike Savage and Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, in 1993. Our local team and local governing board are all African and our values align with our secular, beautiful Constitution.
We have worked with the government on several projects, including creating the National Urban Reconstruction and Housing Agency, a 20-year partnership that helped build more than 250 000 housing units for vulnerable South Africans; setting up the first Thuthuzela Centre in Manenberg, followed by a national roll-out to provide support to survivors of gender-based violence; and building and expanding the community radio sector, helping to establish more than 60 radio stations between 1994 and 2003.
Our grantees are diverse but they share with us a common desire to advance the values of equality and dignity.
Since 1993 we have had the incredible privilege of supporting some of the country’s leading social movements and civil society groups in promoting equality, advancing human rights and creating safer environments to learn and live in.
During the recent years of troubled politics, our grantees have played a critical and essential role in holding all forms of power to account.
They have stood up for those who are pushed to the margins of society, whether sex workers, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, refugees and asylum seekers, or people with disabilities.
But doing this type of work means coping with some backlash. And it is the organisations and individuals we support who are on the frontlines.
As right wing populism increases globally and repression rises, their community-led struggles and campaigns are more frequently being met with resistance from powerful vested interests in the private sector and state actors across the globe – and also with intimidation, funding restrictions, excessive regulation, state surveillance, suspicion, infiltration, violence and arrest. Our grantees continue undaunted and we will continue to support their vital work.
Thankfully our human rights civil society sector is growing and transforming. New, strong leadership is emerging and younger women and black people are now taking the reins at many organisations.
They are leading and conceptualising cutting-edge work and are formidable.
Two nights ago, in homage to Soros’ first act of philanthropy, we awarded scholarships and fellowships to these young, black leaders and it is to them and others that we now turn to lead the battle for a truly open society.
Hassan is executive director of The Open Society Foundation for SA
