Right of response: A letter from the Motsepe Foundation

Response to article published in Daily Maverick (sourced from GroundUp) on 9 April 2015

The Motsepe Foundation has awarded bursaries covering tuition, books, accommodation and allowances to 735 students over the last two years from the 26 Motsepe Foundation Development Forums that have been established in the nine provinces throughout South Africa. Of these, the Motsepe Foundation awarded bursaries to 10 students from Khayelitsha in 2014 and an additional 10 students from the same area in 2015. These bursaries have been awarded to students studying mainly in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Business studies.

The amount spent on the Khayelitsha students in 2014 is approximately R600,000, and will exceed R1.3 million in 2015. The total commitment to these students over a period of four to five years is approximately R7.1 million.

In the current year, the Motsepe Foundation is also focusing on processing applications for the funding of women and youth-owned businesses which, for tax purposes, will be done by a separate company that is associated with the Motsepe family. Many of the applications received thus far are not commercially sustainable and initiatives are being undertaken to involve and partner with experienced and successful locally-based companies.

The Motsepe Foundation is also evaluating applications for funding of projects by locally based NGOs, religious organisations, traditional authorities, community-based sports organisations, worker organisations and music and arts organisations.

The Chairman of the Motsepe Foundation, Mr Patrice Motsepe, will during 2015 visit each of the 26 Development Forums throughout South Africa including the Khayelitsha Development Forum to assess the effectiveness and impact of the projects that have been funded as well as to receive feedback from the local residents of the 26 Motsepe Foundation Development Forums in South Africa.

Announcements will be made during the course of the year, and during these visits, on some of the funding applications that will have been approved.

Sandile Langa

Motsepe Foundation