The history of Kagiso Trust, formed in 1985 during a period of intense struggle and resistance, mirrors South Africa’s remarkable transition to democracy in the past two decades.

In this time, the Trust became a catalyst for new development institutions and initiatives. Support was spread across a range of sectors: rural and urban struggles, advice centres, welfare and health and, importantly, education.

In the 1990s, as the country prepared for transition to democracy, Kagiso Trust played an important role in policy formulation and the setting up of institutions in the housing and development arenas, and in providing support for the training of future leaders.

As organisations were unbanned and leaders released the focus of the Trust shifted to the sustainability of the organisation. With the coming of a democratic dispensation the foreign funding that had supported the work of the Trust would now go to government. On the eve of the democratic elections Kagiso Trust Investments (KTI) was set up to provide ongoing income to support core Trust programmes.

Today, while government is responsible for steering the country to prosperity, the role of Kagiso Trust, with its primary focus on education and training, capacity building, and economic development, is still very relevant to the needs of our society.