Timeline
Over the past 18 years Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation has had a remarkable impact on the people and communities in which it works. Through dedication, collaboration and a commitment to creating positive change, Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation continues to build on its previous achievements to create the South Africa of our dreams.
1996
Cyril Ramaphosa starts supporting disadvantaged students with bursaries to attend university.
1999
Cyril Ramaphosa is contacted by his former primary school, Tshilidzi, to provide a donation of a fax machine.
2001
Shanduka Group is formed and a 5% shareholding in the group is set aside for two trusts: Fundani, an educational trust, and Mabindu, a small business development trust.
2002
Adopt-a-School Foundation (AAS) is officially established by a group of concerned individuals including Cyril Ramaphosa and Dr James Motlatsi.
2004
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation is formally launched. Adopt-a-School Foundation and the Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust are an integral part of Shanduka’s CSI programme. Adopt-a-School Foundation (AAS) is officially established by a group of concerned individuals including Cyril Ramaphosa and Dr James Motlatsi.
2004
The Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust (CRET) starts to offer holiday work to students.
2004
8 schools are under Adopt-a-School Foundation’s adoption programme.
2005
Shanduka supports 56 women at Tshiawelo station in their catering and beadwork business (Dzietele).
2005
Shanduka Group adopts Olifantsvlei Primary School and Shanduka staff go back to Olifantsvlei to renovate the school hall. This is the first ‘Olifantsvlei Day’ – an annual Shanduka staff volunteer initiative.
2005
CRET sponsors 7 students for business degrees.
2005
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation partners with Kaelo in Mount Ayli at Dutyini Primary School.
2005
MTN installs multi-media computer centres in 10 adopted schools.
2006
Inaugural Annual Report for Adopt-a-School Foundation.
2006
26 schools under adoption.
2006
Shanduka partners with Constitutional Hill Trust and Buffelshoek Trust to host a successful fundraising event.
2006
Adopt-a-School Foundation hosts its first golf day fundraiser.
2006
Shanduka professionals are trained on mentoring through Umsobomvu Fund and mentoring of small businesses begins.
2006
AAS is nominated as a beneciary of the Black Eyed Peas Peapod Foundation.
2006
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation gives its first business loan to SMME Filbert and Shela Business Enterprises.
2006
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation buys a sewing machine for Mazwe Tom to start a clothing design business.
2007
The first Back to School Party fundraiser is held.
2007
Adopt-a-School adopts its 44th school.
2007
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation starts supporting the Reading Dynamix Literacy Project.
2007
CRET manages the bursaries for two students sponsored by Netgroup.
2007
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation starts an in-house incubation of Filbert and Shela Business Enterprises and provides further business loans. Their story is featured on Kaelo Stories of Hope.
2007
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation gives grants to Tandla te Sive Women’s project in Katlehong and Tshephang Educare Trust.
2007
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation continues to support Dzietele Women’s Group in Soweto.
2007
Shanduka offers internships to two communication graduates from Tshwane University and a student from Princeton University.
2008
Adopt-a-School hosts its first Learner Awards ceremony.
2008
Adopt-a-School adopts its 58th school.
2008
Adopt-a-School hosts its 3rd Golf Day fundraiser in Sun City.
2008
Adopt-a-School builds a brand new school, Banksdrift High School in Northern Cape in partnership with Investec and the Northern Cape Department of Education.
2009
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation partners with Black Umbrellas and commits R5.2m.
2009
Adopt-a-School starts to implement skills and social development programmes creating a new implementation model called Whole School Development.
2009
Adopt-a-School now has 85 schools under its adoption programme.
2009
Lafarge Education Trust adopts 11 schools in Bodibe, North West.
2009
2009
Black Umbrellas has 27 donors.
2009
Adopt-a-School Foundation and Lafarge Education Trust partner with Dreamfields to bring Soccer Dream Leagues to Bodibe schools.
2010
Adopt-a-School launches an annual Essay and Art competition for its adopted schools.
2010
Experiential Workplace Programme (EWP) is formalised.
2010
Black Umbrellas has 62 donors.
2010
Black Pages, an annual printed directory of black owned businesses, is launched in partnership with Finweek.
2010
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation is the runner up in the corporate section of the Mail & Guardian Investing in the Future Award.
2010
Black Umbrellas embarks on a training programme for mentors and hosts John Cull, an international management and training consultant for the programme.
2010
Black Umbrellas opens third incubator in Pretoria.
2010
26 interns have gained valuable experience through the Experiential Workplace Programme.
2011
Lafarge Education Trust adopts 26 schools in the Mzimela District, KZN.
2011
Adopt-a-School Foundation adopts its 100th school.
2011
1000 guests attend the 5th Back to School Party.
2011
Black Umbrellas has 129 donors.
2011
Second issue of Black Pages is published.
2011
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation is the runner up in the Best Social Responsibility category of the Africa Business Awards.
2011
Black Umbrellas has 50 clients in incubation.
2011
2011
Adopt-a-School Foundation opens a brand new school in Barberton, Mpumalanga.
2011
Black Umbrellas Johannesburg incubator expands and relocates from Marshall Street to African Heritage Society House in Rivonia.
2011
Black Umbrellas opens its 4th incubator in the Smart Exchange Building, Walnut Road, Durban.
2012
Adopt-a-School, with Dr James Motlatsi, adopts three primary schools in Lesotho.
2012
Adopt-a-School pilots the Back to School for a Day initiative which encourages corporate South Africans to go back to school and spend a day with young learners.
2012
Black Umbrellas signs agreement with the Jobs Fund for the funding of the Durban incubator for three years.
2012
Adopt-a-School adopts its 139th school.
2012
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation wins 2nd place in the CSI category of the Business Times Top 100 Companies survey.
2012
Mavis Mahlangu, a first year CRET student, signs a Training Contract with Deloitte for 2016.
2012
Black Umbrellas wins the Companies doing most for Black Economic Empowerment category in the PMR awards.
2012
Black Umbrellas partners with SmartProcurement World to feature in their exhibition and conference as a way of making Black Umbrellas’ SMMEs more accessible to procurement managers.
2012
Black Umbrellas has 266 donors.
2012
The Industrial Development Corporation adopts 20 schools through Adopt-a-School.
2013
First international fundraiser held in London raises over R5.2 million for AAS.
2013
Black Umbrellas reaches 100 clients in incubation.
2013
Black Umbrellas launches the Black Pages online enterprise and supplier development portal with 1900 members.
2013
Black Umbrellas holds its first regional and national Enterprise Development Awards.
2013
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation partners with Kagiso Trust to form the Kagiso Shanduka Trust (KST) which partners with Free State Department of Education to work in 428 schools in the Free State province.
2013
Kagiso Shanduka Trust launches its Empowerment and Transformation retreats in 37 schools.
2013
CRET establishes a partnership with PwC for a Holiday work programme.
2013
Experiential Workplace Programme reaches highest intake level at 18.
2013
Scaw partners with CRET to sponsor 5 university students.
2013
6 CRET students graduate (largest number of graduates in a year).
2013
Second year CRET student, Mavis Mahlangu, is inducted on the Deloitte Honours Board for outstanding academic achievement.
2013
Grindrod supports the CRET programme.
2013
Black Umbrellas wins Impumelelo Award as Social Entrepreneur of the Year.
2013
Black Umbrellas signs an enterprise and supplier development agreement with Sanlam for the development of 25 businesses in the Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg incubators.
2013
Black Umbrellas signs agreement with Lonmin to fund an incubator in Mooinooi for three years.
2013
Black Umbrellas signs funding agreement with Anglo American Sebenza Fund to fund the Lephalale incubator for three years.
2013
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation partners with Microsoft on Internship Programme.
2013
Black Umbrellas has 300 donors.
2013
Adopt-a-School adopts its 171st school.
2013
Black Umbrellas’ Cape Town incubator expands and relocates to new premises in Upper Eastside, Woodstock.
2013
Black Umbrellas signs agreement with Transnet to fund the establishment and operation of incubators in Port Elizabeth and Richards Bay.
2013
Second-year CRET student, Kopano Nkoana, is awarded Golden Key Society entry at Wits University
2013
Black Umbrellas is a runner-up in the Mail & Guardian Investing in the Future Awards.
2013
6 Lilitha/AEC school girls matriculate and move on to the CRET bursary programme.
2014
Largest intake of CRET students at 44, including partner companies. CRET hosts its largest holiday work programme.
2014
Black Umbrellas has 308 donors.
2014
The Ruth Simelane Trust, Lilitha Trust and Diepkloof Social Development initiative support the CRET programme.
2014
Kagiso Shanduka Trust launches its infrastructure programme at its inaugural bricklaying event commencing in 120 schools. Curriculum and social development programmes commence in 95 schools. 137 Empowerment and Transformation retreats take place.
2014
Adopt-a-School has 185 schools under adoption.
2014
Third Back to School for a Day held on Mandela Day.
2014
Black Umbrellas signs agreement with Exxaro Coal for the development of its suppliers within the Lephalale region.
2014
Black Umbrellas signs an agreement with Transnet Capital Projects for the development of 28 suppliers within the Cape Town incubator.
2014
CRET hosts its first student awards ceremony.
2014
Black Umbrellas has 260 clients in incubation.
2014
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation has 108 staff throughout its various entities.
2014
Black Umbrellas officially launches the Port Elizabeth incubator.
2015
On 9 December Shanduka Foundation changes its name to Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation
2015
Black Umbrellas wins the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) Randall M. Whaley Incubator of the Year Award. The award, presented at a ceremony in Washington, USA, is regarded as the highest international honour a business incubator can achieve.
2016
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa hosts the third Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust Awards.
2016
The inaugural Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust Golf Fundraiser is held in Bela Bela with guests hosted at Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm.
2016
The first Adopt-a-School Fundraiser is held in Durban and a record R9 million is raised.
2016
Adopt-a-School Foundation hosts its 10th Back to School Party raising in excess of R5 million.
2016
Black Umbrellas reaches the phenomenal milestone of R1 Billion in combined turnover of its clients.
2017
CRET supports its highest number of bursary students yet at 70.
2017
CRET student Nomvula Motsweni is offered a training contract by KPMG to train towards her chartered accounting qualification.
2017
Black Umbrellas launches NextGen Academy – a business and entrepreneurship development training organisation geared towards further developing entrepreneurs.
2017
KST celebrates 2016 Free State Matric results with a pass rate of 88.2%, the highest in the country.
2017
AAS celebrates 78% average pass rate in their adopted schools with 60.5% of learners achieving bachelor and diploma passes.
2017
CRET celebrates 21 years since first CRET Bursary was awarded.
2017
Black Umbrellas reaches the R2 Billion milestone in combined turnover of its small business clients.
2017
CRF launches Thari Programme for the support of vulnerable women and children
2017
Adopt-A-School Foundation celebrates its 15th anniversary
2018
Donné Nicol resigns as CEO of Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation to take up the position of Special Advisor to the President of the Republic of South Africa.
Mmabatho Maboya is appointed CEO of Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation.
2019
The Foundation celebrates its 15th anniversary, having invested over R359 million and additionally leveraged over a R1 billion through its partner entities to effect real change in education and enterprise development.
2020
The Foundation launches its external review by The Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute, commissioned in 2019 to conduct an in-depth review of its programmes.
2021
KST has successfully completed its pilot of the District Whole School Development model in Motheo and Fezile Dabi districts in the Free State province. Read more here.
2022
Adopt-a-School Foundation celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Cyril Ramaphosa, Chairperson, Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation