Thesele Foundation

Overview

The Thesele Foundation, which will focus on education, training and entrepreneurship, is a public benefit organisation.

The founders, who are strong advocates of broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE), seek to leverage the growth within Thesele to build a sustainable platform that contributes towards long-term social and economic transformation in South Africa.

In line with the B-BBEE Act, beneficiaries of the foundation will be designated black people or black groupings, with a focus on initiatives benefiting women and children in disadvantaged communities.

The foundation owns 4.8% of the Thesele Group. An adequate capital base, built up from dividend distributions, is already in place.

Three key focus areas

The Thesele Foundation’s focus is on three key areas that are critical to building South Africa’s economy:

Education

One of the key elements here is resuscitating vocational schools, partnering with, for example, mining companies, industrial schools and relevant government departments.

Entrepreneurship

We would like to see entrepreneurship being taught at the lower school level, especially in townships, in a very practical way.

Skills training

The emphasis here is on softer skills that empower people with the tools to sell themselves and communicate well (whether it is presenting, writing or speaking). The aim is to enable people to build a strong foundation of self-confidence, a good, positive attitude, and a greater awareness of how they impact others.