'Why I Give'

Mr GT Ferreira, Chairman of RMB Holdings Limited and one of Stellenbosch University’s biggest donors, shared his motivations for giving at the 2011 Vice-Chancellor’s awards. A summarised version of his address follows.

Why do we give, whether as individuals or companies? What are we trying to do? Are we trying to encourage or reward someone with, for example, a bursary if that person does well in matric?

Or is it because you take pity on someone who didn’t have the opportunities in life that you had, so you want to give something to that person?

Or is it a feeling of guilt that you have because you were given such a lot relative to others? And I don’t just mean money. It could be talent; it could be a lot of things.

Or is it self-glorification? Is it something that you do because you want to feel good about yourself? Or are you looking for acknowledgement?

There are many reasons why people give and, if you want to think about it deeply, you can easily tie yourself into knots. But, in the end, you have to ask yourself, does it really matter why you give, as long as you give?

The question is also, when should we give? There’s a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson about this: “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”I think it is a very important concept. Why do we want to wait until we die and then leave somebody something in our will when we can get pleasure by giving during our lifetime?

The big question is what do you get from giving? A quote by Peyton Conway March sums it all up: “There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life – happiness, freedom and peace of mind – are always attained by giving them to someone else.”

In my case, I think I have drawn a longer straw in life than some other people. And I would like to believe that if I give a little of the excesses that I have, I will – in Peyton Conway March’s words – achieve a little “happiness, freedom and peace of mind”. And I wish all of you the same.

- Mr GT Ferreira

Chairman: RMB Holdings Ltd 

HOPE Project captures donor’s attention

Mrs Ulrike Merkel, a recipient of a 2011 Vice-Chancellor’s Award from Stellenbosch University (SU), made a substantial donation to the HOPE Project despite the fact that she has no ties to Maties.

Originally from Germany, Mrs Merkel moved to South Africa in 1989. The devastation and hardship she witnessed during World War II and the difficult years that followed had made her acutely aware of human need and the importance of helping others.

In time, she would make it her mission in life to help the less fortunate. She became an international philanthropist, and upon settling in South Africa started contributing to local healthcare and community development programmes.

Two HOPE Project initiatives captured her attention – the Ukwanda Rural Clinical School and the Academy for Girls’ Leadership and Sport Development. She decided to donate to these causes because health matters deserve support, and because she feels strongly that girls should get every opportunity to overcome gender-based discrimination and succeed in life.