Achmat as CEO of the NMF, circa 2010. Debbie Yazbek / Nelson Mandela Foundation

At Nelson Mandela’s request Achmat gave up his position at UNAIDS and returned home to lead the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF). In a 2019 article Achmat described the “immense challenges” facing the “new post-apartheid state”.

Towards the end of 2006, South Africa had undergone immense changes, transforming the apartheid autocracy into a truly democratic, multiracial democracy. But the country still faced immense challenges. Despite a growing economy, poverty and inequality seemed to have gotten worse, though, in fact, it was a reality inherited from the apartheid past that the new, post-apartheid state was struggling to deal with. Of great concern was the impact this had on the younger generation, part of what academics called Africa’s ‘youth bulge’. In addition to the growing socioeconomic crisis, South Africa was hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, a deadly global disease that required a comprehensive response – medical and educational – that the then government did not respond to adequately.

In response to the challenges, Achmat explained that the NMF’s core programme was to undergo a radical re-orientation, which it would be his “task” to lead:

“Following a review of its work and in the face of the broader crisis in the country, Mandela, along with the NMF’s board members, believed that charitable work, however noble, would not by itself help to address those challenges. After intense consideration, the NMF decided to try to contribute more effectively, from a deeper perspective, by attempting to promote cooperation between different sectors in government and civil society. The Foundation would also try to encourage communities to take more responsibility. This would mean quite radically refocusing the NMF’s core programme … it was my task to lead the refocusing of the Foundation’s core goals, and to implement the necessary organisational restructuring. The guideline was not to use Mandela’s legacy to simply glorify an individual, but to promote social justice in South Africa and the world.”

The NMF was the second of Mandela’s legacy organisations which Achmat led. In the same year, 2007, he was a founding trustee of the Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development (MIR) in the Eastern Cape. Later, in 2013 he would become a trustee at the Mandela Rhodes Foundation (MRF). He continued to write, starting on what became Dikeledi Child of Tears No More (2018) whilst refining Strange Pilgrimages (2013). He retired from the NMF in that year and started work at the Ford Foundation on a two-year contract. In 2015 he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature.

It was Mandela’s idea, after having voluntarily stepped down from the presidency after a single term, to set up a foundation, which would provide him with an office and function as the base for charitable work ranging, from: “building schools to HIV/AIDS work, from research into education in rural areas to peace and reconciliation interventions”. Initially it operated from Mandela’s former home in Houghton, but around 2003/4 it moved to its existing premises on 107 Central St, Houghton which was Nelson Mandela’s post-presidential office and was called “Mandela House”.

When Achmat arrived in January 2007, the Board of Trustees had already decided on the basis of a well-researched review, produced by Resolve Group-Trace Converse (RTC), appointed by the Foundation, to shift its focus radically. Neither Mandela himself nor the members of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees wished to use the organisation to build a cult around the former President. The question of how to interpret and apply Mandela’s legacy in ways that were most beneficial to South African society, was vigorously debated within the Foundation. According to Verne Harris and Shadrack Katuu, it was initially decided to divide Mandela’s legacy into two parts, namely dialogue in the interests of human rights, democracy and reconciliation, and memory. Mandela maintained that: “Without knowledge of your history you are in many respects like a tree without roots. A thorough understanding of your history, on the other hand, creates a platform for meaningful discourse.” The Foundation’s Centre of Memory and Dialogue was formed and initiated a range of programmes centred on “introducing us to our history and opening up dialogue about our present and future.” This, Nelson Mandela continued, “is very important if we are to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and contribute towards the creation of a better world.”

Verne Harris, Achmat’s colleague and then Head of the Centre of Memory, has explained that the Foundation decided to approach the archive of Mandela’s papers, held at the Foundation, in the spirit fostered by archive activism initiated in the apartheid period. Archive activists argued that the archive should try to remedy the absence of neglected or repressed voices in official records, and that an enlarged and more representative archive should be mobilised in the pursuit of social justice.

Achmat was appointed as the new CEO to lead “an organisation with a newly defined focus and governance structure”. He recalled his brief:

“Working closely with the board, and taking critical advice from Mandela himself, it was my task to lead the refocusing of the foundation’s core goals, and to implement the necessary organisational restructuring. The guideline was not to use Mandela’s legacy to simply glorify an individual, but to promote social justice in South Africa and the world.”

Amongst many tasks, Achmat had to lead the implementation of the “Five Year Transitional Plan” and oversee the refurbishment of the building so that it had adequate offices, meeting areas, an auditorium and an archive space and raise the necessary funds to sustain the organisation. Substantial funding was required, which initially proved challenging because of “global funding limitations for donor-dependent non-profit organisations”. Verne remembered a certain amount of chaos and a daunting new “mandate” that greeted Achmat on his arrival:

“Achmat inherited Madiba’s post-presidential office, an organisation with a massive board of trustees, no sustainability plan, operating budget of around 65 million Rand a year, 35 staff members. The only coherence was located within the person of the founder, Madiba – whatever Madiba was passionate about, raised money for, we did. Achmat came in at a moment where Madiba had made it clear, ‘I want to step away from public life’. He had engaged with us in terms of a new mandate, because one option was to simply close the organisation down. We were his post-presidential office, but in 2007 he signed off on a new mandate, the trust deed was changed and in one sentence, the organisation was then to become and NGO contributing to the making of a just society through memory and dialogue work, and that was Achmat’s mandate.”

Prof GJ “Jakes” Gerwel, then Chair and Head of the Board of Trustees, expressed his relief and excitement about Achmat’s new position. He wrote in the 2007 NMF Annual Report

“We were very fortunate to have Achmat Dangor, … a former CEO of the Children’s Fund, drawn back from a United Nations position abroad. His vast experience in NGO work was immediately felt and under his leadership we are truly underway to become the world class organisation we wish to be … [It] was one of the most successful years in the Foundation’s existence; it was a year of consolidation, renewal and a clear mapping of the way forward.”

In the first annual report he drafted, Achmat gave some sense of how much work there was to be done to make the “transition from a broad-based programme implementation agency into a contemporary ‘memory’ institution”. Some programmes were transferred to government authorities while others had become fully fledged, independent organisations, as Achmat wrote: “charged with carrying on the work that Mr Mandela had initiated.” Two programmes that were restructured into separate entities in the early days of Achmat’s tenure were the Rural Education Programme and the 46664 Campaign. Achmat wrote:

“We welcome these organisations to the family of Mandela development and charitable organisations. Their work along with that of our established sister organisations – the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation – are bound, cumulatively, to make a significant impact on human development efforts in Africa.”

Achmat and Executive Director of the NMI Kim Porteus welcome Per Engebak, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, and Macharia Kamau, the representative of UNICEF’s South African office, to Mandela House to sign the memorandum of understanding for the “Schools for Africa” partnership. Nelson Mandela Foundation

The Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development (NMI) emerged from the Foundation’s Rural Education Programme. Between 1999 and 2002, the latter had built more than 120 schools and initiated infrastructural projects including health facilities. The NMI was formally inaugurated in Achmat’s second month as CEO and became a partner of the NMF, the University of Fort Hare (UFH) and the Eastern Cape Department of Basic Education (DBE). At the launch, Mandela said: “It is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education. Those who do not believe this have small imaginations.”

The NMI would focus on “promoting excellence in education as part of an overall rural development strategy”. Achmat was a founding trustee and, according to Kim Porteus, CEO of the NMI, speaking at the memorial for Achmat, played a central in its transformation and growth:

“Achmat played a decisive role as a member of the Board of Trustees. He helped to guide the organisation from a seed of an idea to an organisation deeply embedded and rooted in the lives and aspirations of communities across the Eastern Cape … Achmat stood out. He did not shy away from power. He took on the biggest of questions and the biggest of landscapes, local, national and global. He stood out because he held power quietly … The dragons of social inequality seem to be growing in size and it feels as if their fires are getting hotter and yet, when we look closely, we see that quietly and over time, Achmat whispered in many ears. He was a human whisperer … it is the kind of legacy, that will continue to talk to us, as we grapple forward with an on-going struggle to build a more humanising democracy.”

In May 2008 a tri-partnership between the NMF, NMI and UNICEF was signed as part of the “Schools for Africa” campaign launched in 2002. Achmat said the challenges were numerous, but that one way to tackle them “is to start at the fundamentals, which is to ensure that every child in Africa has access to the type of education that will transform their lives.”

The “46664” AIDS Campaign, incorporated Nelson Mandela’s prison number in its title, from his time on Robben Island and was launched in 2003, bringing together celebrities, activists and policy makers in “an effort to spread awareness and fight HIV stigma as well as raise funds for grass roots projects.” The first concert was held in Cape Town in the same year. Watch Nelson Mandela’s speech at the concert visit below.

The 46664 Campaign had a global impact on HIV prevention. In Achmat’s first year, the Campaign was reviewed and its strategic direction overhauled and a new brand developed. “While its traditional concert programme will remain an important awareness and fund raising vehicle” Achmat wrote, “its core strategy is to help stimulate or strengthen HIV prevention efforts at community level”. The Campaign, though wholly owned by the NMF, would now be guided by an independent Board of Trustees. Funds raised would continue to support community programmes in South Africa through the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF); in Mozambique through the Foundation for Community Development (FDC); and in Ghana, Swaziland, Uganda and through the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF).

Achmat was involved in the process of removing images of Mandela’s face from logos and promotional literature. In an interview with Donna Bryson for the Mail & Guardian, Achmat said he was acting on the wishes of Mandela, who felt uncomfortable at being turned into an icon. Bryson reported that instead Mandela’s “hands would define the Foundation.” Achmat is quoted: “For me, it really symbolises everything that Nelson Mandela stands for. The ability to reach out, the ability to speak out.”

In another interview with Associated Press, Achmat explained that: “What we want to show is a very active hand that represents Mr Mandela’s ability to get people first of all to listen then to speak to each other.” This new branding was introduced in July 2007 and integrated with the now well-known spiral. Buyisile Sishuba, Achmat’s PA at the Foundation, explained the symbolism:

“The Foundation started as one man, Madiba and growing, one step at a time, you know, with the building of the schools, building of the clinics … One of the projects that we did back then was Madiba would raise money for students who couldn’t afford to pay for their education. The spiral kind of like represents the journey of Madiba, and how he envisioned the Foundation.”

According to City Press journalist Zama Nkosi, Achmat, as custodian of the image, “had to go up against many businesses and individuals who have tried to lay claim and gain profit from using Mandela’s name and image, for a host of projects from wines and restaurants to hair salons and other small businesses.”

In Destiny Man, an article published in 2010, Achmat explained the “very strict protocol”: “It became clear to us that unless you could project the work beyond the man, the work was always going to be measured in terms of him and would therefore never measure up because his stature’s so huge.” He added “We’ve had to implement a very strict protocol about the use of his name,’ Dangor said in another article on CSmonitor.com. ‘Our biggest fear is commercialisation.

The reimagined brand and the 46664 campaign would play a key role in Mandela Day and Nelson Mandela International Day in years to come. Watch Achmat explaining the new brand visit below.

In May 2011, 46664 announced that it had received its global apparel license. Through the partnership with the NMF, 46664, Seardel and Brand ID, would be able to use the 46664 brand for apparel in South Africa and internationally. At the press launch, Achmat said:

“We’re very excited about this and we think it will help us to generate a campaign that is sustainable and will have the resources to make an impact and that will have global reach our slogan will be ‘it’s a South African platform with a global reach”

Watch the press announcement below.

Watch the launch of the 46664 winter collection of 2012 visit below.

Not everyone was excited about this development. The NMF and 46664 campaign was accused of exploiting Nelson Mandela’s name. However, as Achmat and others pointed out, no images of Mandela’s face or person or photographs of him were used in the campaign or associated products.

By the time Achmat was appointed, the NMF’s Board of Trustees had formally approved the Centre of Memory and Dialogue as the Foundation’s core work. Achmat explained the new vision in his 2007 review:

“The Centre will not become a personal pantheon, serving only to commemorate the life of an individual, but will strive to depict his life and times. The thoughts, ideas and actions of a number of people who interacted with Nelson Mandela will be represented through a series of memory ‘windows’ and dialogue projects. This will include Mr Mandela’s close colleagues and comrades, past and present, but also people who had disagreed with his beliefs or his way of doing things. Nor will the Centre be a passive museum, serving only as a repository of historic papers and memorabilia. Both the archival and dialogue programmes that constitute The Centre’s work will be utilised to actively promote an understanding of our country and our continent’s and complex history; and more importantly, the lessons we can learn from that history in order to address today’s challenges.”

In order to implement this vision, Achmat pointed out that the NMF would have to attain financial independence as soon as possible.” Verne, recalled Achmat moving quickly to tackle some of the issues that had arisen:

“Achmat used this phrase ‘Well, we’ve got to turn these lemons into lemonade.’ And he did. He tackled the Board –25 people reduced to 8 and the politics of that were fraught. The 46664 concerts were not being run well. The risks were massive. And so Achmat fixed that. And he realised very quickly that we didn’t have a sustainability strategy. It was no accident that under his leadership we put in place the endowment fund.”

In July 2007 the NMF’s Sustainability Fund, was launched as a birthday present to Mandela, the core of which was the Legacy Champion campaign designed “to garner support” from a “select circle of donors who each contribute a minimum of R5 million (or the international equivalent).” The founding members of the circle were former US President Bill Clinton and South African business people, Tokyo Sexwale, (also a founding trustee of the NMF), Patrice Motsepe and David Rockefeller with his daughter, Peggy Dulany. The Sustainability Fund, grew from R112.5-million in 2008/09 to R123.1-million in 2009/10 and by 2012 stood at R144 million.

The NMF also received a plethora of donations through partnering with corporates who were brought into programmes such as the Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture. To learn more about donors visit: https://www.nelsonmandela.org/nelson-mandela-centre-of-memory-links

Achmat noted in the 2011 annual report that the year had “brought some challenges with regards to funding resolved by minimising expenditure and increasing income.” Total programme and operating expenditure was reduced from R36 million (year ending February 2011) to R31 million (year ending February 2012). Verne recalled that under Achmat’s tenure the “operating budget was reduced from R65 million to R28 million by [year end] 2012”.

Achmat’s PA, Buyisile, recalled the impression he made on her when they first met:

“I remember meeting Achmat when he came to meet with Madiba after Madiba decided he wants to bring him as the Chief Executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation … When Achmat came for the first time, we saw this gentleman, very well mannered, polite, we knew that he was the Chief Executive of the Children’s Fund previously. I was just amazed by how humble he was after I learned about his work and what he was about and his literature. Very, very humble, a very kind man, respectful and considerate.”

It was a worrying time for staff because of the possible repercussions of the “turbulent transition period” described by Verne Harris and Shadrack Katuu. In his first Annual Report, Achmat commended staff “for the ready manner in which they have embraced change”. However, he had known from his first day that some staff members would be retrenched and it was part of his job to make decisions about who would have to be let go to align with the Foundation’s re-orientation. Buyisile said it was:

“very painful because some of the people that had to be retrenched are the people that were there from inception when the Foundation was started … [they had] to take the retrenchment package… Unfortunately, these things, they happen. In the workplace, and sadly, someone has to do them, and at that time, Achmat had to.”

It took place over several years with the original number of 37 members of staff dropping to 35 in 2008, to 22 in 2011, and to 19 in 2012. Buyisile recalled:

It was such a painful experience because by virtue of me being the PA to the CEO I was aware of the people that did not make it to the new structure… He handled that whole experience so well, as painful as it is. You can imagine that you’re coming to the Foundation as the new CEO and have to talk about restructuring.”

Buyisile described Achmat’s “hectic” work schedule:

“Achmat didn’t like travelling a lot, even though his job required him to travel. So, when the need for him to travel arose, he would travel, because a lot of his travel was around fund-raising or meeting potential donors. His day-to-day life revolved around a lot of meetings, a lot of government board meetings, sub-committee meetings, meeting with potential donors, meeting internal stakeholders as well, management, staff forums and all that. Madiba was also still active and he would come to the office as well. Achmat would have to sometimes receive some of Madiba’s visitors, when Madiba had not arrived yet to the office. So, it was very hectic, but very exciting as well because of the calibre of people that were coming to the office at that time.”

Verne noted that, whereas he often had to write speeches for executives to give at events, Achmat always wrote his own. “What a pleasure,” Verne remarked.

Despite all the pressures, Buyisile stressed that Achmat was “easy to work with” and very approachable:

“The work of a personal assistant is a very administrative role and there are boundaries. But, working with Achmat, I felt very comfortable if there was something that didn’t make sense to me, it was easy for me to go and ask ‘Can you maybe elaborate more?’ Our relationship was a very, very open, very comfortable, you know and he made it so easy for me to work with him.”

She described Achmat as a “kind and gentle soul”. As CEO, she said, he was “strict in a very gentle way.” She “looked forward to coming to the office the environment has always felt like home.” Verne recalled:

“Achmat preferred to be in the background he worked systematically, he insisted on professional space, not familial space, you know, this notion that we’re all a family and we’ve got each other’s backs, was for Achmat a ‘no, no, we act professionally we conduct ourselves in relation to one another professionally.’”

For Verne Achmat was “extraordinary” and had an unusual combination of skills:

 “Achmat loved the thinking work and I’ve come to miss that. Achmat, was extraordinary, you don’t often find this combination of a thinker, a public intellectual who’s also a very good bureaucrat, a very good manager and that combination was fantastic for us, given what we needed in that moment with that period of transition. Achmat knew how to inspire with ideas. He knew how to get the best out of people and how to assemble teams.”

The number of trustees on the Board was reduced from 17 in 2008 to 9 by 2009/2010. When Achmat started the board comprised: Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi; Barabara Masekela; Prof Jakes Gerwel (chair), Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Dr Frene Ginwala; Dr Nthato Motlana; Nicholas “Fink” Haysom; Joel Netshitenzhe; Ahmed Kathrada; Cyril Ramaphosa; Graça Machel; Dr Mamphela Ramphele; Mac Maharaj; Tokyo Sexwale; Mandla Mandela; Franklin Sonn, and Nelson Mandela (founder).

In 2007, several trustees resigned and became members of the newly established Advisory Council. In February 2008, the Board of Trustees was composed of Prof Jakes Gerwel; Ahmed Kathrada; Chris Liebenberg; Prof Njabulo Ndebele; Dr Mamphela Ramphele. They were joined by Irene Menell; Kgalema Motlanthe; Futhi Mtoba and Tokyo Sexwale in the 2009/2010 period.

The NMF governance structure was tightened up with clear line functions and reporting and auditing protocols. Weekly team meetings were introduced to promote monitoring and coordination. Board member Ahmed Kathrada was a special adviser on research and archive. A Board sub-committee supported the selection of the speaker for the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture. In his final report for 2013, Achmat noted that “human resources functions were outsourced and the Founder’s Office was downscaled dramatically.”

Mamphele Ramphele who was one of the founder trustees, recalled Achmat’s consultative management style. He consulted, not only with the chairperson of the Board Jakes Gerwe, with whom he worked closely, but also with the other Trustees:

“We were not a micro-managing board of trustees, which will be inappropriate. The Chair, who was Jakes Gerwel, was closely working with Achmat, but even that, I mean Jakes was not a hands-on Chair in the sense of micro-management and there was no need to micro-manage Achmat. He was a pro, an absolute professional, with the highest integrity, strategic mind and what he did do, he was very consultative. He would consult Jakes before doing anything, but he’d also consult with each one of us as Trustees, directly or indirectly, either personally or by phone and he was always open … what a pleasure.”

Achmat reported in 2012/2013 that “(t)he lowest moment” in what had been “a year of great challenge” as well as of “great achievement” was “the untimely death of our Chairman Professor Jakes Gerwel.” In a statement to the press Achmat said of Gerwel: “We will miss his wisdom and calm guidance.” Prof Njabulo Ndebele was appointed as the new chair, a position he retained until the end of September 2024.

Achmat’s family and colleagues recalled that Achmat had an especially close relationship with Nelson Mandela. The NMF’s article about Achmat on its website notes: “And there was his special relationship with Madiba. They were relaxed in each other’s company, always shared a laugh, often at each other’s expense. Graça Machel, human rights advocate and Nelson Mandela’s wife and partner for fifteen years, speaking at Achmat’s memorial said:

“Achmat is one of those [people] whose life was so closely intertwined with Madiba’s contribution to freedom, particularly in his personal commitment to tackling and healing social injustices in South Africa. When Madiba chose to embrace the cause of de-marginalise of our children and establishing the Children’s Fund, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Mandela/Rhodes Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development, Achmat was one of the many tasked with the building and consolidation of these institutions. He became an institution-builder … [He was] able to internalise Madiba’s wishes into practice … Madiba had great respect for Achmat and he relied, many times, on his wise, wise and discreet counsel … Achmat was always there for us as a family … We will always cherish his discreet touch and his constant presence, to ensure that as a family, we are taken care of.”

Verne recalled, however that Achmat did not talk about his personal connection with Madiba:

 “Achmat and Madiba shared a sense of humour. I saw that Madiba clearly trusted Achmat. Achmat didn’t push that personal connection with Madiba, you know, he didn’t always want to go and sit in Madiba’s office and chat to him. He hardly ever talked about his relationship with Madiba and I really came to value that.”

Verne told an amusing story of how he and Achmat had to act as Madiba’s PA for the day:

“One of the most traumatic moments of my years here is, on a particular day, mid-morning, one of my colleagues who I had briefed and was in a meeting with Madiba, had done something that completely annoyed Madiba’s personal assistant, who stormed into Achmat ‘s office, where I was, the two of us, and she said something like ‘Nobody listens to me. You make my life impossible. I’m leaving. You look after Madiba for the rest of the day’ and she was gone. Wow! And that’s where you really appreciate Achmat, where it’s ‘Okay, Verne, do you know his diary for today?’ ‘No, I don’t, I don’t.’ Okay, so then we call in one of the other members of Madiba’s personal office. ‘Can we see Madiba’s diary?’ We have a look at the diary. We work out, ‘Okay, so Verne you can handle this meeting with Madiba and then I’ll take over with the next one’. And I remember, where it ended for me was, his last engagement was actually a photo opportunity with members of the media at the front entrance of the building. And so, we’d arranged this, that I’d finished his last meeting and then I would walk him down the passage and hand him over to Achmat and Achmat would take him out for the photo opportunity and I remember Achmat standing at the end of the passage with this wry smile, as Madiba and I, you know, Madiba on my arm and we go down the passage and then I say goodbye to Madiba. Achmat comes over and greets Madiba and Madiba says, ‘Aah Achmat, now you can do some real work.’ In other words: ‘Carry me out!’”

Achmat’s own recollections of Madiba were later published in Sahm Venter and Vimla Naidoo’s 2018 edited collection I Remember Nelson Mandela. Achmat recalled Mandela blatantly ignoring official protocols about observing hierarchies when they were travelling together:

“I remember going on a trip with Madiba to Australia where a singer called Kylie Minogue had done something for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. So, in Canberra before he met the Prime Minister we were taken through the protocol. There were four couples and a young woman standing at the end. The couples were regional ministers with their partners and the Prime Minister standing in the middle.

I remember that the Protocol Officer said, ‘Mr Mandela will come here, he will then greet the Prime Minister who will then step out and the Prime Minister will introduce him to the others.’ So, I see this young woman and I ask, ‘Now who is she supposed to be?’ And she says to me, ‘Kylie Minogue.’ I warned her, I said, ‘Put her in front.’ She said, ‘We can’t do that.’

I remember Madiba walking into the room and he gets to where the Prime Minister steps out and he sees Kylie Minogue. ‘Kylie! Kylie!’ and he walks right past the Prime Minister and gives her his hand. ‘How are you, my girl?’ And then he turns around and says, ‘Introduce me to all these important people.’ The Protocol Officer behind me was trying to kick me but I had warned them.”

In 2010, Mandela stopped using his office at the NMF and in 2012, it was formally closed. Despite leaving, he remained engaged on the periphery and managed to attend most of the Dialogues for Justice arranged during Achmat’s tenure, of which the Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture was the main event.

The Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture had been initiated in 2002 as the NMF’s flagship event. Each year a new theme is chosen and, as far as possible is linked to NMF programmes. Buyisile recalled how exciting Achmat found preparations for, and the roll out of the Annual Lecture Programme:

“The management team would have to come out with the names and suggested names for the board to consider and the board will deliberate. Achmat was very key and consulted with management, but he would sometimes say, you know, there’s this person from this country who does this kind of work, depending on the theme of the annual lecture at that time. I saw his excitement when working with those kinds of projects.”

The annual lecture themes offer insights into NMF’s dialogues for justice under Achmat’s tenure. For example: the fifth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in 2007 was delivered by former UN Secretary-General and Nobel laureate Kofi Annan. He explored the “challenges Africa faces as a continent and progress that has been made”. President of Liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf presented the sixth lecture in 2008 titled, “Behold the new Africa” in which she stressed the importance of transparent, accountable government and the need to fight corruption in Africa. The seventh was delivered by Prof Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director of the Grameen Bank and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner who argued for “investment in the marginalised as a way of creating wealth and combating poverty”. Achmat’s friend and colleague Prof Ariel Dorfman, the Chilean-American author and human rights activist, spoke on the theme, “Whose memory? Whose justice? A meditation on how and when and if to reconcile” in 2010. Prof Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria (BA) in Egypt, delivered the ninth lecture in 2011 and explored the theme “The making of social justice: pluralism, cohesion and social participation”. In 2012, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson spoke on the theme of “Freedom, truth, democracy: citizenship and common purpose”.

As CEO, Achmat was the main host and usually spent the most time with the guest speakers. Ariel Dorfman has fond memories of his two week visit and recalled that he met Nelson Mandela with Achmat. He described Achmat’s “generosity, his kindness his friendship with Madiba” as extraordinary” and he felt that “[Achmat] was exactly the sort of intellectual that was needed in a new South Africa.”

Two professional teams were assembled to support the line functions that constituted the Centre of Memory and Dialogue namely the Memory Programme led by Verne Harris and the Dialogue Programme, directed by Mothomang Diaho. Verne recalled how beneficial it was to have Achmat leading this process:

 “Achmat was very supportive and understood what we had called in the five year strategic plan, the “Nexus Between Memory and Dialogue” and you know, that’s the difference between a chief executive who wants some kind of presidential library, and on the other hand a chief executive who says “No, this is about mobilising memory, including archive, mobilizing that memory for continuing social justice work, right, continuing struggles for Justice.” Achmat was really clear on that.

 The teams behind the Nelson Mandela Annual lectures, the Memory Programme and the Dialogue Programme each organised events, exhibitions and publications. Some publications were the product of partnerships, such as the NMF, MacMillan and the READ Trust collaboration, which culminated in the children’s version of Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom written by Achmat’s friend and acclaimed author Chris van Wyk and illustrated by South African artist Paddy Bouma. Still other publications were commissioned, such as the “Madiba Legacy Series”. When Achmat was CEO he wrote forewords for many NMF publications (see list at the end of this page).

Foundation staff were also involved in responding to research request from the public. This included research for Anant Singh’s film, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom released in November 2013 in which Achmat played a key role. Anant acknowledged Achmat’s role in a tribute: “We worked closely together during the early development of our film, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and he offered invaluable support and advice during the process.” The film was launched at a special event at the NMF in November 2013 with Anant Singh and Idris Elba, who played Mandela, amongst the attendees.

View the Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom trailer part 1

View the Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom trailer part 2

“Rather than use Mandela’s historical records to glorify him as an individual,” Achmat explained in a 2019 article published in City Press, “they would be used as a way to inspire people around the world as an example of how even the most complex and embedded problems can be overcome.” Verne as Head of the Centre of Memory, described the Mandela Archive as: “infinite, fragmented, and scattered both geographically and institutionally.” In 2007, Achmat reported that the NMF had “started playing a ‘convening’ role in an effort to promote the kind of partnerships that will ensure the material is objectively archived, shared by various stakeholders and made available to the world.”

The programme archived and digitised documents whilst making material accessible through a range of exhibitions. Some travelled across the country and were displayed at South African institutions such as the Apartheid Museum and the Nelson Mandela Museum. Others were exhibited at the Centre. The physical collection grew substantially and by 2010, it was estimated to hold more than 20 000 documents.

Archival advocacy and activism also included partnering with civil society organisations such as the Wits Centre for Journalism’s HIV/AIDS and the Media Project. During a three year partnership, five discussion forums were hosted. One of Achmat’s early public engagements was at one of the forums in February 2007 where he communicated what he had had learned about AIDS while working in the field:

“I spent five years in the field of AIDS trying to grapple with the issue of advocacy and communication around AIDS and what it means. I think wherever I’ve worked I’ve discovered that not only in South Africa but around the world people still do not absorb the fact that AIDS will be with us for many years. We cannot think of the response to AIDS in terms of years, we have to think in terms of decades. That is very often difficult for people, governments, communities, activists and scientists, as well as journalists, to absorb. What does it mean to convey to your community that however well we do, we will be living with this disease for a long time to come? It has implications for the way we plan, not only at government level but at community level as well. And more importantly it has implications for the dialogue that we enter into and the way the dialogue is phrased. AIDS is a very complex disease and I am not saying that we should make it even more complex. But oversimplifying the issues is as dangerous as trying to make them more complex than they are. I think there is a tendency to assume that once you get the funding in place, once you get the resources in place, AIDS is going to disappear – it is not. I hope that the journalists will help promote a dialogue in this country about AIDS as something that is not going to go away very quickly.”

The Centre of Memory hosted many more forums. Another was the “Archives at the Crossroads” (April 2007) which represented a short-term collaboration between the NMF, the National Archives and Records Service and the University of the Witwatersrand with the support of the Minister of Arts and Culture. It was at this conference that the idea of establishing the Archival Platform was mooted. Three years later the Platform was established by the NMF and the University of Cape Town’s Archive and Public Culture Research Initiative (APC). The Archival Platform was committed to deepening democracy through the use of memory and archives, and was led by Jo-Anne Duggan with Mbongiseni Buthelezi, who was to be appointed many years later in October 2024 as the NMF’s CEO, as a key member. In June, the NMF, in partnership with UNAIDS and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), hosted a satellite session at the 3rd South African AIDS Conference in Durban, on 6 June 2007.

In 2008 the NMF, Achmat reported, “was fully launched into the age of digital information delivery” and the development of the website as an archival portal continued. Financial and technical assistance was provided by Google and key donors. By 2008, it was estimated that there were 34 000 users per month. In 2011, as part of a pilot project, in partnership with the Google Cultural Institute, the bulk of Mandela’s personal archives was digitised and, a year later the Mandela Digital Archives, was launched. In his welcome address, Achmat recalled Mandela’s injunction that the Centre of Memory “must not become a mausoleum.” Rather, it should strive to grow beyond a memory bank attributed to one person. “At the heart of our strategy for Memory,” Achmat said, “is to make the unique archives of the life and times of Mr Mandela available to the rest of the world.”

Watch parts of the launch, including speeches by Achmat and Verne below:

The Digital Archives continues to reach a global audience. The 2012/2013 Annual Report noted that the NMF’s website attracted 875 139 visitors while over 150 000 viewers visited the YouTube channel and the organisation was followed by over a million people on Facebook and 380 000 on Twitter. Photo albums and videos on the website record a wide range of events and activities including Annual Lectures, visits by dignitaries and celebrities and campaigns.

The Dialogue Programme was initiated as a consultative research process. It incorporated a wide range of stakeholders to shape a dialogue methodology and to bring people together to address social issues. Achmat recalled Mandela telling him emphatically what the difference was between a “chat” and a “dialogue”:

Madiba called me aside and he said, ‘Listen here, when you bring people together in a room who agree with each other that’s a chat. If you want dialogue, bring together people who disagree with each other.’ And that is in fact how one of the first big dialogues started.”

Dialogue and advocacy, Achmat explained further, in his retrospective 2019 article:

“[W]ould be used to address the critical socioeconomic problems the world faced, and bring together, in a safe and neutral manner, different stakeholders in government, civil society and business. The goal was to get stakeholders, whether they agreed or disagreed with each other, to have constructive conversations about how best to overcome major problems. The dialogues grew over time, addressing even the most complex issues, and continue today.”

As noted in the 2010/2011 Annual Report, “in keeping with the Founder’s ethos of inclusivity, the Centre partnered with a number of other institutions in facilitating key policy level dialogues.” These included working with the African National Congress’ archival sub-committee in preparation for the ANC’s centennial celebrations, and the South African History Archives and the Robert Sobukwe Trust to mark the 10th anniversary of the passing of the Freedom of Information Act.

In 2008, the NMF launched a two-year pilot project aimed at addressing the xenophobic violence that had broken out earlier that year across South Africa. Achmat said in a press statement:

“We are concerned by the plight of people – South Africans and foreign nationals – who have been affected by the recent violence. There are people, including women and young children, without adequate food or medical care, living in temporary shelters.”

The NMF and its related organisations, the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, the 46664 campaign and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund donated R1 million to the Operation ReachOut project for victims of xenophobic violence in South Africa.

The NMF also hosted “community conversations” in 17 communities across 5 provinces and a seminar on Dialogue for Social Change. Achmat played a key role in dialogues in the programme, some of which had been initiated prior to his formal appointment and others of which started under his tenure. These included the Malibongwe Series, with a focus on the role of women historically and in contemporary South Africa; “AIDS and Leadership” at the June 2007 Durban AIDS Conference; a conversation series ‘Science and Media”, which explored ways that the AIDS epidemic could be made more explicable to all South Africans; a Round Table on Human Rights; Youth Community Dialogues and the “Caring Schools” Dialogue series amongst others.

Some sessions were held at the NMF and others in community settings. Around 2009, the Dialogue Programme moved to a more community oriented dialogue process. These more localised dialogues covered social cohesion themes, with an emphasis on xenophobia and HIV/AIDS. “Storytelling” about the personal impact of poverty and the state of local government and political institutions, informed the dialogues. Some communities and their NGO partners organised follow-up “conversations” independently of the NMF, which fitted with the NMF’s longer-term goal to ensure the programme’s sustainability and community ownership.

Two months before Achmat’s retirement, the NMF hosted a Human Rights Day youth dialogue with British politician David Miliband titled, “How to make a difference in democratic politics.” At the end of the dialogue Achmat said that his own activism was guided by the ideas of two South Africans – Stephen Bantu Biko and Nelson Mandela. Achmat explained that Biko had believed that the development of Black Consciousness was not an end in itself, but hopefully a path to a better, more just society. Mandela, Achmat said, had stressed that dialogues could only be accomplished through bringing “together people who disagree.” Achmat concluded with a call to action: “It’s in your hands – remember that.”

Looking back, Achmat recalled that “out of the dialogue programme grew Mandela Day. Again, at Mandela’s request, this was not meant to focus on celebrating him as an individual, but was a way to inspire individuals to take responsibility and help to make this a better world for all, especially the poor and underprivileged.”

Achmat’s second year as CEO in 2008 coincided with Nelson Mandela’s 90^th birthday. Achmat noted in his annual report that there were “extraordinary demands” on the NMF’s “capacity during Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday.” An estimated quarter of a million birthday messages were received.

The three legacy organisations – the NMF, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation – decided on a “Celebration of Ideas” as their theme for the 90^th birthday. In the foreword to “Mandela at Ninety” released the same year, Achmat wrote:

“[W]e took the risk of being accused of reducing this auspicious milestone to no more than a ‘debate’. After all, the ‘hot air’ of rhetoric is as much a symbol of superficial celebration as party balloons are. But since he ‘finally’ retired in 2004, we have seen a growing tendency towards another form of reductionism. Mandela, the iconic man of decisive action, being portrayed by an adoring world in often aloof imagery, wrapped in an impenetrable mystique that discourages debate on his ideas and the values they helped define. Perhaps this is out of a fear that somehow the unblemished hero – in an age so desperately in need of unerring principled and ethical leaders – would be found to be all too human and flawed. Needless to say, we know Nelson Mandela does not share this fear, nor do the organisations charged with perpetuating – in very practical and measurable ways – the aspects of his legacy. After all, using memory as a resource to address critical social issues, to help change the way nations respond to children and promoting skilled and caring leadership across Africa – these very structured and pragmatic interventions can be said to represent a part of Mandela the ‘action man’.

It is our belief that our work will benefit from thorough discourse, that by using the life and times of Nelson Mandela as a framework on the political and social issues of the day, so can our nation. The ‘In Conversation With’ series, initiated in partnership with City Press, is a vital part of that broader celebration and contestation – of ideas. The “conversations” with six prominent and outspoken people eloquently touch on contemporary issues, from the conflict in the Middle East, to a US slowly struggling to emerge from its post 9/11 siege mentality, to the leadership crisis – real and perceived – in our country, across Africa and the world, to why we should retain our abiding optimism in the future …We hold up this glass of “bubbling” ideas as a toast to Madiba.”

A concert for Mandela’s birthday was also held in London. Achmat recalled “At Madiba’s 90th birthday celebrations at Hyde Park in London he walked on stage and all of us expected him to say the slogan ‘It’s in our hands’ but he changed it, and said ‘It’s in your hands’. He told us afterwards that he did that deliberately, so that the responsibility for addressing the world’s ills is passed on to the next generation of leaders.”

“Nelson Mandela at 90 the Celebration” includes an overview of the “In Conversation With” series, can be downloaded from https://www.nelsonmandela.org/publications/entry/90th-celebrations-booklet

The next year, not only was it the NMF’s 10^th birthday. It was the year in which “Nelson Mandela International Day” was officially recognised by the United Nations. From April 2009, the 46664 Campaign and the NMF had been calling on people around the world to support the establishment of an official Mandela Day, to be held annually on July 18, Mandela’s birthday. A series of special events took place in New York City involving many of the NMF’s global ambassadors from the worlds of entertainment, music and film. According to a statement issued on Mandela’s behalf, it was hoped that the Day would “bring together people around the world to fight poverty and promote peace and reconciliation.” The NMF called on people to give 67 minutes of their time:

“Mr Mandela has been making an imprint on the world for 67 years, beginning in 1942 when he first started to campaign for the human rights of every South African… The Mandela Day campaign called upon people around the world to commit 67 minutes of their time to make an imprint and help change the world around them.”

“The underpinning ethos”, Achmat recalled in the 2010 annual report, “is that positive change begins with small, selfless, individual actions – [which] aptly captures Mr Mandela’s legacy.” The Day has been and a global network of organisations and individuals doing good in Nelson Mandela’s name has emerged. On 10 November, with the support of the South African government, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted Nelson Mandela International Day. It is the only day in the name of an individual recognised by the UN.

On 12 May 2010, the NMF started the countdown to 18 July — 67 days before Mandela’s 92^nd birthday. After a press conference, at which actor Morgan Freeman spoke, NMF staff travelled to Cape Town, Durban and Katlehong to launch the event. Journalists and media representatives were asked to help at local charities to support the idea behind Mandela Day. Achmat spoke at a launch in the Tshepong Stimulation Centre in Katlehong in Gauteng where staff and media people had repainted one of the classrooms, sorted through donated clothes, cleaned up the garden and the hall and entertained the children:

“We chose today, 67 days before Madiba’s birthday, to announce the start of the campaign and to reinforce the underpinning principle behind Mandela Day – working with and within communities to do good … The response around the world has been phenomenal. Last year in New York we had the mayor, Michael Bloomberg, packing food parcels … [this year] we expect that all around the world people will develop community-oriented initiatives. For example, Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai has announced that she intends campaigning for millions of people to plant 67 trees each.”

The NMF also set targets associated with Nelson Mandela International Day. For example, in June 2010 Achmat spoke at the Sports for Peace’s gala where the pledge to “bring all children to school by 2015” was announced. Watch a video of Achmat’s speech made on June 18, 2010 below.

In 2011, on Mandela’s 93rd birthday, in addition to promoting Nelson Mandela International Day, “Mandela Mondays” was initiated. Achmat explained: “Each Monday, give a small amount of your time, wherever you can, to spreading the message that change is in your hands.”

In February 2011, the Board of Trustees adopted recommendations for the Memory and Dialogue programmes to be integrated. Although the Nelson Mandela Foundation name was retained for the organisation, the name of the Centre in Houghton was changed to the “Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory”. The Mission Statement was revised and adopted: “To contribute to the making of a just society by promoting the legacy of Nelson Mandela, providing an integrated public information resource on his life and times, and convening dialogue around critical social issues”; and its core work: “To deliver to the world an integrated and dynamic information resource on the life and times of Nelson Mandela, and promote the finding of sustainable solutions to critical social problems through memory-based dialogue interventions”.

While the construction work that began in 2011 to convert the building from Mandela’s post-presidential office to a multi-function and publicly accessible centre did not necessitate vacation of the premises, Achmat reported that it impacted severely on the Foundation’s daily activities and operations. All archival collections, for example, had to be moved into off-site storage. Verne remembered the process well and recalled how essential Achmat’s “calmness” had been:

“I was Project Manager and we refurbished this building whilst continuing to work in it. It was very messy but what came out of it was a facility geared to the memory and dialogue work that we were doing, the permanent exhibition, temporary exhibition space and of course, the customized archival facilities downstairs. We needed Achmat’s calmness through all of that.”

Buyisile described the inclusion of the staff as leading to an “amazing process”:

“It was an amazing experience. The staff were given the opportunity to choose the colour of the furnishings. We were fully engaged. We were part of the project you know, every step of the way. We would have meetings with the contractors and they would update us it felt like we were part of it. We chose the colours of the chairs, the colour of our desks, the kitchen, you know the cupboards, what colours we wanted the colour of the carpets, everything. We were moving from a house to a bigger space now, you know that excitement as well and that we now have our own building that we can call our office.”

The refurbishment was completed in May 2013, around the same time that the Transitional Plan was fully implemented. Prof Njabulo Ndebele speaking at the memorial for Achmat in 2020, recalled how through all the upheavals, Achmat had retained the “respect” and “affection” of his colleagues: 

“Achmat also gave many years of service to Madiba’s organisations. It was no accident that Madiba turned to him in the early years of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and then again at a crucial moment in the history of the Nelson Mandela Foundation … I was particularly struck, by the extent to which he had won, both the respect and the affection of those he had worked with day in and day out, for many years. That is not an easy thing to do, especially in turbulent times, through processes of change management. It is the mark of someone very, very special.”

In the last few months of Achmat’s tenure, he was also in the final stages of refining his soon-to-be published collection of short stories Strange Pilgrimages. Verne recalled:

“I talked to Achmat a lot about his writing. I loved his writing and encouraged him. ‘Achmat, you’ve done the hard yards. Now step away, step away, you know, go and write. We need you to be writing those books’ and he would sometimes give me manuscripts, like a short story that he had written and some of those short stories that I read as manuscripts then became part of the book Strange Pilgrimages.”

A final event on 27 May showcased the refurbished premises and included a handover ceremony of material from the National Archives of South Africa; tours of the archives and a panel discussion where Achmat gave his final speech and introduced the new CEO – Sello Hatang.

Reflecting on his term as CEO, Achmat said:

“I would be there for seven challenging but exciting years … it was my task to lead the refocusing of the foundation’s core goals … by [implementing] two key strategies: 1) Dialogue and advocacy and 2) the Centre of Memory … During my years at the NMF, the biggest challenge we faced was to convince key stakeholders, especially in governments around the world, that this approach was not an abuse of Mandela’s legacy, but that we were using it as a way to help bring about positive change, and that it had no intention to be politically subversive. The fact that many of these changes were at Mandela’s personal request and inspiration seemed to calm those detractors.”

In 2013 Achmat was invited to be on the Board of Trustees of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation (MRI). This was the last of the Mandela Legacy Institutions that he would be part of, and he remained there during the first three years of his retirement. His schedule was also filled with literary events at which he gave readings from Strange Pilgrimages and presentations on a range of issues. However, Darren Walker, then the Vice-President and soon-be-President of the Ford Foundation was in search of a leader to head its Southern Africa office. Darren recalled meeting Achmat and immediately being impressed:

“I met Achmat Dangor because I was in search of a rare person, as the then vice-president, soon to be president, responsible for the Africa Programme, we were in somewhat of a crisis as an organisation. We had lost our leader in Southern Africa and I was on a quest to find someone who possessed a rare set of skills and capabilities and personal attributes … a name continued to resoundingly come back to me and that was the name of a man called Achmat Dangor. So, I had to meet this man called Achmat Dangor and I was introduced to him through Martin Abregu who headed our Human Rights Programme. Martin of course knew who Achmat was. At that time, he was transitioning from the Nelson Mandela Foundation and because we had been a close partner and investor in the Mandela Foundation, the Ford Foundation had been one of the first donors to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. That is how I met him and I realised within minutes of meeting Achmat, that I would make it my business to convince him to come to the Ford Foundation and head our office in Johannesburg.”

The Ford Foundation was established in 1936 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford. Darren described it as “an international social justice foundation committed to the idea that all people should live with dignity.” Its work to advance justice and democracy in Southern Africa dates to the 1950s. Its operations there had been directed from New York, but in 1993, the Ford Foundation led by anti-apartheid and human rights activist, Frankin Thomas, established an office in Johannesburg.

The Ford Foundation was, as described in a press release about Achmat’s appointment, as having been “working on initiatives to build sustainable livelihoods and economic opportunities, advance social and economic rights and address the HIV epidemic.” It was “supporting efforts to strengthen transparency and accountability in governance” and engaging “civil society organisations to advocate on behalf of the marginalised and underrepresented.” Darren recalled how he made it his mission to persuade Achmat to join:

“It wasn’t easy but he was absolutely persuadable from the very beginning, because he understood the Ford Foundation and its work, its aspirations and its impact, because he himself had benefited from the largesse of the Ford Foundation. Well, he also had questions about the, some called “crisis” our office was in, because we had lost a leader, we had some personnel issues, we had some problems with grantees concerned about our commitment to human rights and so he asked some hard questions about that. What went wrong, what support would he have from me now as President, what support would he have from me if he were to accept this role and so he rightly understood, that he would bring a tremendous both social and political capital to the Ford Foundation, by agreeing to be our director in Southern Africa.”

Achmat’s appointment was announced in April and he started officially in July 2013, which was also the 20^th anniversary of the Southern Africa office. He worked from the Ford Foundation’s southern Africa office in Johannesburg which also serves Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Ford Foundation President, at the time, Luis A. Ubiñas said:

“Given the incredible accomplishments of Achmat, we are honoured to have his leadership at the Ford Foundation as a champion for democracy and freedom … Achmat is the perfect leader to help the foundation envision its next generation of work in support of democracy and justice in the country.”

Achmat is quoted in a Ford Foundation news article as saying: “I am deeply honoured to lead the Ford Foundation’s work and to continue the strong legacy in the region working to promote rights and equality … I look forward to advancing the case for justice and inclusion throughout the region on issues driven by visionary leadership committed to social change.”

Achmat’s brief, according to his summary CV, was to develop and implement “strategy to refocus the Foundation’s Southern Africa programmes, ensuring greater community participation. At the Ford Foundation’s “Realising the Dream: The Promise of South Africa” week long celebratory event of its work in South Africa at Turbine Hall, Newtown in Johannesburg from 9 to 15 February 2014, Achmat commended South Africa’s “peaceful transition to democracy” and “astonishing progress” but stressed that “there is still much to be done.” He referred to the “vast disparities in access to education, land and economic opportunity, coupled with the world’s highest prevalence of HIV, limit our region’s continued progress.” He foresaw exciting opportunities for work extending the reach and efficacy of “social justice organisations”. The Ford Foundation would, he said:

“continue to take risks and create spaces for experimentation, allowing social justice organisations to test and strengthen promising initiatives that can be adopted by others to reach many more people, both here and around the world. We are incredibly excited about the next generation of this work”.

He elaborated on Achmat’s other work at the Ford Foundation too:

“Achmat helped us to improve our relations with community-based, grass-roots organisations. He had a clear bias towards action and he had a clear bias towards black-led organisations closest to the communities we were serving. He stabilised the culture in the office. Achmat was a diplomat. He was a bridge-builder, a consensus-builder, but he wouldn’t, as we say in America, he wouldn’t be “rolled”. He was somewhat of a Steel Magnolia, if you will. He of course had this very, almost academic, professorial, intellectual sort of demeanour, but at heart, he was a “warrior for justice”, as Dr. King would say. At heart, he was an activist and he was able in our office to bring a real sense of all of those qualities to stabilise the office …”

Darren maintained that “Achmat was a game-changing leader for the Ford Foundation and a bridge and anchor for me personally as President and I know that his impact will be felt for many, many years.” At the 2020 memorial for Achmat, Nicolette Naylor, Achmat’s colleague from the Ford Foundation recalled what Achmat was like as a “boss”:

“Achmat was my boss but he was so much more than a boss. In fact, he re-defined the word “boss” for me … In Achmat I found a boss who took a keen interest in mentoring and guiding me. It was just amazing. He was so selfless and determined to nurture the younger women in our careers. I admired Achmat for his strength of character, humility and maturity and his willingness to hand over the power that he held in all institutions. He believed in opening doors for the next generation of black leaders and he did it beautifully and I would say that I’m not ready to lead, he always responded, ‘But you are already leading. Come now, I need to write my novels’ and that was that. He taught me a valuable lesson about leaders knowing when it’s time to leave and how to gracefully open the door of opportunity for those behind you. His belief in me as a black woman, as a child from the Cape Flats, silenced in so many ways, was important in my own trajectory in transformation from doubting myself to believing in myself.”

Nicollette stressed that Achmat could be “firm”: “We also know the stubborn and the firm Achmat. Achmat counted every penny and hated extravagant office lunches. He was the voice reminding us that we had a job to do fighting injustice and not spending money on ourselves.”

She spoke of Achmat’s ability to listen and his “wicked sense of humour”:

“Achmat was also an excellent listener. He could pierce through every gesture and comment in the room … He had the most wicked sense of humour and ability to imitate many people inside and outside the Ford Foundation. On many trips to New York, Achmat would make me laugh so hard, because of his ability to interpret some of the most intense meetings, with humour.”

Achmat completed his two-year contract at the Ford Foundation in 2015. Darren recalled that he constantly reminded the Ford Foundation to remain engaged with new democracies even after the battle appeared to have been won:

“His legacy is one of leaving behind a set of programmatic impacts, stabilising our office, reminding New York Headquarters why South Africa still mattered and indeed mattered even more and the success of the dream, realising the success of Mandela and Oliver Tambo and all of the people Achmat worked so closely with, would demand that we remain engaged and not do what some donors did, which was to once democracy was achieved, to declare victory and move on. Achmat was a reminder. He reminded us that democracy is always contested and that power is not one without a fight and he gave us and reminded us of that time and time again. He was such a kind and gentle man, but he was fierce and bold and courageous and unrelenting in his belief and the idea of justice for all.”

In November of 2015, Achmat won the Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature at the South African Literary Awards (SALA). This also marked the start of his official retirement from salaried positions.