Ninety-seven percent of SMMEs supported by Oppenheimer trust’s Covid-19 billion ‘extraordinarily resilient’

In March 2020, some of South Africa’s richest families announced they will be donating R1bn each to help people affected by the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. It included Johann Rupert, Patrice Motsepe and Nicky Oppenheimer with Mary Oppenheimer and her daughters adding another R1bn. In October 2020, in an interview with BizNews, Jonathan Oppenheimer described the decision to channel the money into a trust, the South African Future Trust, which would support SMMEs as an “aha” moment for the family. He said it took just eight days to set up the trust with money flowing to beneficiaries a week later. The head of the South African Future Trust, Bridget Fury, told BizNews the small businesses they supported have proven to be extraordinarily resilient despite another shock in the form of  the July riots. – Linda van Tilburg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices