SANZAF Donates just under R2 million to UWC
In May 2016 the South African National Zakáh Fund (SANZAF) donated R1,795 864 to support financially marginalised students who are excelling academically. The partnership between the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and SANZAF started in 1985.
Over the years SANZAF has worked closely with the Financial Aid Office and the Office for Student Development and Support (SDS) in identifying financially marginalised students, this year the fund took it up a notch and donated just under R2 million to financially deserving students at UWC.
Mrs Yasima Francke, Western Cape General Manager for SANZAF said the cheque handover is very important to them because it marks the end of a very lengthy process of selection and administration, “after today we will be preparing ourselves for the 2017 applications”, she said.
Mrs Francke added by saying they have 3 pilot projects which are namely Early childhood development, Youth development, Islamic studies and Tertiary education..
The fund which has been existence for over 42 years was only formalised in 1955 and continues to help uplifting communities by providing welfare relief to those who have dreams and desires of changing their lives and the lives of those around them.
Mrs Francke concluded by saying the money comes from their donors who pay wealth tax and they [SANZAF] are responsible for distributing these contributions and making sure that it is spent wisely.
Speaking on behalf of UWC Executive, Prof. Dube said that even though she is new at UWC, she did her bit of research and was very impressed to learn that SANZAF has donated R6 million in total since 2012.
“We thank you for your support and we appreciate the role you play in providing financial support to our institution and most importantly to our students. We thank you for believing in us as well as the programmes offered at this prestigious institution, it is because of you that 180 students have access to higher education.”
SANZAF applications for 2017 will open on 1 August 2016.
