It gives me great pleasure to release this new edition of Philanthropy@UKZN, albeit a lot later than scheduled.  Getting used to the new normal and losing our editor to another institution delayed our production of this newsletter.  We have tried to capture the work and impact of the donations of some of our new donors who came on board under the most difficult economic circumstances in 2020.  Due to the generosity of our donors, we raised a total of R94 million for the multifarious activities of the University. 

Whilst many reflect on 2020 as a wasted year, I see it as a year of learning.  The power of the fourth industrial revolution came to the fore when we were forced to learn to use our technologies more productively.  Technologies which were dormant or merely used for social interactions have become the new tools of modern business.  Twenty-twenty saw a boom in the use of the Internet which heralded the unprecedented growth of virtual classrooms, online shopping, webinars and tele-meetings.  The Foundation embraced the technologies available and hosted four webinars to keep our donors informed of the impact of Covid-19 on different aspects of business, society and life in general.

It would be remiss of me to ignore the fact that many of our readers have suffered physically, medically and mentally in 2020.  To those who have survived Covid-19, I wish you strength and good health.  To those who have lost loved ones, I express our deepest condolences. 

To my staff and colleagues, I wish to record my gratitude for your grit and determination to raise funds under very trying circumstances.

Remain safe, socially distant, and sanitised.