Established in 1999 in association with Nedbank, The Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust provides social development investment for school children in the wineland areas and further education through the Protégé Programme.

These children from previously disadvantaged communities are able to attend Hoër Landbouskool Boland (8 boys) and Bloemhof High School (2 girls) through subsidies from the Trust. In addition the Trust has been instrumental in providing funds for materials and equipment at other educational facilities, including the Pebbles project, Lynedoch Primary, Weber Gedenk Primary and Stellenzicht High Schools.

The Development Trust pursues social investment on behalf of a sustainable future for local communities and the development of a thriving wine industry that is completely inclusive. The Trust is funded by donations and proceeds raised at various Guild events throughout the year as well as from the Silent Auction and Charity Auction.

Trustees
David Knott, BOE – Chairman
James Browne, Hartenberg
Johann Krige, Kanonkop
Jan Coetzee, Vriesenhof
Johannes Demas, Graham Beck
Philip Costandius, Solo

Current Projects

Hoër Landbouskool Boland
The Trust supplements the salary of an additional teacher at Hoër Landbouskool Boland near Paarl. This is an agricultural school offering boys between the ages of 14 and 18 a well-rounded education, based on the practical application of the agricultural sciences.

In return, Landbouskool Boland covers the school and hostel fees of a number of talented children from the local farming communities. At present the Trust has eight boys attending the school and since 2000, five boys have matriculated.  One of our matriculants is working within the wine industry and two have gone on to study agriculture and winemaking.

Bloemhof High School for Girls
Joining forces with Bloemhof High School for girls in Stellenbosch, the Trust supports the high school education of talented young girls from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. The Trust’s first two learners, Vanessa van Niekerk and Cindy-Lee Fredericks, both of Cloetesville, joined the school in 2006 and it is hoped that this number will grow in the years to come.

“Bricks and Mortar” Projects
Since its establishment, the Guild has also assisted with the development and education at local schools:

The Pebbles Project
In February 2007, the Development Trust donated R22 000 to the Pebbles Project.  These funds will be used to train teachers working in crèches that educate and care for the children of wine farm employees.

Lynedoch Primary
Local school Lynedoch Primary supports the education and welfare of over 350 children living in our local farming community. In 2001, the Guild donated R42 000 to the school in order to purchase much-needed white boards for the classrooms, a photocopying machine as well as to seal the classroom floors.

Weber Gedenk Primary
The community of Jamestown spent six years raising funds, laying the foundations and building the walls of a new hall at the Weber Gedenk Primary School in Jamestown. Unfortunately, building work came to a standstill when the school struggled to raise the remaining R50 000 required to build a roof for the Hall.

Principal Bernhard Williams contacted the Guild for assistance. Impressed by the determination and hard work that the community had put into building their much-needed hall, the Guild agreed to fund the cost of the roof through the Nedbank CWG Development Trust.

The hall, which was finally completed at the end of 2004, is used for school assemblies, as an aftercare centre, as a centre for community literacy and youth life skills classes as well as for indoor sports and community gatherings.

Stellenzicht High School
In January 2006, the Nedbank CWG Development Trust donated R16 000 to Stellenzicht Secondary School in Jamestown to assist with the completion of their much-needed computer centre.

The new school curriculum requires that every school has the necessary equipment in order to function effectively and the access to modern computers is vital. Towards the end of 2005, Stellenzicht Secondary School was offered 30 computers by the Khanya Project, but before these could be delivered, a secure classroom with power points and tables was required. The Safe Schools Project donated R24 000 and the Nedbank CWG Development Trust donated the remaining R16 000 required for the completion of the classroom, which today serves the 850 children attending the school.