Johan “Kalahari” Visser grew up on a farm in the Kenard district. They were not a wealthy family. He remembers experiencing the delights of his first Ice-cream at the age of 11. His mother insisted that he attend university and for a while he toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher, like his mother.

However, she very quickly dissuaded him from following this career path, as, apparently, he has a rather short fuse and instead he became a chartered accountant and the rest is history.

Johan acknowledges that a great part of his success was because he was fortunate enough to have a good education. And this, he feels, is the root of South Africa’s problems.

Research has shown that Early Child Education (ECE) can help break the cycle of poverty, but a large proportion of the population in Hermanus does not have access to quality early education. Johan has seen first-hand the enormous challenges that some principals of schools in the area face: unqualified or under-qualified teachers, problems with funding, poor infrastructure, to mention but a few.

If no attempt is made to address the education crisis, particularly in the early years of a child’s life, the high level of disadvantage will persist and ensue in devastating economic and social problems. 

According to Johan not enough people know about the Hub and its unique support system for students studying to become Foundation Phase and Pre-School teachers. He is constantly searching for new marketing strategies that will spread the word and resonate with the wealthy members of the Hermanus community (of which there are many, if we are to trust what the newspapers say) and inspire them to invest in the future of our country and immediate community.

Donor fatigue is an issue that needs to be addressed. He suggests that this can be overcome by forming a central charity funding board to which all donors and sponsors contribute. Charities requiring funding would apply to the board providing details about their charity and their needs and justify why they should be recipients of this funding. This would result in a more equitable distribution of resources.

Johan lives by the motto Unity is strength. Division is weakness. He is inviting the Hermanus community, young and old, to take up the challenge to pool its resources and unite to fight the scourge of poverty, and in doing so give everyone a chance at a better life.