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We believe every child in South Africa has a right to a decent education and an opportunity to acquire the skills needed to support a family.
Blue Sky’s mission is to unlock the financial and other resources which will allow community organisations to address inequality by implementing and sustaining projects having an immediate, real and meaningful impact on the lives of all children in their communities.
Blue Sky’s immediate focus is on community trusts which hold equity interests in renewable energy projects, to assist them to unlock and release income from this equity.
Blue Sky brings a range of skills and experience which is unusual for a not-for-profit organisation.
These include innovative financial structuring, asset management, investment banking, capital raising, deal closing, project management and human resources management and expertise in in finance, tax, law, management, compliance, and risk management. Our network is built on long standing relationships with banks and financial institutions, investors, lawyers, engineers, accountants and other professionals, universities, schools, educationalists and civil society organisations.
Abrie du Preez graduated with a BCom (Hons) (Accounting) from the University of Pretoria in 1978 and obtained his CA (SA) in 1981. After completing his articles, he worked as a financial manager before joining an insurance company. He resigned as the group managing director in 1992 to establish and lead the TBI Group. In 2017, he became the non-executive chairman of TBI.
Lee Mawela has a BComm (Accounting) from Wits University, an MBA from Milpark Business School and recently completed the Leadership Programme of the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership. She is an experienced banker whose interests include education, children, empowerment and the environment.
Phila Zulu completed a BComm, LLB degree at Rhodes University and then qualified as an attorney. After 10 years of legal practice, including a stint in London, Phila had a spell in the banking sector before becoming the legal director of an international health and fitness company. He is also a trustee of the Helen Suzman Foundation and the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship – South Africa.
Ian Donovan has degrees from Rhodes University (BComm), the University of Zimbabwe (BL, LLB) and Harvard University (LLM). After practising as an advocate in Zimbabwe for 13 years, he worked in the City of London for five years before becoming a director of a merchant bank in Zimbabwe. In 1995, he established the Harare office of a South African investment bank which he led until he moved to Cape Town in 2004. Ian joined Ora Fund Managers in 2005 and following its merger with TBI, he became the group’s legal counsel. Ian is a serial social entrepreneur.
If we are able to assist a community trust to obtain funding, Blue Sky will recover a fee appropriate for our role in that process. And if Blue Sky is asked to play an ongoing role in the deployment of funds by a community trust or the management of its projects, we will negotiate an appropriate fee.
Blue Sky is an approved public benefit organisation for purposes of section 18A(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act. All donations to Blue Sky are tax deductible in the hands of South African donors and donations made to or by Blue Sky are exempt from Donations Tax in terms of section 56(1)(h) of the Income Tax Act.
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