About the Trust

The Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Trust was founded in March 2008 to celebrate and profile the legacy of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, founding President of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and liberation struggle icon.

The Trust aims to advance the thoughts and ideals of Robert Sobukwe and ensure that his voice is raised within African and international discourse.

The Trust is based in Sobukwe’s hometown of Graaff-Reinet, a Karoo town in the Eastern Cape. A key priority is to strengthen the rural communities of Graaff-Reinet and its surrounds, through innovative strategies that conserve our cultural and natural environment.

Currently, the Sobukwe Trust is creating the Sobukwe Museum and Learning Centre in uMasizakhe, Sobukwe’s birthplace and the 4th oldest township in South Africa.

The eco-friendly, ‘green’ museum will interpret the life and times of Robert Sobukwe and foreground centuries of liberation struggle in the Graaff-Reinet area. Building construction is underway, supported by the National Lottery Commission.

Young people in rural areas face an uncertain future and training opportunities are limited. The mentoring of young community members is a Sobukwe Trust priority.

The Trust has two internship projects. The first is linked to an Oral History Programme, supported by the National Heritage Council. The second is a youth tourism development programme run in collaboration with the Eastern Cape Tourism and Parks Agency.