• Partnership building for long terms growth
• People development
• Increasing capacity for self-sufficiency
• Promoting critical self-reflection as part of achieving sustainable growth
• Empowerment of people
• Bias towards under-resourced communities
• Financial and economic sustainability
• Social transformation
• Sound initiatives

Operating principles of the Kagiso Trust Group

Kagiso Trust (KT), Kagiso Development Trust (KDT), Kagiso Trust Investment (KTI), Kagiso Trust Enterprises (KTE) and Kagiso Trust Consultancy (KTC) all adhere to the following set of developmental and empowerment principles in contributing to the overall achievement of Kagiso Trust-mission:

• Partnership building for long terms growth
• People development
• Increasing capacity for self-sufficiency
• Promoting critical self-reflection as part of achieving sustainable growth
• Empowerment of people
• Bias towards under-resourced communities
• Financial and economic sustainability
• Social transformation
• Sound initiatives

Partnership building for long terms growth

Building relationships with business communities, donors, developing enterprises, supplying developmental service to government and business, demands sound relationships based on mutual trust, accountability and transparency. Kagiso Trust's history has shown that building strong, supportive and accountable relationships is central to achieving lasting social and economic change and entrenching sustainable economic empowerment development. Concurrently, it is the relationships which Kagiso Trust developed during its developmental funding work over the past decade which have given KTG's initiatives broad-based legitimacy and credibility across a wide range of sectors and within the business fraternity.

This partnership approach has also ensured that KTG's initiatives are relevant and appropriate within the current developmental and transformation context.

People development

Believing in the potential of people to develop themselves is a cornerstone of the Kagiso Trust Group's work. Through taking relationship building seriously, KTG is able to identify and draw out human capital potential by means which allow for broader developmental needs to be effectively addressed. Skills transfer forms a large aspect of the Group's functions, in working with big business, small entrepreneurs, community based initiatives or providing developmental consultancy services to the public and private sectors.

Increasing capacity for self-sufficiency

KTG is committed to building the capacity of individuals and communities to help themselves. Central to this commitment is ensuring that groups with engage with the KTG are encouraged to build mutually beneficial relationships with other bodies with similar interests and needs as their own. This includes encouraging relationship building with relevant government structures which impact on the interests and needs of various communities and sectors. The KTG facilitates relationship building opportunities for clients, projects, communities, entrepreneurs as part of its commitment to achieving sustainable development and encouraging more active participation in the change-agent vehicles provided by a democratic society. This approach overtly and implicitly supports National Development Goals.

Promoting critical self-reflection as part of achieving sustainable growth

It has been Kagiso Trust's experience that transformational empowerment and learning is an iterative process. KTG has recognised this throughout all of its work. The Group's operating principles prioritise relationship building, people development and increasing the capacity for self-sufficiency. The Group recognises that learning from mistakes in a safe environment (i.e. Group staff are carefully monitoring learning processes so that swift interventions can be made when there is a chance that detrimental events could occur) are part of entrenching sustainable development process. This careful attention - and the comprehensive learning which it encourages - is part of what gives the Group its competitive advantage in successfully achieving sustainable economical and social development outcomes.