South Africa Country Report from Volunteering Worldwide 2001
"Charity organizations that came into being in the pre-apartheid era and the early years of apartheid involved themselves in 'noncontroversial' activities in the welfare sector, such as the distribution of food supplements or education. A substantial number of their activities are historically rooted in the early missionary attempts to 'civilize' the Africans, to help the poor to their feet, without addressing the colonial establishment or the later apartheid regime as the true cause of poverty, neglect, and lack of education among the black population. Because these welfare organizations usually maintained contacts with the formal welfare facilities provided by the apartheid government, they were generally mistrusted by many black communities. Philanthropic volunteering still mainly takes place in the old 'white' welfare organizations. To a large degree, this volunteer work is limited to the white community. It concerns care for the infirm, fund-raising, and more traditional charity activities. The philanthropic approach can also be found in church organizations. These more conventional welfare organizations were only recently admitted as members of SANGOCO, the South African National NGO Coalition, which is composed of former anti-apartheid organizations."
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