In 2025, members of our community were recognised for the outstanding contributions they have made to the Jewish community and to the wider Cape Town and South African community.
Here we highlight three people who received among the highest honours to be made in recognition of their significant achievements.
Wendy Ackerman: 2025 – a milestone year in a life of purpose, compassion and recognition
By KAREN MILLER
In a year when South African Jewry celebrated many achievements, Wendy Ackerman stood out as one of 2025’s most honoured figures. Entering her 90th year, Ackerman reached a remarkable milestone with three major awards that recognised a lifetime of leadership and philanthropy.
In November 2025 she received the Mayor’s Medal for Community Affairs, honouring her decades of service to social upliftment in Cape Town. That same month, she was awarded the Kirsh Lifetime Achievement Award at the Investec Jewish Achiever Awards, celebrating her values-driven leadership and far-reaching impact. In December, she was bestowed the Order of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, recognising her untiring devotion to cultural life in the city and her role as Founding Trustee of the Duet Endowment Trust, which supports both the CPO and Cape Town Opera.
Born in Cape Town, Wendy Ackerman’s life has spanned almost a century of social change, business innovation, and deep community service. Together with her late husband, Raymond Ackerman, she helped build Pick n Pay into one of South Africa’s great retail success stories. While the business flourished, Wendy’s additional and primary mission was always about people, especially women, the underprivileged… She was deeply involved in employee welfare, education initiatives and workplace transformation, championing both black South Africans and women long before it was fashionable or easy to do so.
Her Jewish communal recognition stretches back decades. She was named Woman of the Year by the Union of Jewish Women in 1982 and later received the B’nai B’rith Humanitarian Award for her philanthropic work. In 2025, the Jewish Achiever Awards honoured her legacy in the spirit of Helen Suzman, an especially apt parallel.
Yet Wendy’s impact is even further understood through her initiatives outside of her business role. When she discovered that her housekeeper’s neurodivergent son had no school to attend, she started one in Khayelitsha. When he graduated, she went further, founding the Noluthando Sheltered Employment Workshop with Rotary. “I had the bright idea in the shower,” she recalls with a laugh. “Six months later it was a going concern.” Today, it supports 20 beneficiaries and continues to change lives.
Family remains central to Wendy’s life: four children, twelve grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. A passionate gardener – a hobby learned from her father – she is also a woman appreciative of her heritage. She recently discovered that her paternal grandfather came from Czechoslovakia, not Lithuania, as she had always believed. And one of her most meaningful recent honours was her honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University in 2024, the same year that her twin grandsons graduated there, and a century after her father registered there for dentistry.
In 2025, Wendy Ackerman was not merely celebrated for what she has built, but for how she has lived: with generosity, curiosity, humility, and an unshakeable belief in the dignity and potential of others. ●
Tony Leon, champion democratic of democratic values
Politician, diplomat, author and public intellectual Tony Leon was invited to sign the City’s Civic Honours Book in recognition of his contribution to South Africa’s democratic life.
Over several decades, he has played a significant role in shaping the country’s political culture and public debate.
A law graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand, Leon built a political career grounded in principled opposition and a firm commitment to constitutional democracy. He entered Parliament in 1994 as leader of the Democratic Party and, five years later, became Leader of the Opposition, relocating to Cape Town.
From 2000 to 2007, Leon led the Democratic Alliance from its inception, becoming the longest-serving opposition leader of the democratic era. During this time, he was instrumental in strengthening multiparty democracy and ensuring robust parliamentary accountability.
His record of public service later extended beyond party politics when he was appointed South African Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay from 2009 to 2012. The appointment, made by an ANC-led government, reflected the respect he commanded across political divides.
Leon continues to be a valued voice in public life, advocating for the rule of law and effective governance. In 2025, he played an important role in negotiations that led to South Africa’s first Government of National Unity, reaffirming his long-standing commitment to the country’s democratic institutions. ●
Brian Kantor’s contribution to Cape Town’s economic life
Emeritus Professor Brian Kantor, who was awarded the Mayor’s Medal for Economic Affairs, has made a lasting contribution to South Africa’s economic thinking, while maintaining a deep and enduring connection to the City of Cape Town.
An economist, educator, and respected public commentator, his influence has been felt both in the lecture theatre and far beyond it.
As a long-serving Professor of Economics at the University of Cape Town, Kantor helped shape generations of business leaders, policymakers and academics. Known for his clarity of thought and demanding but generous approach to teaching, he played an important role in strengthening UCT’s reputation as a centre of economic excellence.
In his role as Chief Economist and Investment Strategist at Investec, he provided insight that guided investment decisions and business strategy, contributing to economic growth and confidence in Cape Town and South Africa more broadly. This was seen too in his role as the founding Chairman of the V&A Waterfront company, where he was integral to the redevelopment of the Cape Town waterfront from 1988 to 2001.
Kantor has also been a consistent and trusted voice in public debate. Through regular commentary in leading business publications and his widely used book, Get South Africa Growing, he has helped many South Africans better understand the forces shaping the economy.
Through his teaching, writing, and public engagement, Professor Kantor has enriched Cape Town’s intellectual life, and made a meaningful contribution to the city’s economic and civic landscape.
Professor Kantor is currently completing a book, provisionally titled Your Money and the Markets – Unlocked, which serves as a guide to engaging with the financial markets. ●
For a peek into Professor Kantor’s life, see Chapter 7 Personal Business on his blog, http://www.zaeconomist.com.
In addition to the winners of the major awards, a number of Capetonians were also nominated for the Investec Achievers Awards. Congratulations to:
Harry Scherzer
Co-Founder and CEO Future Forex
Hazel Levin
Executive Director, Jewish Community Services| Care Services
Diana Sochen
Executive Director, Cape Jewish Seniors Association
Mandy Edison
Executive Director ASTRA
Beverley Da Costa
ORT SA CAPE
Melissa Zackon
Co-Founder Mama Flo
Josh Rynderman
Co-Founder and Winemaker, ESSA Wine Co
Basil Cranko
Gordon’s Bay Business Association
Rael Philips
Co-Founder and CEO, Totalstay
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