Lisa Kropman, head of social investment at the Investec Group, heard about Cida City Campus early in 2000, soon after the university opened its doors. "At the time, I was working as a lawyer at The Business Place, an entrepreneurial centre Investec had set up in 58 Marshall Street," she says.
She found Cida in the building which once housed Damelin College, in Bree Street. "At that stage, Cida had about 200 students. They had one TV screen, one speaker, and desks and chairs."
When she saw their accommodation, Kropman immediately thought of Investec's former head office, 55 Fox Street, with its 17 000 m² of space. The building, which adjoins the Gauteng education department, was on tender to the Gauteng government at the time. "The success of The Business Place, the fact that it was so worthwhile, gave me confidence and I decided to go for it," says Kropman. "I immediately contacted Bernard (Kantor, MD of the Investec Group) in London.
"Taddy Blecher and I did a presentation to the Investec board. We explained what the dream was and asked Investec to support the institution - though at that stage it hadn't proved itself yet."
Investec agreed. It handed over the building, worth about R90m at the time. It also agreed to pay for the conversion of the building into a campus, which cost more than R2m. And it continues to pay for the building's maintenance.
"Now I know what it means to have leaders like Stephen (Koseff, CE of the Investec Group) and Bernard," says Kropman. "They are visionaries. I don't know what other institution would have taken that risk.
"When our students heard the news, they were overwhelmed. They poured out into the street and started walking across town to Fox Street, singing the national anthem. And when they saw the huge building, they wept. I'll never forget that day. It was the first time they felt Cida would survive and that they could get a real education."
The decision was taken in October 2000, which left little time for the conversion. But Blecher, who had been recruiting a large number of students for the following year, was determined to move by the start of the 2001 academic year. With the help of Investec's facilities, property and IT teams, some of whom worked through the Christmas holidays, the building was converted on time.
When the students arrived in February, 55 Fox Street was ready to receive them. "That was the turnaround for Cida City Campus. Once Taddy had a credible organisation behind him, and a building and operating costs covered, he could focus on getting students in."
Support from Investec comes in many forms. The organisation flew Blecher to make a presentation on Cida at the recent International Monetary Fund meeting in Washington.
Support also comes from individuals within the Investec organisation, offering to give extra lessons on Saturdays in specialist subjects, mentoring and sponsoring students, donating clothes, inviting students out to corporate events, funding accommodation and awarding full bursaries.
"We felt humbled by the stories of achievement against the background of such deprivation. We just had to help out with this visionary and entrepreneurial way of people uplifting themselves," says Kantor.
"Cida had a dream" says Kropman. "And wherever it turned at Investec, they brought the dream to life."
