It is a great pleasure to be hosted by Investec here in London.

Such is our relationship with Investec and its leadership that we indeed feel to be at home away from home on the premises of this great South African institution.

I am proud to learn of the various sponsorships and other forms of social corporate responsibility you are involved in. This is totally in line with what I have come to know and expect of Investec.

Your South African colleagues will be able to tell you how often I have knocked on their doors for assistance with one or other project. And never have they failed to respond positively and with great generosity.

Since my release from prison, and even before I became President of the country, I started a project of approaching business leaders to fund the building or renovation of schools and health clinics in the poorer parts of the country. I have kept up that project throughout the period of our presidency and it continues to this day, now under the auspices of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

In all those years I cannot remember a single request being declined. Today there are numerous such schools, clinics and other community projects across the country, all sponsored by South African business and often to the tune of multi-millions of Rands.

These projects are in addition to the work done amongst children by the Nelson Mandela Children