September 12th, 2017 marked the 40th anniversary of the murder of Bantu Steve Biko in police detention. Steve Biko, who was born on December 18th would have been in his 70th year. To commemorate the milestone, the Steve Biko Foundation curated a year-long series of events to celebrate the life and legacy of the prolific leader who died at the early age of thirty. Under the banner Biko 70/40: Inspiration Beyond a Lifetime, the commemorative programme is drawing to a close and will end on 18 December 2017 – his 71st Birthday – with the Steve Biko Birthday Invitational Golf Tournament, the fifth in a continuous series and the ninth such event.

Established in 1998, the Steve Biko Foundation (SBF) is a community development organisation inspired by the legacy of the late anti-apartheid activist and Black Consciousness leader. Its vision is to be the premier, independent promoter of the values Steve Biko lived and died for: restoring people to their true humanity. In pursuing this vision, the Foundation promotes the intangible, yet essential, aspects of development – identity, culture and values, issues which speak to the soul of a nation. Its programmatic portfolio is underpinned by the following:

• Consciousness: Identity, Heritage and Culture – Who Am I?
• Community – What Is My Place in the World? How Can I Contribute Meaningfully?
• Capacity – Acquiring the Necessary Skills in Order to Make a Meaningful Contribution?

The Foundation’s programmatic interventions fall within the following sectors:

• International Dialogue Series;
• Arts, Culture and Heritage;
• Education;
• Economic Development; and
• Sports Development.

In addition to exploring the aforementioned intangible aspects of development, the Foundation has established the Steve Biko Centre (SBC) in Ginsberg, King William’s Town. Officially opened on November 30th, 2012, by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Jacob G. Zuma, the Centre is a National Legacy Project – as designated by Cabinet – which translates the global interest in Biko into an intellectual resource while acting as an economic catalyst for the region.

Steve Biko would have celebrated his 71 st birthday in December 2017. Occasioned by this anniversary, which will falls on 18 December 2017, the Steve Biko Foundation is organising the ninth Steve Biko Birthday Invitational Golf Tournament. We have successfully this year obtained the commitment of twenty Professional Golfers to participate in the event. The consequent media attention will be, however, secondary to the massive development boost that will benefit the local junior developmental players based at the King William’s Town Golf Course. Noting the participation of both the professionals and developmental players with amateur golfers in the Birthday Invitational, the professionals will additionally play rounds at two other golf courses over a total of three days of golf in the Eastern Cape Province with the developmental players, mentoring, growing and transferring skills to those with proven talent.
In past years the tournament successfully, additionally provided an opportunity to promote heritage products of the region. For this reason this year’s event will again feature tours for non-playing partners and spouses to various attractions in and around the King William’s Town/Bisho area, led by the Tours and Heritage team of the Steve Biko Centre. A detailed programme is provided in the section below.