Cape Town - President Cyril Ramaphosa led the condolences for the late Pick n Pay founder and philanthropist Raymond Ackerman, whose death, at the age of 92, was announced early on Thursday.
Ramaphosa said: “We mourn with the Ackerman family as they bid farewell to a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather whose name resounded comfortably in millions of households around the country.
“Raymond Ackerman was an outstanding business leader and entrepreneur who placed people first and stood up to the injustices and discrimination which the apartheid regime sought to outsource to the business sector. May his soul rest in peace.”
Ramaphosa said Ackerman was one of the first retailers to fight on behalf of South African consumers against the apartheid state’s monopoly on basic goods.
“He reduced the cost of essentials such as bread, milk and chicken, and spoke against the inclusion of value-added tax (VAT) on basic food lines. He was also one of the first executives to promote black South Africans to senior positions and to acknowledge black trade unions at a time when such unions were banned from operating in the country.
Ackerman was awarded the Order of the Baobab for his commitment to uplifting the lives of South Africans by providing scholarships to young people and conducting a socially responsible retail business.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said: “My sincere condolences to the Ackerman family and to Pick n Pay on the passing of Raymond Ackerman. My thoughts go out in particular to Mrs Wendy Ackerman and their four children. He was a truly great Capetonian.
“Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of handing a gift from the City archives to Mr and Mrs Ackerman – a photo of them at one of their early store openings in Cape Town. I inscribed the photo, ‘With grateful thanks for all you have done for Cape Town and her people’. A sentiment I repeat today.”
Premier Alan Winde referred to Ackerman as an iconic businessman.
“Mr Ackerman was an icon of not just the South African business world but the international retail landscape too. He left an indelible and profound legacy, constantly innovating and growing. By steadily building up Pick n Pay, with his family, Mr Ackerman has, over more than 50 years, created a leading brand, which is known and respected worldwide,” he said.
“Apart from the wealth of knowledge he brought to the local retail environment, through his business endeavours he has created tens of thousands of jobs over the years, and has made an outstanding contribution to the South African economy.
“Beyond his business prowess, he also looked for opportunities to support the development of young South Africans through training and leadership development opportunities.”
Ackerman’s father Gus founded the Ackerman Group after World War I, with two army friends. Ackerman founded Pick n Pay in 1967, with Wendy, after buying four stores in Cape Town.
Today, the Pick n Pay Group consists of more than 2 000 stores across South Africa and seven other African countries.
The business magnate and philanthropist Ackerman, who grew up in Cape Town, attended the Diocesan College and went on to study commerce at the University of Cape Town.
Ackerman valiantly bid for the 2004 Olympic Games to be held in Cape Town. In 2004, he established the Raymond Ackerman Academy for Entrepreneurial Development in partnership with UCT, later joined by the University of Johannesburg.
Since the 1970s, the Ackerman Family Trust has supported hundreds of young people to become graduates across a broad range of professions.
In their retirement from the Pick n Pay Stores Limited in 2010, Ackerman and Wendy became Honorary life presidents. He received seven honorary doctorates from local and international universities.
He is survived by his wife Wendy Ackerman, children Gareth, Kathy, Suzanne, and Jonathan, 12 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
To whoever made this, thank you. My family really appreciated it 💔 pic.twitter.com/Y0erPlPG1K
This feels so unreal but I have no regrets, we had the greatest relationship. You always had time for me and all my shenanigans. You taught me so much useless information I’ll never get out of my head (the first man in space, the four American presidents that were assassinated) pic.twitter.com/LZBxvuQ1S5
— Tash (Taylor’s Version) 🩵 (@tashmontlake) September 7, 2023
The country is sprinkled with the gold dust of your kindness & we are just so lucky to have lived in the same timeline as you.
— Tash (Taylor’s Version) 🩵 (@tashmontlake) September 7, 2023
I want to thank South Africa for the outpouring of love to us and my Grampa. It means the world to me that he lives on in your memories too 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/s8cySaECtZ
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za