In Memoriam Perry Feldman, Khaya Lam Land Reform Project Manager

July 28, 2021

In April this year we were privileged to conduct an interview with Perry Feldman on the work he and the Free Market Foundation have advanced, through the Khaya Lam initiative, to secure property rights for those most marginalized in South Africa. We were deeply saddened to learn of Perry’s passing the following month from COVID complications. Perry was one of the few men who are able to definitively identify their purpose in life and pursue it vigorously. As Leon Leouw, President of Free Market Foundation, said in his tribute to Perry: “Thousands, perhaps millions, of people who will never know it, have been impacted by Perry Feldman’s untimely death with Covid. They may never own their homes, or be forced to wait indefinitely.” Over the years, Perry was able to ensure that thousands in South Africa received title to their land—liberating millions in dead capital.   

We offer our thoughts and sincerest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Perry Feldman who have lost a larger than life, irreplaceable man. We look forward to seeing Perry’s legacy carried on through the Khaya Lam initiative and the thousands of lives that will be improved through accessing legal title to their land. 

We would like to leave one last word from Leon Leouw’s tribute to Perry:

“Saying that Perry was larger than life, one of a kind, and irreplaceable are not clichés. He was a creative fixer with an unwavering determination to overcome obstacles. As a Jewish Free State farmer he epitomised ‘n boer maak ‘n plan. Fluent in Afrikaans, and integrated with the farming community, he had also been an anti-apartheid activist. His diverse connections enabled him to secure political goodwill from all communities, as well as political parties in local and provincial government, without which Khaya Lam would fail.” 

Read more about the FMF projects supported by the Rising Tide Foundation here