President
Ackerman, who passed away at the age of 92, was awarded the Order of The Baobab in 2014 for his commitment to uplifting the lives of South Africans by providing scholarships to young people and conducting socially responsible retail business.
Ackerman was one of the first retailers to fight on behalf of the South African consumers against the apartheid state's monopoly on basic goods.
He drastically reduced the cost of essentials such as bread, milk and chicken. He also spoke against the inclusion of value-added tax (VAT) on basic food lines, a course that they fought and won on behalf of the poor.
He was one of the first executives to promote black South Africans to senior positions and to acknowledge black trade unions. This was at the period when such unions were banned from operating in the country.
He also abolished race classification on the company's human resources payroll.
Since the 1970s, the
"We mourn with the Ackerman family as they bid farewell to a husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather whose name resounded as comfortably in millions of households around the country,"
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