Read an extract from It Always Seems Impossible: The Journey of James Urdang
When James Urdang sat down to write his memoir, It Always Seems Impossible, he wasn’t only telling the story of a life devoted to education.
He was lifting the lid on one of the most shocking battles between a grassroots South African charity and one of the world’s biggest banks.
The book reveals how Education Africa, founded by Urdang to give disadvantaged South Africans a fair chance at educational opportunities, was brought to its knees by corporate misconduct. And how a high-profile champion and anti-corruption activist, Lord Peter Hain, took up the fight for justice and redress.
In 2017, Lord Hain stunned the House of Lords by naming HSBC and Standard Chartered in connection with £400 million in illicit funds linked to the Gupta/Zuma state capture network. Soon after, Urdang came forward with forensic evidence that HSBC itself had engaged in misconduct against Education Africa.
What followed reads like the plot of a political thriller. In 2018, in a formal open letter to the UK’s National Crime Agency, Hain accused HSBC of:
• Changing the locks to the charity’s office and controlling access
• Reckless trading
• Fraudulent access to Education Africa’s bank account
• Unauthorised withdrawals from donor-funded projects
• Deletion of financial records and correspondence
• A defamation campaign, later proven baseless, against the charity’s leadership
Read from the book:
“HSBC was a Trustee of Education Africa,” Hain wrote in his 2018 letter, “yet its own executives engaged in dishonesty, corporate bullying, and manipulation against a vulnerable charity. Staff lost jobs, their livelihoods, and one person even lost their home as a result. HSBC’s response was to sweep the matter under the carpet.” What made matters worse, added Lord Hain, was that HSBC Holdings was given every opportunity to put things right, but chose rather not to compensate Education Africa fairly and did not make a public apology to enable the charity to get back on its feet”. The fallout was devastating for Education Africa. Staff endured intimidation, financial hardship, and broken lives, while HSBC executives kept their posts, bonuses, and pensions.
“What HSBC has now done to a vulnerable charity and to those who have given up so much to make our world a better place,” Hain wrote, “is extremely distressing and shocking. This conduct by HSBC, and I am sure I can also speak for millions of British people, people around the world, HSBC shareholders, HSBC depositors, and say ‘HSBC not in our name’.”
For Urdang, It Always Seems Impossible is not just an account of betrayal but a testament to resilience. “It is a reminder,” he says, “that justice, though often delayed, is never out of reach.”
About the Author
James Urdang is an award-winning South African humanitarian, social entrepreneur, and published author who has spent over thirty years transforming lives through education.
His newly released memoir, It Always Seems Impossible, published by Bookstorm, includes a foreword by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and a cover endorsement from Sir Bob Geldof, who called it “A powerful account from a genuine African hero, inspiring, urgent, and true.”
As the visionary behind Education Africa, James has developed groundbreaking programmes that expand access to quality education for underserved communities.
Despite personal challenges with dyslexia and ADHD, he has become a champion of resilience and equity, drawing strength from his mentor Walter Sisulu and his enduring connection to Nelson Mandela.
His collaborations with Mandela include the No Easy Walk to Freedom video and the Nelson Mandela Presidential Medallions. In 1993, James was on the same speakers list with Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the funeral of Chris Hani.
Under James’s leadership, Education Africa has introduced the world’s largest national Model UN programme, spearheaded Africa’s most extensive marimba training initiative, and enabled hundreds of women to qualify as early childhood educators.
His global impact has been documented in a GIBS/Ivey Business Publishers case study, distributed through Harvard, and he has addressed international audiences at events.
For more information, please visit:
•James in 90 seconds: https://youtu.be/pqA2A6W4JgU
•Website: www.jamesurdang.net
Sign up for the Daily Maverick webinar with James Urdang here.
