A prime star in educating the nation

When Martin Sweet accepted the Bertie Lubner Humanitarian Award in honour of Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris at the 2026 Investec Jewish Achiever Awards, he honoured his Holocaust-survivor parents for being determined to give him something no one could take from him – an education. 

That belief has helped transform the lives of more than 1.7 million young South Africans through his organisation, Primestars, said Sweet, who grew up in Klerksdorp. 

Sweet credits his parents’ sacrifices with shaping his life’s work. Although they had experienced unimaginable loss, they “sacrificed enormously to give me the opportunity to learn, and they instilled in me the belief that education has the power to transform a life”. 

That belief grew into an understanding that education could change more than one person’s circumstances. “Education can transform a family, a community and, ultimately, a country,” Sweet said. Through Primestars, he has worked to make those opportunities accessible to young people in under-resourced communities, particularly those who might otherwise struggle to enter the economy. 

What began with just 167 pupils studying mathematics and science has grown into an organisation reaching more than 90 000 young people annually. Its programmes introduce youngsters to careers they may never have considered, while developing entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and leadership skills. A video tribute shown during the ceremony highlighted Primestars’ Theatres of Learning initiative, which brings pupils into cinemas across the country for educational programmes. 

“We have encouraged entrepreneurship and challenged them to become creators of jobs rather than simply seekers of them,” Sweet said. “We have challenged stereotypes around gender and masculinity, taught financial literacy, and built leadership programmes that help young people find their voice, their agency, and their purpose.” 

Presenting the award, Marc Lubner reflected on his father’s legacy and the family’s decision to establish the humanitarian award in his memory. Bertie Lubner and the then Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris co-founded Afrika Tikkun, which works to uplift disadvantaged communities through education and development. The Lubner Family Foundation continues to support charitable initiatives, including the award. 

Marc described Sweet as someone who had dedicated his life to “genuinely enriching the lives of others, giving them hope and a belief that there is a future to believe in”. 

For Sweet, receiving an award associated with someone he had admired was particularly meaningful. As a boy, he had attended the same shul as Bertie Lubner. “My parents shaped the values by which I have tried to live, and Bertie showed me what those values could look like in action,” Sweet said. 

He reflected on the importance of creating opportunities whose impact extended beyond one generation. He described the Jewish community’s commitment to helping others as “planting a tree today knowing that someone else may one day sit in its shade”.