The story began in 1986 when the founder, then a law student at Columbia University School of Law, traveled to South Africa during the depths of apartheid to meet the family of the woman he would marry. They married in 1987 with weddings in both South Africa and the US. Both practiced law in Washington DC until 1993 when they moved to South Africa permanently. Heritage Africa was founded in 1998 and has been operating for over 27 years.