Afesis, a Greek word meaning 'liberation' (correctly spelt in Greek as Aphesis), was established in the early 1980s and formerly registered as a TRUST in 1983. The name chosen for the organisation spoke to its mission and its commitment to support the struggle for liberation. In its early years, the organisation offered para-legal services, training, and other services supporting communities in the then Border region to stand against the oppressive laws and practices of the Apartheid regime. In 1990, Afesis joined the 'One City Campaign', a nationwide campaign calling for an end to racially oriented municipalities and resisting forced removals of black families from inner cities in line with the apartheid laws of racial segregation. In 1991, Afesis established Corplan (shortened from Community Research and Planning) as a dedicated program that supported the One City campaign with research and technical advice. Corplan, the program, quickly grew in the scope of its work and in popularity to an extent that when the TRUST decided to dissolve and re-register Afesis as a Section 21 not for profit entity in 1992, they named the organisation Afesis-corplan.