A small gathering at a school library in early 2016 marked the beginning of Ranyaka’s journey in the community of Klapmuts. Fifteen residents and stakeholders met to discuss a shared vision for the area, laying the groundwork for future planning and development.
This modest start set the stage for something much bigger to unfold. Lasting change in a community does not happen overnight. It takes patience, a structured process, and a network of capacitated, local changemakers.
Both provincial and local development plans envision Klapmuts as an important new node on the N1 corridor between Paarl and Cape Town. All too often, local communities do not benefit from such growth opportunities. Over the past eight years, the process that Ranyaka and the community have nurtured has been specifically aimed at ensuring that local residents and businesses can grow along with the opportunity—socially, economically, and environmentally.
Our work in Klapmuts to date has been made possible through the catalytic support of the Nedbank-funded Proud of My Town (PoMT) programme. As a result, we have developed strong partnerships with key stakeholders, including the Stellenbosch Municipality.
Klapmuts is located between Stellenbosch and Paarl. Its name comes from the hill “Klapmutskop,” which means “flap hat hill.”
The power of community and connection {Image by Lizelle Lötter Photography}
If necessity is the mother of invention, then the turmoil facing our world today demands that we become more inventive than ever. Resources may be finite, but the power of a community that shows up and participates is limitless.
In every community where we work, insights from our initial DNA mapping and ongoing stakeholder engagement sessions help shape the plans designed to tackle local challenges and unlock opportunities.
The emphasis is on building trust, forging strong relationships, and co-creating networks of capacitated changemakers. Whilst the popularity of these buzzwords tends to dilute their significance, they still best describe what we do. This process lies at the heart of the way we work. It is entrenched in our company ethos. It is documented in our protocols. It is deliberate and strategic, and it is designed to ensure local buy-in and local benefit.
Over the past decade, this approach has continued to demonstrate what is possible when energised and organised communities are backed by solid plans, proven systems, and a modest injection of catalytic project funding that invites further investment. We’ve also seen how much one can achieve when you look beyond budget.
Top left to bottom left (clockwise): Collaboration with Stellenbosch University to accompany 200 engineering students on a visit to Klapmuts in 2018. The students were tasked with developing people-centered design solutions that address prolematic issues in Klapmuts, showing how academic expertise can support community-led development; Local residents participated in a Reimagine event to envision the possibilities of transforming a street in Klapmuts; Over 1,000 community members joined in the festivities at the official Nedbank Proud of my Town programme in Klapmuts; Ranyaka team members and volunteers participating in a community clean-up day. {Images by Ranyaka team members}
Social facilitation for inclusive development
A significant milestone in the journey was Ranyaka’s appointment in 2019 as the social facilitator for the innovative, high-profile Stellenbosch Bridge development. Our role was to help ensure the local community would benefit from this high-profile project. Through our local networks, we identified a Community Liaison Officer and, in partnership with the Stellenbosch Municipality, oversaw the creation of an unemployment database that would give Klapmuts residents access to job opportunities at the construction site.
When the Bridge developers saw how Ranyaka’s approach to social facilitation enabled the Klapmuts community to become active participants in their own development, they appointed Ranyaka as social facilitator for the Darling Green Country Estate in Darling. Here, too, the support of the Nedbank-funded PoMT programme made it possible for Ranyaka to unlock opportunities. Read the Darling story post here.
Ranyaka meeting with representatives from Stellenbosch Bridge and the Klapmuts community at the CoCreate Hub in Stellenbosch. {Image by Sonya Olivier}
On-the-ground projects and support
To strengthen local networks and keep the momentum going, Ranyaka has implemented and supported a range of local initiatives with the support of the PoMT programme.
Early Childhood Development
One of the first practical steps in Klapmuts was onboarding eight local Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres onto our ECD programme. These centres were amongst the 40 onboarded in the Western Cape in 2017. Thanks to PoMT funding, Ranyaka has been able to facilitate:
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The donation of fire extinguishers and safety signage
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Training in nutrition, health and safety, digital skills, and financial literacy
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PPE kits and Covid-19 safety protocol files during the pandemic
A particular highlight was Nedbank’s donation of a container classroom to Klapmuts Junior Academy (KJA) in 2018 to add a classroom to the centre based at Principal Fagma Swart’s home. When KJA continued to expand, Ranyaka volunteers helped convert a house on church property into a new learning space, and the container was moved to the new premises. Swart and her family led and largely funded the transformation. Ranyaka subsequently introduced three more funders to KJA, who contributed fencing, a food garden, playground equipment, and shade netting —showing how small beginnings can spark considerable support.
As part of the roll-out of the ECD programme in Klapmuts, PoMT donated a container classroom to Klapmuts Junior Academy and safety equipment to local ECD centres. {Image by Sonya Olivier}
Ranyaka volunteers assisted principal Swart from KJA with the transformation of a house on a church property into the new premises for her ECD centre. PoMT sponsored safety equipment and fire safety training for the centre. Ranyaka facilitated the donation by multiple donors of a fence, a greenhouse, new playground equipment and shade netting for the play area. {Images top right and bottom right by Lizelle Lötter Photography}
Building Business
Building Business (RBB) is one of our core programmes and entails, amongst other things, supporting the development of local entrepreneurs and facilitating market access. In August 2019, we held a product showcase in Klapmuts where local business owners presented their products and services, enabling Ranyaka to create a local business database. Several Klapmuts-based businesses were subsequently onboarded onto our official RBB programme in Stellenbosch.
One of these, Michelle Maluqua from MJ Events & Hiring, was selected to pursue her business studies at Stellenbosch University’s Small Business Academy (SBA). Michelle graduated at the top of her class, achieving the Top Student of the Year in 2020 award.
Five years later, products created by Klapmuts entrepreneurs are also available at the CoCreate Hub – an economic development Hub run by Ranyaka in the heart of Stellenbosch. Our journey with these entrepreneurs continues!
Growing local agripreneurs
Ranyaka is one of several stakeholders supporting EPJ Kleinboerdery (translated EPJ small farmers). EPJ is an essential part of a food network initiative involving Basil Williams from Herbal View. Herbal View began on a small parcel of land on Basil’s parents’ property and has since grown to an operation with two growing sites in Stellenbosch (Lynedoch and Kylemore), with a third site in the pipeline. The company uses cutting-edge hydroponic techniques to cultivate its product while propagating and processing plants.
The long-term plan is for EPJ Kleinboerdery to become a supplier to Herbal View, which already has take-off agreements with retailers. Access to the market poses one of the biggest challenges to growing small businesses, and having access to the Herbal View supply chain presents an incredible opportunity for EPJ. Ranyaka also assisted EPJ in registering their business and is providing ongoing mentorship and practical support. A dedicated support resource seconded by Ranyaka, Guy Campbell, assists the EPJ team with their hands-on production, marketing, and product sales. This process also led to an introduction to Pebbles, who has become a valuable client of EPJ.
Read the full story about the EPJ/Herbal View journey here.
Ranyaka is one of several stakeholders supporting EPJ Kleinboerdery. {Images: Supplied. Image bottom right by Lizelle Lötter Photography}
Strengthening schools and sports initiatives
Schools are anchor institutions in any community. In Klapmuts, PoMT sponsored the salary of a community worker from the Khula Development Group for two years (2017 and 2018). Khula is a non-profit that works to reintegrate learners who have dropped out of school into the education system. Nedbank also sponsored the participation of Klapmuts Primary School’s former principal, Ronald Frans, in the Partners for Possibility mentorship programme.
In the Klapmuts sport scene, PoMT has, to date:
- Sponsored the training of 30 community sports facilitators (2017)
- Sponsored equipment for a boot camp led by a resident
- Sponsored rugby jerseys for the popular annual Klapmuts Junior Rugby 7s Tournament on multiple occasions
Top left to bottom left (clockwise): Former Klapmuts Primary principal, Mr Ronald Frans, with learners from the school; Sponsorship of rugby jerseys for the teams participating in the finals of the Klapmuts Junior 7s Rugby Tournament; Support of the Khula Development Group for 2 years to reintegrate learners into the schooling system; Donation of equipment to the Klapmuts bootcamp. {Image top left by Lizelle Lötter Photography}
Safety as a shared responsibility
A significant milestone in the journey has been developing a community safety plan for Klapmuts. Ranyaka officially presented the plan to the community at the Klapmuts Safety Initiative launch on 8 June 2024.
Developed through a collaborative process led by Ranyaka, the plan provides detailed guidelines on the roles of various safety service providers, the resources needed to address safety concerns and methods for comprehensive crime reporting. This dynamic document allows for continuous input and refinement to improve safety strategies in Klapmuts. Nedbank also contributed to the initiative by donating reflective vests and torches to enhance visibility and security.
To date, Ranyaka, Stellenbosch Bridge, and PoMT have collectively raised R85,000 to install security cameras and set up a control room in one of the crime hotspots. The community committed to raising the R5,500 shortfall, demonstrating the prevailing spirit of community ownership.
Safety in Klapmuts is no longer seen as something that “happens to” the community. It is something shaped by the community.
Klapmuts Safety Plan Launch, 2024 {Image by Sonya Olivier}
A blueprint for Klapmuts’ future
The Klapmuts journey is building a blueprint for the future. As a strategic node on the N1 corridor between Cape Town and Paarl, the potential for development is significant. The groundwork already laid through Ranyaka, PoMT, local stakeholders and an activated community, bodes well for the future.
We see this principle play out in towns across the country. When a community pursues a shared goal, invests collectively in local initiatives, and connects local businesses with value chains, inclusive development is the outcome. The Klapmuts experience is confirming how sustainable transformation is not only about infrastructure and once-off projects. Building social, economic, and civic capacity should lie at the heart of our collective efforts for a town to truly thrive.
Ranyaka team members and volunteers participated in Arbor Day at Klapmuts Junior Academy in 2020. {Image by Lizelle Lötter Photography}
Welcome to Klapmuts! {Image by Lizelle Lötter Photography}
Klapmuts is one of 35 communities in 8 provinces across South Africa where Ranyaka has implemented its THRIVE model under the banner of the Nedbank Proud of my Town programme.