A journey that started in the town of Stellenbosch in 2018 has unfolded in a way that demonstrates so clearly the power of place. Not just a physical structure, but something intentionally shaped to invite connection.
When a space is welcoming, accessible and designed around real needs, it becomes more than bricks and mortar. It becomes a point where lives intersect, where relationships form, and where ideas, opportunities and mutual investment take root and grow over time. When cared for with intention, such a place begins to give back more than it receives.
WELCOME TO THE COCREATE HUB AT 7 VICTORIA STREET, IN THE HEART OF STELLENBOSCH.
From clinic to community space
What is today the CoCreate Hub in the heart of town was once a community clinic. For many years, the building stood abandoned in a prime location in Victoria Street. Students, residents and tourists passed by. The beautiful structure waited patiently for someone to recognise, not only its potential, but its responsibility to the town around it. In 2019, Ranyaka signed a 10-year lease with the Stellenbosch Municipality after being awarded the tender to transform the disused space into an economic development hub.
Today, if these walls could talk, they might remind us of the day when the Ranyaka team first stepped foot into the then dark and dusty space. They might smile at the memory of a team member saying something along the lines of “What have we gotten ourselves into?” If they could flinch, they might have done so when the work began to restore this structure to its former glory, because any dramatic make-over involves a good deal of breaking down before the rebuilding can start. And in this case, we had to do so with so much care and intent to protect the building’s rich heritage.
With the support of the Nedbank Proud of My Town initiative and other pioneering investors, a team that went the extra mile (many of them sourced locally) and the people of Stellenbosch, the CoCreate Hub was born. Over the past few years, with additional support, we’ve been able to continue upgrading the facility.
BEFORE THE TRANSFORMATION: WHAT WAS ONCE A COMMUNITY CLINIC WAS DESTINED TO BECOME A SPACE THAT WOULD NURTURE THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT OF THE TOWN OF STELLENBOSCH. THE BUILDING HAD BEEN UNOCCUPIED FOR MANY YEARS AND HAD FALLED INTO A STATE OF DISREPAIR. A DAUNTING TASK AWAITED THE TEAM!
WORK IN PROGRESS!
Trading, learning and connecting
On 27 July 2021, the CoCreate Hub opened its doors and the next chapter in this incredible journey kicked off. The Hub became a trading space for over 40 local small businesses – either running their businesses from the Hub, or selling their products from its deli or gift shop.
Four and a half years later, the CoCreate Hub continues to offer a space where:
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Majority black-owned businesses can trade and showcase their products
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A food court where local vendors welcome students, residents and tourists alike to feast local
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Small service-based businesses, including a hairdresser and barber, two coffee shops, computer repair, signage and business compliance
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A hot desking area offering a quiet working space with access to printing facilities and fast wi-fi
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A training and meeting room where workshops, mental health support sessions, creative art activities, film shoots, job interviews, mentoring and training take place
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A shared space that is regularly reimagined for student thrift markets, student society events, faith-based gatherings and private functions
Each activity contributes to the life of the Hub, and in turn, the Hub provides a stable, well-managed environment that allows these activities to grow. A space that unlocks access to market and the opportunity to connect.
SPACE TO BUY LOCAL, CONNECT LOCAL AND FEAST LOCAL – THE COCREATE HUB SOON BECAME A POPULAR HANG-OUT SPOT, ESPECIALLY FOR THE STUDENTS OF STELLENBOSCH. {IMAGES BY LIZELLE LöTTER PHOTOGRAPHY}
When impact can’t be reduced to numbers
We talk about impact often. We keep track of the number of businesses trading from the Hub. Annual turnover. Numbers of workshops and events hosted – and the list continues. The truth is, though, that places like the CoCreate Hub don’t always reveal their impact neatly or immediately. Much of it only becomes visible as journeys begin to unfold. One connection leads to another, which leads to something else entirely. If you were to trace it properly, you would almost need to draw a map, following each interaction from its starting point, seeing where it leads next, and then next again. And that, multiplied many times over, begins to tell a very different story of impact.
Every day, through all the journeys we see unfold, we are reminded that not all value shows up in the same way. Some impact is best understood through stories, through time, and through paying attention to how lives change in ways that no chart can fully capture.
THE FOOD COURT WELCOMES STUDENTS, TOURISTS AND RESIDENTS FOR BREAKFASTS, LUNCH AND MEET-UPS BY DAY. AFTER HOURS, THE SPACE TRANSFORMS FROM WEEK TO WEEK – OFFERING AN ARRAY OF ACTIVITIES, TALKS, EVENTS, WORKSHOPS. BUILDING BRIDGES, CONNECTING, WELCOMING. LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS AND NPOs CAN RENT THE MEETING ROOM SPACE AT HIGHLY AFFORDABLE RATES. {IMAGES BY LIZELLE LöTTER PHOTOGRAPHY}
How one journey unfolded
Just one story out of so many would be that of Bulelwa Tito, a fashion designer from Kayamandi township, who was one of the very first vendors to trade from the Hub. Scenes from our crowdfunding video were shot in Bulelwa’s home and studio. She took to the stage at our first fundraising event, and her designs were among the first products to be showcased in the Hub.
When the Hub team met an organisation called Designers Without Borders from Denmark, an opportunity emerged to work with their high-value end-of-range products. Bulelwa went on to host sewing training for women from Kayamandi and staged a fashion show at the CoCreate Hub showcasing their designs. This year, we are in our second round of collaboration with Designers Without Borders. Along the way, a young fashion design student walked into the Hub one day, struck up a conversation, and through that connection an opportunity opened up to collaborate with a prominent Stellenbosch-based fashion design academy.
These intersections continue to unlock new possibilities, including potential future funding and partnerships.
MEET BULELWA TITO. THIS IMAGE CAPTURED BULELWA SPEAKING AT THE COCKTAIL EVENING HELD BEFORE THE HUB’S OPENING. BULELWA RUNS A FASHION DESIGN STUDIO FROM KAYAMANDI TOWNSHIP AND HAS BEEN PART OF THE HUB’S JOURNEY SINCE DAY ONE. BULELWA PARTICIPATED IN OUR VERY FIRST BUILDING BUSINESS PROGRAMME – AND TODAY, OUR COLLABORATION WITH BULELWA CONTINUES TO UNLOCK OPPORTUNITIES FOR HER BUSINESS (AND WE GET TO CELEBRATE EVERY WIN WITH BULELWA, WHO IS PART OF THE HUB FAMILY!) IT’S NEVER ALL SMOOTH SAILING. BUT WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER.
Another example of this connective power is the CoCreate Hub’s relationship with the Stellenbosch University. When the University was looking to upcycle old banners, they reached out to the CoCreate Hub. We connected them with Bulelwa, who transformed the banners into laptop bags and pencil cases through an initiative called Flags to Bags. As a result of the work and opportunities generated through these connections, Bulelwa was able to save enough to send her very talented daughter to South Korea for an exchange programme earlier this year, broadening her horizons and unlocking new opportunities for her future!
Where people, purpose and opportunities intersect
If these walls could talk, they would tell many stories. They would speak of both planned and unexpected encounters that turned into collaborations, of conversations that started casually and went on to open doors, and of people who walked in looking for one thing and left having found something quite different. They would show how, over time, the Hub has become a place where opportunities are able to take shape.
This was not accidental.
Creating a space like this requires intention, not only in how the space is designed, but in the culture that is held within it. When people feel welcome, when connection is encouraged, and when collaboration becomes part of the everyday rhythm of a place, the space itself starts to carry some of that work, even when no one is actively directing it.
This story reflects an important part of the CoCreate Hub journey. Ranyaka runs a formal Building Business programme, and many of the entrepreneurs trading from the Hub have been part of this programme, though not all of them. Alongside this, something equally powerful is at work.
We are also seeing more and more students take the initiative to host their own events at the Hub, from societies promoting greener living, to groups focused on preserving stories of the past and celebrating heritage, to student-led thrift markets and creative gatherings.
A HIVE OF ACTIVITY – FROM STUDY MEET-UPS TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING, FASHION SHOWS FEATURING UPCYCLED DESIGNER WEAR TO CREATIVE ART SESSIONS, SELF-DEFENCE CLASSES TO MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT GROUPS, CLOTHES SWAP DAYS TO MUSIC EVENINGS. THE COCREATE HUB IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HUB WITH A DIFFERENCE!
THE COCREATE HUB IS A PLACE OF LEARNING AND GROWING. OVER THE YEARS, NEDBANK HAS HOSTED A VARIETY OF WORKSHOPS FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AT THE COCREATE HUB. THE HUB HAS ALSO BEEN HOST TO GRADUATION CEREMONIES FOR THE RANYAKA BUILDING BUSINESS (RBB) PROGRAMME, FUNDED BY NEDBANK’S ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT UNIT AND THE STELLENBOSCH MUNICIPALITY. MANY OF THE SMALL BUSINESSES TRADING FROM THE HUB ARE ALUMNI OF THE RBB PROGRAMME.
A THRIVE space in Victoria Street
The CoCreate Hub is one example of what Ranyaka refers to as a THRIVE space. These are intentionally designed places within a town where social, economic and environmental life can intersect. Spaces that are rooted in local context, responsive to real needs, and designed to support connection across difference. The Hub forms part of Ranyaka’s wider THRIVE approach, where places like this are stewarded as long-term community assets.
When spaces like these exist, we begin to see shifts in how people relate to one another and to the place they call home. They create platforms for collaboration, dignity and shared opportunity. The CoCreate Hub shows what becomes possible when place is treated not as a backdrop, but as an active ingredient in building more inclusive, resilient and thriving communities.
The journey in photos
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION WAS PART OF THE PROCESS FROM DAY ONE. ELKE DUNAISKI FROM FIRST-LIGHT DESIGN (ALSO THE GRAPHIC DESIGNER RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THINGS BRAND BEAUTIFUL UNDER THE RANYAKA BANNER) DESIGNED AND FACILITATED A CORPORATE IDENTITY WORKSHOP SPECIFICALLY FOR THE COCREATE HUB – BRAINSTORMING EVERYTHING FROM WHAT THIS SPACE SHOULD BE NAMED, TO WHAT THE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE HUB SHOULD BE. WE SPOKE ABOUT LANGUAGE AND VALUES. WE CREATED PERSONAS FOR THE FUTURE HUB CUSTOMERS. WE DREAMED BIG TOGETHER.
AFTER CLEANING UP THE SPACE AND MAKING UNSAFE AREAS OFF-LIMITS, WE HOSTED A SERIES OF PUBLIC OPEN DAYS WHERE WE INVITED RESIDENTS, STUDENTS, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND STAKEHOLDERS TO SHARE THEIR IDEAS ON WHAT THE COCREATE HUB SHOULD OFFER – REIMAGINING THE FUTURE POTENTIAL OF THIS INCREDIBLE SPACE. TOP LEFT: WHAT IS TODAY A HOT DESKING AREA, BECAME A SPACE WHERE WE DEPICTED THE RANYAKA BUILDING BUSINESS JOURNEY – AND WHERE THE COCREATE HUB FITS INTO THE BROADER STORY. BOTTOM LEFT: WE SET UP MOCK DECOR WITH SIGNS THAT READ, FOR EXAMPLE, ‘THIS COULD BE A DELI’ OR ‘THIS COULD BE A BARBER SHOP’. BOTTOM RIGHT: MARLI GOUSSARD (ON THE LEFT) FROM COCREATE CONSULT – PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE COCREATE HUB PROJECT WITH THE STUDENT WINNERS FROM THE HUB INTELLIGENT BUILDING DESIGN CHALLENGE.
BEHIND THE SCENES SHOOTING OUR CROWDFUNDING VIDEO. LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS AND FRIENDS OF THE HUB VOLUNTEERED THEIR TIME, HOMES, BUSINESS SPACES AND CREATIVITY TO HELP US CREATE THIS VIDEO!
THE SPIRIT OF VOLUNTEERING THRIVES AT THE COCREATE HUB! CAPTURED IN THESE PHOTOS ARE ONLY A HANDFUL OF THE VOLUNTEERING INITIATIVES WHERE FRIENDS OF THE HUB HAVE SHARED TIME, ENERGY AND CREATIVITY TO HELP TRANSFORM AND SPRUCE UP THE SPACE. THANK YOU TO NEDBANK STELLENBOSCH AND ECO MATIES FOR THE GARDEN PROJECT ALONGSIDE THE HUB EXTERIOR WALL – AND TO THAT VERY FIRST TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS WHO TACKLED THE HUB FACADE MAKEOVER BEFORE OUR OPEN DAYS!
THE COCREATE HUB SHOWCASES LOCAL PRODUCTS BY SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND NPOs – OFFERING ACCESS TO MARKET IN THE HEART OF TOWN. HERE, LIZELLE LOTTER IS CAPTURING PRODUCTS FOR OUR VERY FIRST CATALOGUE (2021-2022) WITH HELEEN PIENAAR ASSISTING. WHO KNEW THAT A STOEP WOULD PROVIDE THE PERFECT BACKDROP TO CAPTURE BEAUTIFUL, HAND-CRAFTED ITEMS! BOTTOM CENTRE: LIZELLE ADDING THE FINISHING TOUCHES TO THE PHOTO WALL IN THE HUB’S EATERY – IMAGES THAT LIZELLE CAPTURED DURING THE RENOVATION JOURNEY.
IT TAKES A TEAM! IF WE HAD TO FEATURE EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN PART OF COCREATING THE HUB JOURNEY TO DATE, WE’D FILL A LIBRARY. THANK YOU TO EVERY RANYAKA TEAM MEMBER, HUB VENDOR, INTERN, VOLUNTEER AND HUB FAN WHO HAS EMBRACED THIS SPACE AS YOUR OWN AND CONTINUE TO HELP US CREATE A PLACE THAT IS WELCOMING AND INVITES CREATIVITY, OPPORTUNITY AND PURPOSE!
Thank you
The name says it all. This is a space we created (and continue to create) with others. Pioneering investors, generous donors who continue to believe in the work we do and the opportunities that the Hub unlocks, the Stellenbosch Municipality who entrusted this building into our care, the residents of Stellenbosch who support us, the students who call the Hub their second home, visitors from across South Africa and the world who come to experience a slice of local in the heart of Stellies.
A big thank you to our major funders and donors to date. These include the Industrial Development Corporation, the Jannie Mouton Foundation, Nedbank, BUCO, Entersekt and the Stellenbosch University. Thank you also to local businesses and churches who have been part of the journey so far.
And to every small business owner and entrepreneur who calls the Hub their home, and every member of the Hub family – thank you. It takes a team and we have a formidable one. We appreciate every one of you!
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For more information, email hub@ranyaka.co.za