Introducing Voices From The Ground
At Ranyaka, much of our work through the Nedbank-funded Proud of My Town programme happens alongside people and organisations who are deeply embedded in the communities we serve. Our local coordinators work across towns and townships throughout South Africa, often collaborating with community-based organisations, NGOs, academic institutions, and local stakeholders who are all contributing to local development in different ways.
Through these partnerships, we are often exposed to powerful moments, ideas, and initiatives that speak to the potential within our communities. From time to time, we want to open up our platform to share these on-the-ground perspectives: reflections, observations, and experiences from the people doing the work within communities every day.
This piece is the first in our new Voices from the Ground series.
Written by Ngcebo Thembela, one of our local coordinators based in Umlazi township in Durban, this reflection shares his experience of attending the Socionext Activator Programme at Mangosuthu University of Technology — an entrepreneurship initiative focused on helping young people test and develop business ideas.
Over to you, Ngcebo!
Reflections from the Socionext Activator Programme
Earlier this year, I had the honour of representing Ranyaka Community Transformation as a judge at the Socionext Activator Programme, an entrepreneurship showcase at Mangosuthu University of Technology in Umlazi. The invitation came through our partner CCDSA.
While the event itself was not organised by Ranyaka, it gave us a great opportunity to see young entrepreneurs from our communities testing their business ideas and learning how to build real businesses. Because the programme connects closely with the work we are doing in Umlazi, I also invited the Nedbank team that works with us as we implement the Nedbank-funded PoMT programme. The Nedbank staff joined us on the judging panel, which made the experience even more meaningful.
It showed how partners can come together to support young people who are trying to start businesses.
The programme ran for five days and started with 50 young entrepreneurs. During the week they were challenged to come up with business ideas, test them, and try to make money from their products or services over three consecutive days, within the Mangosuthu campus and surrounding community. By the fifth day, 30 strong entrepreneurs were still standing, showing real commitment and determination. It was inspiring to listen to the different ideas the young people presented.
Many of their businesses were based on real problems and opportunities that exist in township life. They showed creativity, courage, and the willingness to try something new.
One of the most interesting ideas, which ended up winning the competition, was about healthy eating in the township. The team looked at everyday foods that many people enjoy, like amaGwinya and amaQuarter, and asked a simple question: how can we make these popular meals healthier while still keeping them affordable and tasty? Their idea showed that even the most familiar township foods can be improved in ways that benefit the community.
For me, this experience was very personal and meaningful. As someone who comes from Umlazi, it filled me with pride to see young people from our own community standing confidently in front of a panel, sharing their ideas and showing that they believe in their ability to build businesses and shape their future.
Moments like these remind us that our townships are full of talent, creativity, and potential.
This is exactly the kind of energy that the THRIVE framework that our work at Ranyaka is based on, aims to unlock by building strong communities where people work together, support each other, start businesses, and grow local economies from within. Through our work as the implementation agents for the PoMT programme, we are reminded that real and lasting change in our communities begins with local people who believe in their ideas and are willing to take action. Seeing these young entrepreneurs step forward with courage and innovation gives real hope that the future of Umlazi’s township economy is bright and full of opportunity.
Real and lasting change in our communities begins with local people who believe in their ideas and are willing to take action
Voices from the Ground is a growing collection of stories, reflections, and insights from Ranyaka’s team members working in communities across South Africa.
If you are a partner, stakeholder, or community member interested in collaborating, learning more, or supporting local initiatives, we invite you to connect with us and be part of the journey of building thriving communities from within.