WE HARNESS THE POWER OF COLLABORATION AND ACTIVE CITIZENRY TO CO-CREATE THRIVING COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL ECONOMIES.
Ranyaka Community Transformation is an urban planning non-profit company and development agency. Since 2013, we’ve used a collaborative framework to guide this journey. This framework is called THRIVE.
THRIVE was born from the conviction that we need a different approach: one that puts people, place, and collaborative partnerships at the centre of transformation.
We are currently (2025) working in 38 communities in 15 towns in 8 provinces across South Africa – implementing, amongst other programmes, the Nedbank Proud of my Town initiative.
WE WORK WITH
PLACES
Our approach is place-based and systemic. People-centered spatial planning and multi-sectoral integration are key to community well-being. Our objective is to create healthy eco-systems that lay a foundation for optimal development.
A TRANSFORMED PLACE HAS THE POWER TO TRANSFORM LIVES.
WE WORK WITH
PEOPLE
We work with local stakeholders, strengthening change agents, facilitating cross-sectoral collaboration and integrating citizen-led initiatives into the over-arching strategy for the area. Our objective is collective, as opposed to isolated impact.
THROUGH COLLABORATION, WE TACKLE WHAT IS WRONG AND UNLOCK WHAT IS STRONG.
WE WORK WITH
PIONEERING INVESTORS
We develop smarter ways of investing in societal transformation. Our objective is sustainability, real impact and maximum return on investment. Nedbank’s Proud of my Town initiative is a prime example of smart investment in action.
SMART INVESTMENT LOOKS BEYOND ISOLATED INTERVENTIONS.
When life hands you dirt, plant seeds
A community's quest to achieving sustainable development through regenerative agriculture. "Achieving food security is a major priority in our village and through initiatives such as the greenhouse project, we are well on our way to achieving that goal." These are the...
Introducing Ikayalabantu FM | Home of the People
Conversations with Thando Dyantyi, Sinesipo Sibuta and Odwa Nomavuka As a young South African filmmaker, Thando Dyantyi’s strongest desire has been to tell the life-changing stories of people in his community and around his country. These stories are for everyone to...
It’s not enough to be compassionate, we must build
The unfolding story of Gugu Makhubu "I knew this is who I was going to become. This is me. I love helping people. I want people to become better versions of themselves. I want them to reach greater heights, do more and be more,” says Gugu Makhubu, Founder of Vuguma...
Sugar and spice, pastry and everything nice
Gloria Mashigo's journey as a chef is both unexpected and inspiring - with intriguing highs, agonizing lows and heart-warming in-betweens. But what drives this chef to create cakes of impeccable taste and quality? Walking into her premises and looking at the quality...
“I am an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder”
Guest blogger, Lesego Masethe, shares the story of the second-place winner in this year’s Ranyaka Building Business competition held in Mamelodi, Tshwane.While there is no clear definition for the term entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, what is common in all its...
A social entrepreneur’s quest for rural connectivity
Guest blogger, Lesego Masethe shares the story of the first place winner in the Ranyaka Building Business Social Enterprise competition for 2020.Given Maboela's Flex Internet Café in Stoffel Park, an informal settlement situated in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, is...
Celebrating a champion
Every great cause needs a champion. Every vision needs visionaries who have the depth of insight to recognize potential. And every inspired idea needs those who have the courage to venture into unchartered territory. On the Proud of my Town journey, this champion is...
Meet our essay competition winners | Grade 11-12
Meet the winners of group C (grade 11 - 12) in this year's Brain Waves Development essay competition. Two winners share first place - congratulations! Topics include climate change and the effect of Covid-19 on learners' communities. FIRST PRIZE Lebogang Masebulele...
Meet our essay competition winners | Grade 8-10
Today, we introduce the winners of Group B in the 2020 Brain Waves Development essay competition - proudly sponsored by the Nedbank Proud of my Town programme. All three the winners shared their views on why food production and agriculture matter - especially in the...
The story of the little vegetable factories
An old tyre, a few discarded plastic shopping bags, a two-liter plastic cooldrink bottle and enough soil to fill the tyre to create a little vegetable garden – this is what you need to create what Steven Barnard from NuNet calls the “Garden of Life”, because with...
Meet our essay competition winners | Grade 5-7
We are excited to share the winning entries in this year's Brain Waves Development essay competition - proudly sponsored by the Nedbank Proud of my Town programme. The first prize winner in Group A is Thembelihe Mophuthing, a grade 6 learner from Bethany Combined...
Building Business | Reflections on 2020 and the way forward
The year 2020 upended the global economy, bringing disruption and, in many cases, devastation at mass scale. Small, medium- and micro enterprises (SMMEs) as well as survivalist businesses have been especially hard hit.During the course of this year, the Nedbank Proud...
ABOUT US
In 1996, two young town planners from very different backgrounds reported for duty at a local municipality in Gauteng. Only two years had passed since the dawn of democracy in South Africa.
WHAT WE DO
Ranyaka works hand-in-hand with communities, local stakeholders, all levels of government and investors to develop and implement transformation strategies for towns and communities.
WHERE WE WORK
By mid-2020, Ranyaka will be working in 13 towns and neighbourhoods in 9 towns across seven provinces throughout South Africa. We focus mainly, but not exclusively, on under-resourced communities.