WE CO-CREATE STRONGER PLACES AND THRIVING ECONOMIES.
Ranyaka is a South African non-profit organisation and professional Place-Based Practice working with communities, businesses, municipalities, funders and other partners to strengthen the places where people live, learn, work and do business.
Developed over more than a decade of on-the-ground practice, our THRIVE Framework grew from the conviction that lasting transformation requires a different approach: one that puts people, place and collaborative partnerships at the centre. The four pillars of THRIVE, Clubs, Hubs, Networks and a shared Platform, are some of the key mechanisms through which the framework takes shape in practice.
We bring people, knowledge, investment and practical solutions together to strengthen the economic, social and environmental conditions that help places become more productive, resilient and regenerative.
By the end of 2025, our work had reached 38 communities across 15 towns in 8 provinces in South Africa. This includes our role as national implementation agent for the Nedbank-funded Proud of My Town programme.
WE WORK WITH
PLACES
The place is our starting point.
No two places are the same. Every community has its own relationships, assets, businesses, institutions, challenges and opportunities.
We start by understanding the place – bringing together different disciplines, partners and resources around one shared purpose:
HELPING A PLACE FUNCTION BETTER,
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 which is a prime example of Ranyaka’s place-based framework and smart investment in action.
SMART INVESTMENT LOOKS BEYOND ISOLATED INTERVENTIONS.
More children enjoy a safer space
Fifteen volunteers from Stellenbosch and Kayamandi joined the Ranyaka team on Saturday to paint Lillies' Crèche. The crèche was painted with special fire-retardant paint in December. This weekend, we added a bright top coat. The fire-retardant (intumescent) paint...
Boosting tourism in Magaliesburg
Tourism destinations, guest houses, hotels and restaurants in Magaliesburg, Gauteng are set to benefit from The Cradle Tourism Company's marketing plans for the year. Cradle Tourism is an independent non-profit company which was created to help drive tourism in this...
Celebrating change agents | Siena Charles
This week, we celebrate the contribution that Siena Charles is making in the community of Kylemore, Stellenbosch. Siena celebrated her birthday earlier this week - Siena, we wish you a blessed new life year! Siena Charles is well-known amongst her fellow Kylemore...
Equipping local entrepreneurs for sustained success
We're incredibly proud of our ten entrepreneurs who successfully completed the Ranyaka Enterprise Development Academy last week! The five-day, intensive training programme was presented in partnership with the Stellenbosch Municipality, facilitated by entrepreneurship...
Spotting a gap in the market
"I noticed that dirty bins were making people sick." Kayamandi-based entrepreneur, Phuti Mbothane, spotted a gap in the market when he realised how litter and unsanitary dustbins were contributing to illness in his community. Today, his bin cleaning business makes a...
Building local entrepreneurs
Fifteen entrepreneurs are participating in a five-day intensive Ranyaka Enterprise Development Academy that kicked off this morning in Stellenbosch. The academy is facilitated by entrepreneurship specialists, Labit - a for-profit Business Incubator that is focused on...
Not just paint
For Lillies Day Care Centre in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch, the year kicks off with a fresh coat of paint. But not just any paint. This special fire-retardant (intumescent) paint will delay the rate at which flames spread, should a fire break out at the wooden structure...
Creativity meets entrepreneurial spirit
A splash of colour, creative energy and broad smiles greet visitors to Yeyethu Designer Studio - a fashion studio based in the Kuyasa community centre in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch. We had the privilege of meeting the dynamic duo behind the studio at the product showcase...
Supporting local entrepreneurs
Twenty five entrepreneurs participated in Friday's product showcase held in Stellenbosch. From catering to construction, transport to technology, bin cleaning to braai wood; and logistics to garden services, the scope of services on offer and entrepreneurial drive of...
A safer crèche for the children of Kinder Joy
The painting of wooden structures at Early Childhood Development centres with intumescent (fire retardant) paint is critical to help keep our children safe. Nedbank's Proud of my Town programme is making it possible for wooden structures at crèches in Paarl and...
Magaliesburg stakeholder workshop
Community members and stakeholders made their voices heard at today's year-end workshop in Magaliesburg, Gauteng - reflecting on progress made to date and taking a look at the way forward. Thank you to Ryan, Salomien and their formidable team for all your help with...
Investing in a safer Jamestown
Neighbourhood watch groups have proven to be highly effective in reducing crime rates in communities. On Friday, Ranyaka handed over reflective vests and torches to the Jamestown Neighbourhood Watch to assist them in this important task. Deputy-chairperson, Burton...
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.