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.
The day our story started
Twenty three years ago, two young town planners reported for duty at the Midrand Metropolitan Local Council in Gauteng on the same day. Johan Olivier and William Bila became colleagues, friends and in 2005, business partners when they opened the doors to their own...
Congratulations, Principal Frans!
We're jumping for joy with Mr Ronald Frans, the formidable principal of Klapmuts Primary School in the Western Cape. Mr Frans received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to nation building and shaping society at the 19th Annual National Teaching...
Stacking stones
One of the topics raised at a community meeting in Lantana, Paarl today, was that of stones. Too many stones and rocks lying around in the streets, on the sidewalks, on the playground. So the question arose: What does one do with so many stones? One could carry them...
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...
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.