STELLENBOSCH
WESTERN CAPE
Four hundred engineering students walk the streets of Klapmuts, Kayamandi and Jamestown – pursuing practical solutions for real-life challenges. Here is a place where yesterday and tomorrow meet.
The Stellenbosch region is one of South Africa’s most sought-after tourist destinations, known for its oak-lined streets, a wealth of history, beautiful architecture and rolling vineyards. Also home to the 150-year old Stellenbosch University, the town is fast emerging as a hub of knowledge and innovation where solutions are being sought to address both some of the most exciting opportunities and complex issues facing our country today. Amongst academia, business and communities, there is a growing move towards intentional network-building for the purpose of benefiting generations to come.
The Stellenbosch municipal area includes a rich variety of suburbs and settlements, including Jamestown, Klapmuts, Kayamandi, Idas Valley and Cloetesville – and extends all the way along the Dwarsrivier Valley (Kylemore and surrounds) to Franschhoek. We created this page to share the stories that span multiple areas within Stellenbosch, such as collaboration initiatives with NGOs and opportunities created for the university’s students to learn more about social impact within their respective fields.
Showcasing entrepreneurs | Elani Plaatjies
Next in line in our series of showcasing some of the entrepreneurs who are participating in the Ranyaka Building Business programme, is Elani Plaatjies from The Food Triangle. Here is Elani's story. Picture a custard biscuit cup filled with a little mixed-berry...
Showcasing entrepreneurs | Muain Arnolds
Over the next few weeks, in support of local businesses, we will be showcasing some of the entrepreneurs who are participating in Ranyaka's Building Business programme. First in line is Muain Arnolds, the entrepreneur behind Shuttle Master in Stellenbosch!Muain was...
Community in a new light
Community. It has become such a loaded term in our society. And the textbook answer would be that a community is a group of people who find themselves living within the same geographical area. That’s it. Plain, clear and very simply defined. Is it really just that? I...
Food for hungry families
The clock was ticking. There were less than 12 hours to go before South Africa went into full lockdown. A group of volunteers from multiple churches and NGOs in Stellenbosch (and across South Africa, we can safely assume!) were braving the endless queues in grocery...
Empowering women
In 2019, Jamestown-based NGO, Usiko, launched a programme aimed at empowering a group of 20 dynamic women from the community to take them to reach new heights in their lives – and equip them to become local change agents. The project is funded by the Distell...
Hope behind the green door
Last week, we had the privilege to peek behind the Green Door in Jamestown when we handed over twenty care packs donated to the project by Santam and Ranyaka in collaboration with an anonymous donor. What we discovered behind the green door was an unexpected treasure...