Thebe Foundation’s crusade for SA’s brighter future

Mokgethi Tshabalala, the chief executive of the Thebe Foundation, frowns when Thebe Times asks him if the foundation’s initiatives can be construed as a philanthropic gesture.

He quickly dismisses any perception or suggestion that the foundation is engaging in philanthropic activities. He points out he does not see the Thebe Foundation as a giver to communities, but rather a trusted partner and a community builder.

“We don’t see communities as the objects of our philanthropy. We are not in this game for a PR or marketing exercise in order to feel good. South Africa needs a fresh approach to community development, which enables our communities to create their own sustainable wealth. We see ourselves as partners of the communities in their journey to create wealth,” says Mokgethi.

Mokgethi Tshabalala, chief executive of the Thebe Foundation

The foundation was set up by Thebe Investment Corporation in 2011 as an independent trust whose mission is to implement a two-pronged community development strategy. One leg of the strategy involves improving education in previously disadvantaged communities, where the foundation is working tirelessly to upgrade numeracy and literacy skills. The second leg entails harnessing skills of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs) to ready them to take advantage of opportunities in the South African economy. The foundation wants to enhance skills development through incubation and mentorship. Malaysia, a successful industrial economy in Asia, incubates its companies for up to four years.

“We don’t see communities as the objects of our philanthropy. We are not in this game for a PR or marketing exercise in order to feel good. South Africa needs a fresh approach to community development, which enables our communities to create their own sustainable wealth” – Mokgethi Tshabalala, CEO of Thebe Foundation

The English proverb “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” best describes what the Thebe Foundation does.

“We are tapping into the existing potential within the communities and we enhance this potential to get it to the next level where SMMEs are investment ready and bankable,” says Mokgethi.
“We don’t equip people with skills and then drop them. We always ask ourselves how do we make them to grow and scale up their businesses in order to get to the next level? We then leverage the Thebe procurement spending to demonstrate how small black entrepreneurs can participate in Thebe’s value chain,” he adds.
Since the inception of the foundation, Thebe has assisted over 120 SMME owners to study for a 12-week business management course at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). After completing the course, some of the SMMEs were assigned Thebe executive mentors to show them the ropes on how to run and grow their businesses.

One of the 120 SMME owners who attended the UJ course is Neo Lethea, who runs a bakery operation with five outlets around Johannesburg, four of which are in the townships.
“Before I attended the course, I was trading informally, but I was taught at the UJ how to formalise my business by registering with agencies such as SARS and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The formalisation of my business is opening new doors for me,” says Neo.

Grade 1 learners from Phakgamang Primary School, located in the Nkangala District Municipality in Mpumalanga, receive maths literacy lesson from their teacher.

Compass Group is currently helping Neo to set up a warehouse, which will give his business scale to supply the food company with cakes, muffins, and biscuits. Once the warehouse is up and running, Neo will also supply other corporate clients.

“Thebe has hooked me up with Compass Group. It is a big step for me in terms of growing my business. Compass is also assisting me to comply with safety and health requirements for the warehouse,” says Neo.
Neo’s bakeries produce between 40, 000 and 50, 000 units a month and according to his projects the Compass contract will result in his business doubling its output.
The intervention by the foundation is truly transforming Neo’s business and that of the SMMEs that attended the UJ course.
“Thebe’s objective is to transform our societies through business. We are not in this to comply with the DTI’s codes of economic transformation. We were formed to transform our society and we would have failed if we don’t participate in the socio-economic transformation of our communities,” Mokgethi says.
“We want to deal with the factors that perpetuate the poverty cycle in our communities. We work with individuals who have the ability to transform communities. We strengthen their resolve and equip them with skills.”

“We want to deal with the factors that perpetuate the poverty cycle in our communities. We work with individuals who have the ability to transform communities. We strengthen their resolve and equip them with skills.” – Mokgethi Tshabalala, CEO of Thebe Foundation

The foundation is also implementing numeracy and literacy initiative in Mpumalanga and in the Eastern Cape it has rolled out a maths and science programme at Willowvale High School. In KwaZulu-Natal, the foundation has initiated of programme to improve learning outcomes.
In Mpumalanga, the Thebe Foundation has invested over R1,6 million to fund a program aimed at improving numeracy and literacy skills in grade 1, 2, and 3 learners at 16 primary schools in Mpumalanga. In partnership with the Mpumalanga Department of Education, the programme is being implemented in the districts of Gert Sibande and Nkangala. The initiative will benefit 14 000 learners in Mpumalanga.
In this project, the Foundation has partnered with Compass Group, and FX Africa, both associate companies of Thebe. The foundation and the two companies are working with service providers Room to Read for literacy and Mathematics Centre for numeracy to roll out the initiative. Other Thebe companies that are supporting the foundation’s initiatives include First Car Rental, Accentuate, Kaya FM, and Thebe ya Bophelo.

In the Eastern Cape, the foundation partnered with TEACH South Africa (“TeachSA”) in 2012 to help the Willowvale Senior Secondary School improve its matric pass rate and outcomes.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the foundation has invested R1 million in a programme that aims to improve teacher and learner attendance, curriculum coverage and school nutrition in the districts of Pinetown and Uthungulu. Over 1 200 schools are benefitting from the programme.

Loyiso Jiyana (L), Compass SA business services manager, Anastasia Mackrill (C) Compass SA media centre manager, and Nosipho Nxiweni (R), Thebe Foundation senior project manager look on as Phakgamang Primary School Grade 1 learners enjoy a maths literacy lesson.

Since 2009, Thebe has been supporting the Student Support Programme (SSP), which innovatively offers grade 8 to 12 students with a flair for mathematics, science and English an opportunity to get the best education possible at selected partner schools. The program selects learners from previously disadvantaged backgrounds that average 65% in these core subjects from 2,200 feeder schools in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape. The programme currently has 300 learners with scholarships, 100 learners who are doing the bridging course, and 271 alumni.

The scholarship program covers tuition, stationery and uniforms. SSP also offers mentorship opportunities to scholarship students and a leadership program to prepare the students for the future.

Grade 1 learners from Phakgamang Primary School, located in the Nkangala District Municipality in Mpumalanga, listen attentively to their maths teacher.