Unlikely Allies 2016: The Future of Cities
In July, Simanye travelled as part of our involvement with Impact Hub Joburg to the Unlikely Allies Conference in Seattle, USA. The conference was organised by the Impact Hub global network and involved two days of multi-stakeholder conference sessions on the Future of Cities, followed by 3 days of strategy and team building retreat for the […]
Mandela Day: The Spirit of Ubuntu
Ubuntu: (noun) derivative of Xhosa and Zulu a quality that includes the essential human virtues, compassion, and humanity. On Nelson Mandela Day we remember a man of integrity who inspired Africa to reach for the stars. On days such as today, one can’t help but feel closer to uTata’s ideals of peace, love, and unity. […]
Social Impact Bonds: A solution for South Africa’s Social Issues?
Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) are the latest financial innovation that is gaining a lot of buzz around the world, especially in developmental circles. Despite their name, SIBs function in quite a different way than a traditional bond. At their core, SIBs allow the funding of certain initiatives based on outcomes being achieved – where investors […]
A Real Solution to the Youth Skills Gap: A Simanye Trust Success Story
One of the companies that the Simanye Trust has invested in, SA Back Office, is making waves in the skills and job creation space in SA. It helps companies get R5 B-BBEE recognition for every R1 spent while creating real impact in terms of sustainable skills for unemployed youth and at the same time providing […]
Impact Investing & BEE
Impact Investing is becoming an ever more hot topic globally as well as in South Africa, with more and more focus on both creating impact through investing as well as getting returns from impact. These are elements of the new economy since traditional development impact was mostly driven by non-profits while investing was generally the purview […]
The New Economy
Simanye recently spoke at Busara Leadership’s Partner’s “Economic Development Choices for South Africa” event focused on examining the topic of what businesses need to do to survive and thrive in the global economy. There was a lot of consideration given to the need for skills, the political landscape and various economist’s and investment manager’s outlooks. Simanye […]
Innovative Farming Methods Changing Agricultural Landscape
Farming has evolved over the years from traditional ways of growing fruit and vegetables to more innovative sustainable methods, and even in South Africa, we are beginning to see a marked shift towards looking for innovative solutions to various problems like ensuring fresh produce makes its way to communities that need it. Given the drastic […]
Food Insecurity in South Africa
As middle class working South Africans, we are privileged to be able to decide what we want to eat, have easy access to the most nutritious options, and to decide where we want to shop (Woolworths? Pick n Pay? Spar? Checkers?). The same is not the case for those who do not have the necessary […]
Sustainable Development Goals and their status in society today
In 2015 it was reported that the United Nations Members are expanding on their Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). MDGs are universal sets of goals, targets and indicators that the UN Members have used to frame their policies over the past 15 years. These SDG goals were designed to provide a focal point for governments and […]
Change makers in South Africa
The many, and somewhat all too familiar challenges that South Africa faces – chief among them, crime, racial tensions, slowed GDP growth and investment, high unemployment, and wide spread poverty are major draw backs that weigh so much on the populace, social capital and in-turn, social progress. As much of Africa seems to be experiencing […]