Nedbank is doing more than banking. It’s investing in dreams—scaling businesses, training youth, and funding township developers. By meeting South Africans where they are, Nedbank is helping turn barriers into blueprints for growth, from home kitchens to city construction sites.
Explore their Stories
Explore
their Stories
Thabang Sithole,
Founder / Developer, Phumulele Real Estate
Thabang Sithole envisions a transformed Soweto. With Nedbank and Marston’s help, he accessed financing and guidance to build compliant rental units. Each development he completes is a step toward turning the township into a place where people don’t just live—but thrive.
Priya Naidoo,
Group Executive: Strategy, Nedbank
Priya Naidoo drives strategy that empowers township and youth-led businesses. Her focus on financial inclusion gives underrepresented entrepreneurs access to funding and supply chains. She believes business should lift society—because growth that doesn’t include everyone, isn’t true progress.
Fikile Msimanga,
Founder / Developer, Sihlehile Enterprises
Fikile Msimanga builds homes and dignity in township communities. With Nedbank and uMaStandi, she secured funding and compliance support to bring affordable rentals to life. Her developments provide more than shelter—they offer residents a foundation for a better future.
Kele Boakgomo,
Founder & CEO, Yugrow
Kele Boakgomo created YouGrow to help women realise their entrepreneurial power. In partnership with Nedbank, she equips them with tools to overcome internal and external barriers. Each woman who grows her business becomes proof that empowerment multiplies when women lead.
Stokvel Members (Collective)
For Stokvel members in Khayelitsha, saving together means rising together. With Nedbank’s no-fee accounts and digital tools, members invest smarter, build homes, and manage businesses. What started as tradition has become transformation—proof that community savings fuel real-world progress.
Debbie Donaldson,
Founder, Because You’re Worth It
Debbie Donaldson saw potential in unemployed youth. Through her Nedbank-supported programme, she equips them with plumbing skills, business readiness, and confidence. Watching them become entrepreneurs who serve with pride isn’t just inspiring—it’s why she does the work.
Lusanda Netshitenzhe,
CEO, TUHF21 - uMaStandi
Lusanda Netshitenzhe leads a property revolution in townships. Partnering with Nedbank, she’s deploying capital and expert guidance to help local developers build quality, affordable housing. She’s proving that the future of real estate includes everyone—and starts right where it’s most needed.
Thandolwenkosi Nompilo Mtshali & Potsho MacDonald Nthelebovu,
Co-Owners, Real Deal Plumbing
With no formal training, Thandolwenkosi and Potsho joined Nedbank’s supplier development programme. They gained technical qualifications, business support, and confidence. Today, they run Real Deal Plumbing—serving clients, creating jobs, and showing what youth can achieve when given a real shot.
Lufuno Rasoesoe,
Founder & Managing Director, Tosh Detergents
Lufuno Rasoesoe turned her mother’s soap-making legacy into Tosh Detergents during lockdown. With support from Nedbank’s YouGrow programme, she scaled operations, hired staff, and entered formal retail. Her journey proves how women-led businesses can create sustainable change, one product at a time.
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In a country brimming with untapped potential, Nedbank is showing what it means to bank with purpose. Across townships, backyards, and communities, it’s not just funding businesses—it’s fuelling transformation.
For women like Lufuno Rasoesoe, who began making detergents in a bucket during lockdown, Nedbank’s YouGrow programme provided mentorship, funding, and belief. Today, she leads a factory. For young entrepreneurs like Thandolwenkosi and Potsho, who once had no plumbing qualifications, Nedbank’s insurance supplier programme offered training, tools, and business support—helping them build Real Deal Plumbing from the ground up.
In places like Soweto and Khayelitsha, Nedbank partners with initiatives like uMaStandi to support township developers like Thabang Sithole and Fikile Msimanga. By simplifying access to finance and offering hands-on guidance, the bank enables them to create safe, affordable housing—designed by the community, for the community.
Even stokvels, South Africa’s oldest savings tradition, are evolving through Nedbank’s no-fee banking and digital integration—bridging the gap between tradition and technology.
Nedbank doesn’t just write cheques; it rewrites possibilities. By coupling financial expertise with heart, mentorship, and inclusion, Nedbank is helping individuals grow resilient businesses—and building a stronger, more inclusive South Africa from the ground up.
