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MANAGEMENT
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HOMESICK AT HOME
Homesickness. I think I’m doing it wrong. I spent quite a bit of time away from South Africa recently, and when I’m outside the country, I obviously miss my family, friends, the weather and the wine (yoh, the wine). But I read the news and … it’s mostly not good. Corruption, crime, load shedding, policy missteps, diplomatic faux pas – there’s plenty in the regular news cycle to get you bleak about our country and its prospects.
Then I land back here and am greeted with a smile at Cape Town International Airport’s passport control (nobody anywhere smiles at passport control), then drive to my family home gawking at the scenery, the variety of people, the colour, chaos and character of Mzansi. It’s a little insane, and frightfully uneven (and unfair), but quite intoxicating. There’s a reason people come back here, despite how tough things are and despite the bad news.
That’s why this magazine aims to present news of a different sort – about things of which we can be proud. Things, such as our extraordinary cultural heritage, both ancient and contemporary, which is on display at several stunning agrarian venues across the country (see page 5).
Then there’s our culinary heritage, which a local chef is helping people to reimagine through ne dining (page 11). And our wine-making heritage, which sees merchants and producers supporting each other and growing the industry (page 17).
There are the entrepreneurs driving economic growth, such as the businesswomen we pro le on page 20, and those ourishing despite the challenges of load shedding (page 25). And we end it all with a sober yet promising perspective on South Africa’s investment potential (page 28).
Anthony Sharpe Editor
Contents
5 TRAVEL
Discover art and other adventures in South Africa’s agrarian wonderlands.
11 FOOD
Reframing local ingredients and heritage food through creativity.
18 DESIGN
Trends shaping and decorating our world in 2024.
20 BUSINESS
Despite socioeconomic challenges, more women in South Africa are turning to entrepreneurship.
25 ENERGY
Small-scale solar solutions can be practical and affordable for businesses during load shedding.
28 INVESTMENT
There’s hope for our economy, but real work has to be done.
Picasso Headline,
SOJOURNS FOR THE SOUL
KEITH BAIN discovers art and other adventures in South Africa’s agrarian wonderlands
FLORAL CARPETS AND ANCIENT ROCK ART
It may be in the Northern Cape and, in many respects, can feel like it’s beyond the edge of the known world, but Papkuilsfontein isn’t too long a drive from Cape Town. Situated 52km from Niewoudtville, it’s on the Bokkeveld escarpment, rain-soaked winter spells creating the ideal conditions for it to be considered the “bulb capital of the world”. Millions upon millions of dormant bulbs – or geophytes – that lie beneath the rough, scraggly surface erupt into an exhilarating oral carpet in spring.
The farm here has stood at the intersection of agricultural enterprise and letting the land do its own thing since way back in the 1970s when farmer Willem van Wyk decided he wasn’t willing to be the world’s most attentive agriculturalist. He instead leaned into ecotourism and in 1985 began transforming old buildings into guest accommodations. His rst renovation was De Hoop, a so-called “bywoner cottage” from the 1730s or ‘40s. It’s off-grid, has no electricity and is very isolated, some 2km from the main farmhouse and offers impeccable solitude.
In spring, Papkuilsfontein’s owers are miraculous; you cannot walk without stepping on a bloom. Van Wyk says he’s had dif culty explaining to some visitors that these owers were not planted by him but by nature. “One Japanese lady asked me why I planted them all so close together in the same eld; she had dif culty believing I hadn’t planted them.”
Apart from the density of bulbs (“in some places as many as 20 000 plants per square metre, more than anywhere else on earth,” says van Wyk), of which some 1 350 species produce owers and 80 are endemic, many threatened with extinction, Papkuilsfontein is home to around 145 bird species, including Verreaux’s eagles, black harriers and blue cranes. If you join a tour into the farm’s canyon, you’ll be shown rock art sites – some of which may be thousands of years old –painted by the San who ground stone to make ochres and crushed other natural substances to create whites and other pigments. papkuilsfontein.com
PAPKUILSFONTEIN IS HOME TO AROUND 145 BIRD SPECIES, INCLUDING VERREAUX’S EAGLES, BLACK HARRIERS AND BLUE CRANES.
A cottage and kraal ruins amid carpets of flowers.
Farm bread at Papkuilsfontein
Flower carpet at Papkuilsfontein
Papkuilsfontein campsite
LET THEM EAT ART
Each year, at the end of spring, Spier Wine Farm gives theatre-maker Brett Bailey free rein with his boundary-breaking immersive outdoor performance programme, Constellations. It involves a collective of actors, musicians, dancers and some artists whose work doesn’t t easily into any single category. The idea then is for small groups of adventurous culture vultures to turn up, tuck into a cheese-and-charcuterie board and sip wine from the estate before the sun sinks.
That’s when the “guardians” arrive with lanterns and take groups of spectators on a walk alongside the river that ows in the estate and into the woods, which feel and sound like a patch of wilderness. There, a series of short miniature performances happen under the trees, with audience members walking between each of the impromptu “venues”. Stories are told, ancient rhythms are stirred up and the whole night adds up to something slightly weird and strange and dif cult to pin down.
It’s Bailey’s tribute to a wholly uncommercial strand of theatre, one that’s closer to ritual than entertainment – you sit on tree stumps, there’s no explanation of what you’re witnessing, and
there’s no clapping at the end. You go home scratching your head, mind racing. And then, in December, Bailey puts on another show, also outdoors and while slightly more accessible (and family friendly), nevertheless still bizarre and unde nable – it’s called A Midsummer’s Dream, a kind of fever dream made up of music, maybe dancing, eye-catching design and a kind of enchanted energy that warms the heart even if you don’t fully understand. Other highlights of the calendar year at Spier include the annual Light Art Festival in March when the grounds come alive with installations that involve illumination of some sort. Plus, there are always art exhibitions, workshops
ART AND SOUL-SEARCHING IN THE CRADLE OF HUMANKIND
When Joburgers want to escape it all without going too far, the Cradle of Humankind offers a blissful cocktail of detoxifying nature, wide-open space and places to pedal their off-road bikes. And there are plenty of salubrious lunch venues close to the farms that grow what’s served.
For a taste of home-from-home rural life, there’s Farmhouse58, a chic country abode in the Kromdraai Valley. Instead of your typical hotel experience, the space is conducive to mindful contemplation with encouragements to consider your impact on the environment and the people who live here.
Occupying a former dairy farm, it was developed during the pandemic by hospitality entrepreneur Bheki Dube, who wanted to create a space to pause, unwind and switch gears. While it’s no longer a working farm in the traditional sense, there are thriving vegetable gardens established to supply the restaurant. There’s an attitude of working towards sustainability and also towards self-suf ciency. And while there are artworks on the property, some of which you will
and displays of sculptures and other kinds of artworks across the estate. You can join a curated art walk with a member of the Spier Arts Trust to learn more about what’s on display. spier.co.za
encounter if you set off on one of the guided “mindfulness hikes”, Farmhouse58 is also next door to Nirox Sculpture Park, where many incredible art pieces are displayed in the open across the various lawns and on hillocks and even in the miniature lakes on the estate. You can join guided tours of Nirox and the Villa-Legodi Centre for Sculpture and arrangements can be made to have tea and an in-depth conversation with Nirox’s current artist-in-residence.
Between meals and outings, there are yoga classes and storytelling sessions, tours of the edible gardens, time to run on the trails or, if you’re done for the day, there are spaces in which to simply squirrel away to restart, re-energise, rejuvenate and regenerate. farmhouse58.co
Sculpture at Nirox Sculpture Park
Installation at Nirox Sculpture Park
Art installation at Nirox Sculpture Park
Spier Werf from above
Mosaic kraal at Spier
IT’S WONDERFUL UNDERGROUND
On Lourensford, a wine farm in Somerset West in the Cape Province, Earthbox is a world-first immersive experience, somewhere at the intersection of art installation and engineering feat. It’s an underground chamber that essentially situates you several metres below the earth’s surface where you’re surrounded by, well, earth. Down below, there’s nothing to guide your eyes other than a choreographed arrangement of lights that first illuminate the walls and then switch off, leaving the space in total darkness for several moments. On paper, Earthbox is terribly simple: a rectangular empty space 24-metres long by about 7.5-metres wide, its walls angled outwards as they rise. Entry is via a curved, sloping pathway so that you approach with a full-on view of the Helderberg Mountains in the distance, a low, dome-like mound directly in front of you.
It’s a silent space, no cellphones permitted, and there are no signs or people tasked with helping you figure out what you’re meant to be figuring out. The point? Well, it’s a kind of meditative environment where, weirdly, emotions may begin to stir.
“It’s like going back in time,” says Marina Busse, who conceived it with Brad Baard as part of the Dream Commission, a foundation aiming to create once-off art-adjacent experiences that can “help reawaken our sense of childlike wonder that we tend to lose when we become adults”.
Visits are ticketed and you can hire an audio guide if you want to meditate or learn about the geology while you’re inside. There’s also a guide for children. earthbox.co.za
CERAMIC CRAVINGS
In the Drakensberg foothills, from the grounds of Ardmore Guest Farm, you can keep watch over South Africa’s three highest peaks – Mafadi (3 450m), Injisuti Dome (3 410m) and Champagne Castle (3 377m) – or simply let your eyes caress the rolling meadows that surround you. This farm, with its wonderfully rustic, down-to-earth atmosphere and assorted thatch-roof cottages, chalets and bungalows, is where globally renowned Ardmore Ceramics originated.
Born and raised on the farm, Bonakele (Bonnie) Ntshalintshali was initially an apprentice to ceramicist Fée Halsted, a Zimbabwean who settled here and, in 1985, began teaching her craft to people from the surrounding area. Ntshalintshali and Halsted became partners in the studio that evolved from these classes. Inspired largely by biblical stories and Zulu folklore, Ntshalintshali’s designs became the backbone of a line of
imaginative, never-before-seen creative ceramics. Although Ntshalintshali passed away in 1999, the studio thrived and by 2004, there were 70 artists associated with the Ardmore Studio.
The studio relocated to Caversham in the Midlands in 2005, but the artistic legacy is not forgotten at the original Ardmore farm, where you get a sense of the enfolding natural environment’s liberating qualities; its ability to free up something inside. Perhaps it’s the long, rejuvenating hikes you can take to peaks, such as Monk’s Cowl, or the easy pleasure of watching horses cavort in a paddock (the farm is also a miniature horse stud, so children have a ball being here, too). It’s the sort of place where taking a day to do absolutely nothing does wonders for the soul.
ardmore.co.za
Earthbox
Ardmore Guest Farm
Ardmore Guest Farm accommodation
The lounge and library at Ardmore Guest Farm.
MORE THAN PAINT
PLASCON is committed to finding innovative ways to protect the environment. One such measure is upcycling old paint buckets to produce new ones of equal quality, but with less environmental impact
The mass production of plastics began six decades ago. Since then, the plastic industry has produced over 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic, of which an estimated 90 per cent is not recycled, with approximately 8 million tonnes ending up in oceans annually. Given the excessive life expectancy of plastic products, almost every piece of plastic created and sent to a landfill or dumped in the environment still exists. This puts an immense strain on the environment and its inhabitants, increasing the urgency to reduce plastic consumption and waste and find sustainable ways to recycle existing plastic products.
Upcycled plastic use in paint packaging is revolutionary; it’s a powerful statement of commitment to socioeconomic wellbeing and environmental stewardship. When we choose recycled plastic, we’re making a conscious decision to reduce our dependence on virgin materials, thereby decreasing the demand for fossil fuels and mitigating the environmental impact of extraction and production.
This choice extends beyond mere packaging; it contributes to a circular economy where resources are conserved, fostering innovation and sustainable growth. Moreover, upcycled plastic paint packaging embodies a shift towards inclusivity and social responsibility. By creating demand for
upcycled materials, we empower communities and individuals, creating thousands of job opportunities in waste collection and recycling. This not only improves livelihoods, but also strengthens social cohesion and resilience. Furthermore, the environmental benefits are profound. By using upcycled plastic, we divert waste from landfills and oceans, helping to reduce pollution and safeguarding ecosystems.
PLASCON PIONEERS THE USE OF UPCYCLED PLASTIC FOR ITS PREMIUM RANGE
These upcycled buckets provide the same structural integrity and a new distinction to the Plascon premium range, which includes Plascon Micatex, Double Velvet Pure, Cashmere, Velvaglo Water-Based, Nuroof Cool, Polvin and Wall & All. This gives consumers the renowned and trusted quality of these brands and the peace of mind of knowing they’re making the most responsible choice for the environment. Every upcycled container represents a step towards cleaner oceans, healthier habitats and a brighter future for the people of South Africa.
To honour this call, Plascon introduced black buckets to its premium range. The buckets are composed of up to 75 per cent upcycled material. Upcycling is a means by which we can reduce the amount of solid waste entering landfills and polluting the environment. The materials of old paint buckets are harvested to produce new ones of equal quality with a lower manufacturing impact. Through this process, we can reduce carbon emissions by extending the shelf life of used materials, thereby reducing the energy and natural resources needed for new materials. By upcycling, we not only stop more long-wearing pollutants from going to landfills, but also reduce the environmental footprint, having saved the cost of manufacturing, packaging and transporting new materials.
transporting new materials.
PLASCON
BRINGING SEXY BACK (TO HERITAGE FOOD)
UKHOYANE MCONI, chef and project planner at Capsicum Culinary Studio, on how we can reframe local ingredients and dishes
Cooking has always been an integral part of my life. As far back as I can remember, there were Xhosa celebrations where a goat or cow was slaughtered, and I have wonderfully nostalgic memories of my mother and grandmothers cooking and baking in the kitchen.
For me, food has always been an essential part of our community and cultural celebrations, and I am passionate about promoting our own ingredients and heritage. We have to make sure that this continent’s rich food culture is preserved while simultaneously ensuring it evolves and thrives.
It didn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knew me when I chose to become a professional chef after matriculating and enrolled at Capsicum Culinary Studio. Many exciting years working in restaurants and catering followed as well as a stint in the United States that made me appreciate South African cooking even more, leaving me determined to showcase it on a global platform.
Life came full circle when, a few years ago, I returned to my alma mater as a chef lecturer. I am now a project planner at Capsicum Culinary Studio’s Rosebank campus, responsible for developing a heritage curriculum for our third-year students.
LOCAL FLAVOUR
It’s all about understanding where we come from, what local produce is and what is authentically African and then taking it to the world stage.
In the food world, we focus so much on what is known and what we believe is tried and tested. For example, many restaurants only serve the prized prime cuts of meat, such as llet, rib eye and sirloin, but, for me, that leads to so much wastage, and these cuts actually lack avour. We need to celebrate the whole animal. We need to use more offal and serve it in different ways with more sophisticated presentations. We need to explore beef cheeks and cuts that are closer to the heart as they have so much avour. Sorghum – also known as mabele thoro, amazimba and amabele – originated in Africa. It’s famously used in umqombothi (beer), but we must start using it in different ways. I have made a delicious sorghum
ravioli stuffed with amasi ricotta and pumpkin, and once, even sorghum buns. Chefs and home cooks need to experiment with local ingredients and look at new ways of preparing and presenting them. If we don’t know and understand a particular ingredient, we should associate it with something similar and treat it the same way. Take traditional African leafy vegetables and treat them in the same way as spinach. Use leaves from sweet potatoes. Take inspiration from a lush risotto and use samp instead of arborio.
CHANGING MINDS
I have cooked an entire multicourse, nedining meal using the African food I grew up with, presenting it in a new and re ned way. People were delighted and amazed but we must continue to spread the word to make it more mainstream and put African food on the gastronomic map.
There are several ways to go about this. We must engage with celebrity and well-known chefs and challenge them to make our heritage ingredients fashionable and desirable. We also need to engage with supermarkets and suppliers to stock these proudly South African and African ingredients. We have to tell YouTubers and social media in uencers: “Hey, here’s an ingredient for you to cook with!” and get them to put it out there. Consumers go with what’s trendy, so it is up to us to make these ingredients cool and happening.
The best advice I can give anyone is to try anything and everything – whether you are ordering in a restaurant or cooking at home. Present your food in new and exciting ways. To zhoosh up pap, I once dehydrated tomato sauce and used it on top of small pap balls for a delicious canapé. Be adventurous and experiment with avours, textures and colours.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS CONTINENT’S RICH FOOD CULTURE IS PRESERVED WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY ENSURING IT EVOLVES AND THRIVES.
Ukhoyane Mconi
Sorghum
Samp
Chef Mconi’s pulled milk stout beef cheek served with sorghum pasta
For the sorghum pasta dough
Ingredients:
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 3 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp oil
For the pulled milk stout beef cheek
Ingredients:
1kg beef cheek, trimmed and cleaned
1 large onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
10 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs fresh origanum
1.5l Castle Milk Stout
500ml beef stock
Salt and pepper to season
For the sauce:
Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp mustard
• 2 tbsp cold butter
Method
Preheat oven to 90°C. Season beef cheek. In a deep ovenproof dish, add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and origanum. Place the beef cheek on top and pour over the stock and beer. Cover with foil and cook for 12 hours until the meat is extremely tender and pulls apart with ease. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan and cook over medium to low heat until slightly thick, then stir in the mustard and butter for a shiny sauce. To serve, shred the meat, add the sauce and spoon it over the sorghum pasta.
OENOPHILE ARRIVALS
An innovative black-owned wine brand recently opened South Africa’s first airport wine boutique. ANTHONY SHARPE taxis in for a tipple
Arrivals at Cape Town International Airport have been greeted with something a little different recently.
In February, South Africa’s rst airport wine boutique opened for business, offering a delicious springboard into the Western Cape’s illustrious wine industry.
La RicMal Wine Boutique is the brainchild of father-and-son duo Malcolm and Ricardo Green, owners of the La RicMal wine brand. “We wanted to create a wine experience for people landing in Cape Town,” says Malcolm Green. “Visitors can buy a reserve bottle of wine – one they wouldn’t necessarily be able to nd at a regular shop. We sell around 60 high-end brands, but also look for reserve varietals with a limited number of bottles, only a few thousand.”
Green says they’ve partnered with estates and suppliers to get exposure for their premium wines and the tourism experiences they can offer visitors. “We’re planning to partner with the Department of Tourism and the estates to sell wine tours from the boutique. That way, before a visitor has even checked into their hotel, they have a prearranged tour, with transport to and from the estate if necessary.”
While the boutique is nding a ready market with international visitors for whom premium prices are extremely reasonable, especially if spending dollars or euros, Green says it’s been well received among local travellers, too. “We’re used to buying wine from grocery
stores and the like, but a boutique is different. The ttings and furnishing are luxurious, with royal mahogany wood and chandeliers, and it’s a more captivating experience because the people there really know their wine.”
They’ll also courier the wine to your hotel or anywhere in the world, making it a bit of a no-brainer for wine fundis to pick up a bottle.
BOTTLED BEGINNINGS
The Greens weren’t always selling wine from an upmarket boutique. Green has been in the wine industry for 45 years – he was just on the packaging side for many of them. Green’s Bottle Recyclers was founded to offer bottle washing and sorting services for the wine and spirit industry in the Western Cape.
“Most of our time was spent at wineries with clients, such as Spier, KWV, Distillers Corporation and Stellenbosch Farmers Winery
Group, in the cellars and vineyards, talking to the winemakers,” says Green. “We accumulated a large volume of bottles, which form one-third of the product, and good contacts for sourcing wine, so we decided to create our own brand.”
The brand name, La RicMal, comes from a contraction of their names – Ricardo and Malcolm – and offers a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc in their Supréme range, along with two red blends and a white blend under their Lerato label.
The wine is sourced and bottled by Darling Cellars, with 90 per cent sold locally although Green says they are targeting markets on the African continent, such as Ghana and Nigeria, and further a eld, including the United States, where Malcolm has spent years laying the groundwork for their expansion.
GETTING STARTED WITH WINE
La RicMal’s Wine Starter Kit – intended as an easy introduction to wine for the informal market –was launched internationally at the Vinexpo trade show in New York. “If you look at the informal wine market in South Africa, it’s untapped, so we put this together as a sort of educational tool to teach people about wine.”
The kit is a carry pack containing six bottles of wine – four straight varietals and two blends – a wine glass, corkscrew and four booklets in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa and Zulu. The booklets introduce the origins of wine, varietals, South African wine and our 18 wine regions, tasting notes, and the importance of wine to our economy and tourism.
“It’s a world rst, and we have a corporate patent on it,” says Green. “We’re currently in talks with retailers to launch it in stores – it’s part of our growth strategy.”
With the boutique growing at 20–30 per cent monthly since launch, things certainly seem to be (ahem) taking off for La RicMal.
LOCAL NEW LEKKER DESIGNS
NOMBUSO KUMALO eyes up the design trends shaping and decorating our world in 2024
The demand for our living spaces to meet our evolving needs has grown, helping to usher in a new age of design individualism with living spaces re ecting the personality and style of their occupants through multifunctional design elements. From architecture and art to fashion and furniture design, these exciting local designs will enhance your spaces and engage your senses.
ART
“What’s currently happening in spaces is the merging of African stories with innovation,” says Kokona Ribane, multidisciplinary artist and co-founder of Usurpa digital art gallery. “It has been an exciting game-changer as many artists are expressing their stories through technology.”
Immersive experiences are at the heart of this, with large-scale canvases and sculptural pieces making a huge splash.
“Another huge trend is the natural minimalism approach in sculptural art,” says Ribane. “These are becoming the main features of home aesthetics. The neutral colour palettes allow designers to explore within their craftsmanship form, shape and silhouette.”
FASHION
Advocating for a slow fashion movement concerning the environment and people is fashion stylist and creative consultant Felipe Mazibuko. “Slow fashion is a global quest for fashion consumers to be more aware of their purchases and intentional support of ecofriendly designers and brands. It’s all about creating slow, sustainable fashion while being kinder and fairer to the environment.”
Local fashion brands that embrace and ally sustainability include Cape Town-based Michael Ludwig’s namesake fashion brand, Sel by Celeste Lee Arendse and Uni Form by Luke Radloff.
COLOUR
Often sidelined as an afterthought, colour design is a crucial part of any design element.
“Colours have the power to evoke emotions, set the mood and create visual interest within any space, in uencing how people perceive and interact with their surroundings,” says Siphathisiwe Mulauzi, colour, digital and content creations manager for Kansai Plascon. “The growing emphasis on sustainability and biophilic design inspired by nature has inspired biophilic colours, denoted by soft greens, muted blues and warm browns. The calming and soothing hues create a sense of harmony and balance in any space while creating a connection to the natural world.”
INTERIOR DESIGN
Merging sustainability and technology within interior design has created distinct and hyper-personalised living spaces.
“Sustainability is a fundamental value driving design decision,” says interior designer Mpho Makhubele, founder and MD of Fumane Spaces Design. “This not only helps reduce the environmental impact of interior design, but also promotes healthier living spaces as more homeowners look for environmentally conscious materials.”
Minimaluxe (quiet luxury-inspired decor), bespoke features and multipurpose living spaces dictate the customisations and individualised decor homeowners are looking for. “Technology is also key in transforming the design of spaces that are designed, decorated and experienced – smart spaces, functional and interactive,” adds Makhubele.
ARCHITECTURE
Genius loci is the protective spirit of a place. Elsabé Calitz, project architect for Messaris Wapenaar Cole Architects, says this phenomenon is being embraced more and more. “It’s about being conscious of the heritage and the environment we live in. Often, it’s part of our brief to be sustainable and have sustainable options. Other areas of focus include sourcing local manufacturing and installing features that re ect the heritage of the area. This has taken a lot of pressure off architects and designers, as clients are keener to preserve and restore, rather than demolish.”
FURNITURE
Furniture has assumed a supporting role with great consideration for the overall aesthetic of the room. Furniture is functional with smart space-saving pieces. Softer designs embrace natural shapes and curves, texture and feel.
“Design for impact is a dual tool used to create and solve problems,” says furniture designer S so Shange of Afri Modern. “Similarly to interior design, occupants are creating spaces they are celebrating and proud of through furniture.”
Kokona Ribane
Felipe Mazibuko
Elsabé Calitz
Siphathisiwe Mulauzi
Mpho Makhubele
Sfiso Shange
WE ARE MORE THAN JUST CHICKEN
RAINBOW CHICKEN LIMITED, a proudly South African company, has been a cornerstone of the nation’s agriculture for decades. Our journey has significantly contributed to the nation’s economy and societal development
Rainbow Chicken products, a staple in households nationwide, symbolise our deep-rooted connection with South Africans, making us all proud of our shared heritage.
A HERITAGE OF EXCELLENCE
Since our humble beginnings in 1960, we have grown into a premier fully integrated chicken producer. This achievement solidi es our market position and underscores our commitment to excellence. Our journey mirrors South Africa’s evolution, characterised by resilience, innovation and a steadfast dedication to quality.
INNOVATION AT THE HEART
With strong brand af nity and ongoing consumer relevance, we’re committed to targeted product innovation. Our three main retail brands – Rainbow, Rainbow Simply Chicken and Farmer Brown – along with our food service brands – Rainbow FlavourBurst and Rainbow Ready2Go – offer diverse products that cater to consumer needs.
As South Africa’s second-largest feed company, we deliver consistent, high-quality feed to our chicken division and external customers. Our Epol and Driehoek Feeds brands are backed by quali ed animal nutritionists who ensure optimal animal
performance and health. Epol isn’t just known for chicken feed; it provides feed solutions for various species nationally and internationally, aiming to be every customer’s rst choice.
LOCAL IMPACT, GLOBAL STANDARDS
Every Rainbow chicken sold supports a network of farmers, suppliers and workers, bene tting the entire community. We take pride in being a catalyst for economic development and social upliftment. When you choose Rainbow, you’re not just buying chicken; you’re investing in a web of livelihoods. It’s a ripple effect that sustains and grows the local economy, creating jobs and opportunities for countless individuals. Our commitment extends beyond pro t margins to people, purpose and pride.
SUSTAINABILITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
At our Worcester and Rustenburg chicken processing sites, Matzonox turns wastewater and poultry manure into renewable energy. The Worcester plant generates biogas, meeting up to 30 per cent of the overall energy needs. Rustenburg’s larger plant produces biogas from wastewater sludge and chicken litter, supplying up to 50 per cent of energy for the chicken and animal feed site. Matzonox is key to Rainbow’s long-term sustainability and resilience strategies.
We believe in giving back and do so through numerous community engagement projects. We support local education, health and development initiatives through the DO MORE Foundation, as well as many regional projects designed to create long-term bene ts for the communities where we operate, fostering a sense of shared growth and prosperity.
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
We remain committed to our vision of being South Africa’s leading fully integrated chicken producer. This vision is driven by a purpose statement emphasising value through innovation and excellence in animal care. By continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the industry, we strive to lead the way in sustainable and ethical poultry farming. Our future plans include:
• leading and developing our people;
• focusing on the brilliant basics;
• expanding our community outreach programmes; and
• continuing to innovate in ways that bene t our customers and consumers.
JOIN THE RAINBOW JOURNEY
By choosing Rainbow, you are not just buying a product; you are becoming a crucial part of our legacy of quality, innovation and community. We are more than just chicken; we symbolise local pride and potential. Together, we can continue to build a brighter, more sustainable future. Rainbow is proud to be a part of this journey and we are excited to have you with us every step of the way.
#WeAreRainbow
RAINBOW CHICKEN
THE STATE OF WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SOUTH AFRICA
Despite socioeconomic challenges, more women in South Africa are turning to entrepreneurship. Some of them shared the secrets of their success with THANDO PATO
The MasterCard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) 2021 ranks South Africa second in Africa in its proportion of women-owned businesses and the formal support available for women entrepreneurs. With a score of 54.9, South Africa follows closely on the heels of Botswana. MIWE analysed 65 economies comprising 82.4 per cent of the world’s female labour force. In the Women Business Owner benchmark, South Africa ranked 44th because only 21.9 per cent of all businesses in South Africa were owned by women in 2021. Ayanda Mvimbi, women economic empowerment specialist at UN Women South Africa, says: “Women-run businesses in South Africa are typically smaller micro enterprises and operate in the informal sector. In addition, most of these companies operate in industries with lower barriers to entry, pro tability and growth potential.”
CHALLENGES FACING WOMEN IN BUSINESS
The Women’s Report 2023 published by Stellenbosch University Business School says women entrepreneurs are essential for the social and economic development of South Africa, yet women face a complex web of barriers and restrictions that can hinder their entry or progress in business.
One of the biggest challenges facing potential and existing female business owners is capital. “According to the International Finance Corporation less than 10 per cent of total private
equity and venture capital funding in emerging markets goes to female-led businesses,” says Nadine October, training content manager at small business development agency Fetola, which helps small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) with funding, mentoring and skills development.
According to Grant Prince, Fetola’s head of investments, funding initiatives and resource allocation from impact investors targeting woman-owned and managed enterprises are growing. “However, we are effectively still playing catch-up. These historically low success rates in nancing female-led enterprises are fuelling a growing allocation of capital towards women-led SMMEs, also known as gender lens investing.”
October says Fetola’s independently conducted research shows that women business owners outperform their male counterparts. “Over the past 10 years, women-led small businesses under acceleration outperform those run by men in revenue growth. Our research shows that female-led business growth was almost double that of male businesses, but from a smaller base.”
October says that overall, there has been an exponential rise in women succeeding in the entrepreneurial space despite challenges such as funding and the COVID-19 pandemic.
MIWE reported that the number of women in South Africa who turned to entrepreneurship out of necessity went up from 62 to 91.2 per cent in 2021, mainly due to job losses during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
CLEANING UP
Shybon George, founder and CEO of Resolve Cleaning Services, says the impact of the pandemic on her business was devastating. “Our income dropped by 90 per cent. We were surviving on 10 per cent turnover. Clients didn’t pay us, so we had to resort to debt consolidation to pay what we could afford. We had to retrench staff. It took a long time to rebuild, but between February 2023 and February 2024 we increased our annual turnover by 250 per cent and rebuilt our staff complement.” Resolve Cleaning Services now has 70 employees and, at the end of February, reported a R2.2-million turnover.
“ACCORDING TO THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION LESS THAN 10 PER CENT OF TOTAL PRIVATE EQUITY AND VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDING IN EMERGING MARKETS GOES TO FEMALE-LED BUSINESSES.” – NADINE OCTOBER
Nadine October
Ayanda Mvimbi
Shybon George
George started her business in 2004 in a garage with a borrowed desk, chair and refurbished PC. “The rst vacuum cleaners I had I bought with the help of a family loan. I worked part-time as a contractor to sustain myself personally so I could understand the business model and how it worked.”
George says she initially struggled to get funding from investors and instead relied on loans and overdrafts to grow the business and purchase big equipment. “We are actually busy with funding at the moment with the view to expand and add additional branches,” she explains.
One of the ironies of the professional cleaning services industry, says George, is that it is male-dominated, and as a female start-up, she has had to work twice as hard. Her desire to build a business that can help alleviate South Africa’s unemployment challenges has kept her going. “Our business is expanding; we have an intake of 16 new employees planned for June.”
FUNDING AVENUES
Mvimbi says government has implemented several mechanisms to reduce regulatory impediments, increase access to nance through SMME funding and develop skills and programmes to support women entrepreneurs.
One of government’s biggest initiatives is the Women Empowerment Fund (WEF), nanced through the National Empowerment Fund (NEF). It provides women entrepreneurs with nancial and non nancial support for start-up, expansion and equity transformation. Support from R250 000 up to R75-million is provided across the NEF’s diverse spectrum of funding products, says Nomazizi Siphondo, acting uMnoto fund manager at the NEF. “These include entrepreneurship, procurement,
franchising, acquisition, new ventures, capital markets, rural and township development as well as industrialisation.”
Since its inception in 2014, Siphondo says the NEF has approved 1 603 transactions totalling more than R14.1-billion, with over R9.614-billion distributed and 123 000 jobs created. “Over the years, more than 30 per cent of the fund’s cumulative annual disbursements have been to women-empowered businesses. In the 2023 nancial year, 32 per cent of funds disbursed were to investees with meaningful women equity and in 2024, WEF disbursements accounted for 37 per cent of total NEF disbursements. We have seen a large volume of applications from women entrepreneurs in the property, tourism, manufacturing and energy sectors.”
TURNING UP THE VOLUME
Zoey Mkabela, founder and executive director of Volumicious, a haircare range specialising in addressing hair loss caused by different types of alopecia, started her business in 2016 and received funding through one of Fetola’s programmes. “I started the business after I lost my hair due to telogen alopecia triggered by pregnancy and stress while I was still working full-time in corporate. The Volumicious haircare range is inspired by a research project I did with the University of Stellenbosch.
“I launched Volumicious on social media in 2017 and discovered Fetola through a LinkedIn contact who encouraged me to apply to be part of the SAB Foundation’s Tholoana
Enterprise Programme, a business development programme implemented by Fetola. I was fortunate enough to be selected from over 8 000 applications,” she explains.
Until then, Mkabela had been funding the business from her savings, salary and through loans. As a participant in the programme, Mkabela received grant funding that she used to drive sales and purchase raw materials. Besides funding, she says, the programme gave her entrepreneurial training and paired her with a mentor, who assisted with the growth of the business. “My mentor, Eugene Drakes, has been my sounding board and shown me a lot of blind spots I wasn’t aware of, while also helping me come up with creative ideas to grow the business.”
Since 2016, Volumicious has expanded its reach and sales from social media, introducing two hair clinics in Gauteng where customers can visit for consultations and treatments and to buy products. In addition, Volumicious is also available through 150 independent distributors with whom Mkabela works closely.
SINCE 2016, VOLUMICIOUS HAS EXPANDED ITS REACH AND SALES FROM SOCIAL MEDIA, INTRODUCING TWO HAIR CLINICS IN GAUTENG WHERE CUSTOMERS CAN VISIT FOR CONSULTATIONS AND TREATMENTS AND TO BUY PRODUCTS.
Zoey Mkabela
Nomazizi Siphondo
SMALL BUSINESS SOLAR
Small-scale solar solutions can be practical and affordable for businesses in times of load shedding, writes
REIN SNOECK HENKEMANS, MD of Alumo Energy
South Africa relies heavily on the more than 2.4 million small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) that power the economy and provide for millions of families. Unfortunately, these are also the businesses often hit the hardest by instability in the energy sector.
The impact of load shedding on these businesses is more serious than many know or realise. In the rst quarter of this year there were around 1 600 hours of total load shedding nationwide. Last year’s total reached some 6 900 hours – nearly three times more than 2020 and 2021 combined.
As a result, businesses are increasingly forced to work in the dark or lay down their tools. For example, the majority of township-based SMMEs typically stop operations altogether during load-shedding hours.
Even small businesses located in town centres nd it dif cult to operate. Some resort to battery-powered, low-energy, low-output lights that provide only limited visibility for workers and uninterrupted power supply systems that can generally only support smaller devices. However, dark or dimly lit spaces discourage customers from entering, while most electrical commercial equipment becomes unusable.
In addition, regular power disruptions can damage and break costly devices or gradually reduce their lifespan, as modern equipment is generally not built to withstand regular power cuts or the electrical surges that often occur when supply is restored.
Furthermore, power disruptions can lead to data loss on computers in of ces and point-of-sale systems in stores, and Wi-Fi connections may drop, aggravating staff and customers alike. Additionally, vital security devices, such as alarms and cameras, may be rendered dysfunctional, leaving properties at risk.
MITIGATING THE IMPACT OF LOAD SHEDDING
With the above in mind, many business owners have been forced to become more self-suf cient by investing in alternative energy solutions. But, as the fuel price remains prohibitive, not to mention the noise and fuel pollution resulting from generators, a hybrid alternative energy and grid energy approach is ultimately the quickest and most practical solution to resolve a business’ current and long-term energy challenges.
Moreover, with the introduction of government’s Energy Bounce Back Loan Guarantee Scheme, vulnerable businesses can access competitive loans to install solar power generation solutions, reducing their upfront cost requirements. In addition, Alumo offers an affordable solar lease option that has proven extremely popular among business owners.
Beyond providing businesses with the peace of mind of a regular, stable power supply, there is also a substantial cost-saving component to consider. A hybrid solar solution tailored to a business’s speci c needs could result in cost savings of as much as 75 per cent on its monthly energy bill.
This makes a hybrid solar- and grid-supplied energy solution signi cantly less expensive than simply relying on the grid alone. That said, going 100 per cent off-grid is exponentially more costly than implementing a hybrid solution because of the additional battery capacity required – this is why we usually recommend going approximately 80 per cent off-grid.
POCKET-FRIENDLY INNOVATIONS
A few notable innovations in the solar sector are making solar even more attractive to SMMEs as long-term investments. For one, solar systems are increasingly moving away from less ef cient low-voltage batteries in favour of mid- to high-voltage alternatives. These use less current to deliver the same amount of energy, improving the system’s overall energy transfer ef ciency and providing better value for the user.
Companies are further beginning to integrate smart battery management systems that make use of arti cial intelligence (AI) tools to improve the performance and lifespan of batteries, reducing maintenance and replacement costs.
Finally, there is a push to introduce advanced AI-driven sensors that will continuously analyse and learn from the system’s input and output data to better manage, for example, temperature, voltage and current. These will likewise optimise system performance and maximise bang for the buck. Ultimately, hybrid solutions have become good business for businesses. And with the range of nancing options available, the real question is not whether business owners can afford to go solar, but whether they can afford not to.
A HYBRID ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND GRID ENERGY APPROACH IS ULTIMATELY THE QUICKEST AND MOST PRACTICAL SOLUTION TO RESOLVE A BUSINESS’ CURRENT AND LONG-TERM ENERGY CHALLENGES.
ALL IS NOT LOST, BUT WORK HAS TO BE DONE
Appropriately deployed private- and public-sector investment can be a powerful combination in creating jobs and delivering growth, writes XHANTI PAYI , PwC South Africa senior economist
The National Treasury predicts real gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2024 to be 1.4 per cent – not nearly enough to propel job creation that can dent South Africa’s critical unemployment levels.
Private-sector-led growth, driven by private investment, can increase economic opportunity and improve access to public and private services. However, in countries, such as South Africa, where the savings rate is low, private investment is usually expected to come from external sources in the form of foreign direct investment (FDI). More work is needed to facilitate the deployment of such investment into the South African economy.
South Africa has seen a net in ow (in ows minus out ows) of FDI annually since the global nancial crisis. Most recently, it recorded FDI in ows of R96.5-billion in 2023, equal to 1.4 per cent of GDP. These transactions were completed despite the country’s myriad economic challenges,
so clearly the country is still an attractive investment destination.
AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT TO ATTRACT INVESTMENT
Research company Fitch reports that South Africa has an environmental, social and governance relevance score of 5 for Political Stability and Rights, Rule of Law, Institutional and Regulatory Quality, and Control of Corruption. A moderate score (1 for “poor” and 10 for “excellent”) that requires concerted efforts to improve. Here, government has implemented some macro-economic reforms to enhance growth, and there is also a more focused effort on investing to address the skills de cit that has discouraged investment.
The country has also adopted an industrial policy framework to support economic sectors identi ed as key to accelerating growth and employment. These sectors include agro-processing, plastics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, clothing and textiles and tourism. This framework will serve as an indicator to foreign investors of a positive policy environment and the government’s willingness to co-invest and thus reduce investment risk.
South Africa is rich in mineral resources and forms the continent’s nancial hub. However, the mining sector has faced serious investment constraints, especially investment into exploration. More work must be done to promote FDI in this sector to unleash its potential through new mineral development.
CHALLENGES REMAIN
South Africa’s challenges, including electricity shortages, logistical bottlenecks and alarmingly high crime levels, have negatively impacted
THE COUNTRY HAS ALSO ADOPTED AN INDUSTRIAL POLICY FRAMEWORK TO SUPPORT ECONOMIC SECTORS IDENTIFIED AS KEY TO ACCELERATING GROWTH AND EMPLOYMENT.
business con dence and investment. With 2024 an election year, and the uncertainty of the political outcome, many investors have taken a “wait-and-see” approach.
The country faces a serious infrastructure investment gap, estimated at R1.6-trillion, to meet targets set out in the National Development Plan. Given the country’s scal constraints, government alone cannot close the gap; private-sector participation is required. However, the legal and regulatory environment has been restrictive. National Treasury has drafted amendments to improve the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) framework. These amendments are expected to make it easier for the private sector to engage in investment opportunities while accounting for the risks that come with PPPs. This important move will allow foreign direct investment into key projects that will improve economic performance.
WHAT 2024 MAY BRING
Critical to watch in 2024 will be the work on South Africa’s rail and ports infrastructure, where some R160-billion is to be invested to address the infrastructure challenges. The South African Association of Freight Forwarders said delays at ports have directly cost the South African economy R98-million daily. Resolving this will improve productivity in operations and boost business and investor con dence.
Investment into the energy sector will also be vital to lessen load shedding and facilitate the transition from the sector’s current dependence on coal. Some economists expect this to drive growth to above two per cent in the medium term.
South Africa is racing to be removed from The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) “grey list”. The February 2024 FATF report indicated that 5 of the 22 action items needed to remove South Africa from the list are now addressed or largely addressed, while 14 of the 17 outstanding action items have been partly addressed. South Africa hopes to reverse this and emerge from the greylisting in 2025, an action that will support investment into the country.
