Fetola

01/09/2026

Spring has arrived, and with it a new season for ideas, connection and growth.

This September, we’re looking forward to celebrating the people, businesses and opportunities shaping enterprises across South Africa, starting with The Business Show Africa.

If you’re building a business and looking for practical ideas, useful connections and new opportunities, this is worth adding to your calendar. Come visit our stand, meet the team and learn more about the support and opportunities available to help businesses build stronger foundations and grow sustainably.

Pre-register to attend for free: https://zurl.co/GCiNn

Please note: free entry applies to pre-registered attendees only.

NSBCAfrica

28/08/2026

We’re excited to announce Fetola’s Ecosystem Partnership with GEC+Africa 2026.

As Africa’s largest entrepreneurship gathering, GEC+Africa brings together founders, investors, policymakers, and ecosystem leaders from across the continent to strengthen collaboration and unlock growth opportunities.

We look forward to contributing to conversations and initiatives focused on building resilient, inclusive enterprises and strengthening Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem — Connecting Africa.

General Delegate Access is FREE.

Register Now
🔗 https://zurl.co/Z3mbQ
📍Cape Town | 16–17 September 2026

28/08/2026

As Women’s Month comes to a close, we’re celebrating Palesa Lephallo. She's a Chemical Engineer, cosmetics scientist, entrepreneur and founder of Dipalesa Biotech Lab.

Raised in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape, Palesa’s first lessons in entrepreneurship came from helping her grandparents with their small businesses. Today, she is building an ambitious biotechnology company grounded in science, sustainability and African innovation.

Dipalesa Biotech Lab works across research, laboratory services, product innovation and skills development, while also creating entrepreneurship opportunities in its local community.

With support from the Nedbank Green Economy Fund, the business is working towards laboratory accreditation and exploring new opportunities in sustainable biotechnology. Palesa has her sights set on building one of Africa’s leading biotechnology companies and creating opportunities for young scientists and graduates.

Here’s to women building boldly, innovating locally and creating opportunities for others. 💚

Could your green business be next?

The Nedbank Green Economy Fund offers qualifying South African green businesses up to R250,000 in funding, alongside investment-readiness support.

Apply today https://zurl.co/iuwGS

21/08/2026

Happy World Entrepreneurship Day! We hope to see you at today's event! Thank you for putting this day together, Huruma Bantfu team. We are proud to be a part of it. Please come and say hello, and tag us in all your pictures and stories.

Cape Town’s young entrepreneurs have something worth celebrating 🌱

This Friday, in partnership with Workshop17 will bring together up to 40 young entrepreneurs from townships across Cape Town at Kloof Street to celebrate World Entrepreneurship Day 2026 🌞

It will be a day to learn, connect and celebrate the people building businesses and creating opportunities in their communities 🌻

If you’re a young entrepreneur based in a Cape Town township, we’d love to have you with us ⭐️

Register here: luma.com/6g4ko41i

With support from Canva and Fetola 🚲

20/08/2026

Do you understand what separates businesses that secure funding from those that don't?

It's a question many entrepreneurs ask after being rejected for funding.

While every funder has different requirements, all investors want to feel confident that a business is ready to grow. They want to see reliable financial information, strong business systems, a clear strategy and the ability to demonstrate how funding will create sustainable growth.

The Masisizane Investment Readiness Programme helps you achieve this.

Applications close soon. Apply today: https://zurl.co/5hR1q

Masisizane Fund

18/08/2026

Meet the speakers helping circular businesses become retail-ready.

Tomorrow, Fetola’s Deputy Head of Programmes, Isabel du Toit, will be joined by Esethu Cenga, Technical Consultant for the Nedbank Fashion Accelerator and Founder of Rewoven, and Trudy Mkansi, Founder of Amesha Africa.

Together, they will unpack what retail buyers expect from circular suppliers, the challenges entrepreneurs face when entering larger markets, and how to demonstrate quality, consistency, production capacity and credible circular impact.

If you run a circular fashion, clothing, footwear, accessories or lifestyle business, this practical conversation is for you.

📅 19 August 2026
🕐 13:00–14:00
💻 Free online webinar

Register now: https://zurl.co/7P3dT

14/08/2026

Women making their mark, one bold pitch at a time.

This Women’s Month, we are celebrating Mbali Mdluli and Koketso Ramatlho, two current participants on the SABF Tholoana Enterprise Programme, whose recent achievements reflect the work, growth and ambition behind their businesses.

Mbali founded Reliable Renders Home Decor in 2020, starting with fluffy carpets before growing the business into an expanding range of affordable furniture, homeware and household products. She recently earned first place for the Best 90-second Business Pitch and Exhibition Award at the Bambelela Business Awards 2026 in Gauteng.

Koketso is the founder of Angela Care, a South African plant-based skin, hair and wellness brand producing natural products with locally sourced ingredients. As the business prepares to move into a new facility with dedicated laboratory, office and manufacturing space, Koketso has also been named the first-place Best Pitcher in the Existing Business category at the Diana International Research Conference 2026 at GIBS.

The awards may recognise what Mbali and Koketso delivered on stage, but behind every winning pitch is a business that has been built, tested and strengthened over time.

Congratulations, Mbali and Koketso. We are proud to celebrate your progress and to support you as you continue building businesses that last.

Her Business, Our Future.



SAB Foundation

10/08/2026

Did you know that 86% of the people who work at Fetola are women?

Led by our CEO, Catherine Wijnberg, women contribute to every part of our organisation. They design and deliver programmes, support entrepreneurs, build partnerships, manage investments, strengthen systems, tell important stories and keep the work moving forward.

This Women’s Month, we have been celebrating women building businesses that last. On Women’s Day, we are turning the spotlight inward to recognise the women whose expertise, care and commitment make our work possible.

The 86% is worth celebrating, but the real story is what these women accomplish every day.

Through their work, entrepreneurs are supported, businesses are strengthened and opportunities are created across South Africa.

To the women of Fetola, thank you for the different skills, perspectives and experiences you bring to our work. We see you, we value you and we are proud to work alongside you.

Happy Women’s Day.

Women Building What Lasts.

10/08/2026

Fetola is delighted to announce that applications are open for our Masisizane Investment Readiness Programme!

Is your business focused on growth? Are you tired of receiving a "no" from funders especially when you know your business has potential?

The Masisizane Investment Readiness Programme helps entrepreneurs identify and bridge the gaps that could be holding their businesses back.

This opportunity is designed for serious, growth-oriented entrepreneurs who:
• Own and actively manage a formally registered business
• Have been operating for at least 3 years
• Generate annual revenue (between R1 million and R20 million)
• Have a clear product or service with proven market demand
• Are looking to scale and require funding to unlock the next stage of growth
• Are willing to undergo a rigorous process of business assessment and improvement

Apply here: https://shorturl.at/9Ecti

07/08/2026

Two women. Two powerful TEDx stages. One shared celebration of women doing remarkable things.

This Women’s Month, we are proud to celebrate SAB Foundation Tholoana Programme alumni Liesl Smerdon and Nabilah Diedericks, who recently took to the TEDxDistrict Six Women stage, marking a significant milestone in their entrepreneurial journeys.

Liesl Smerdon, founder of Curl Chemistry, and Nabilah Diedericks, founder of Finz Aquatics and Fitness Development, both used the TEDx platform to share powerful ideas rooted in identity, belonging and the lived experiences that continue to shape the businesses they lead today.

For Liesl, the moment of stepping onto the TEDx stage was both overwhelming and affirming, as she shared reflections on identity and the pressure to conform, themes that also underpin her work in building a proudly South African haircare brand that helps people embrace their natural hair.

Nabilah’s TEDx talk, “Belonging Before Beginning: Why Human Potential Begins with Belonging,” echoed the inclusive mission of Finz Aquatics, an academy creating safe, accessible swimming and development opportunities for people of all ages and abilities on the Cape Flats.

While their businesses operate in very different spaces, both women are united by a common thread: turning personal experience into purpose-led businesses that create belonging, opportunity and impact.

We congratulate Liesl and Nabilah on this incredible achievement and for representing women entrepreneurs on such a powerful stage.

Her Business, Our Future.