Sizanani mentors

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Sizanani mentors We are professionals who mentor Gr 9 to 12 learners from Alexandra township high schools (Johannesbu In 2015, 90 mentors have assisted 123 learners.

The mentorship programme was started by Linda Giuricich, the director of Community Affairs at St Mary’s and Laurence Leblanc, the manager of the international division of RATP, a French company operating the Gautrain in 2007. South African and foreign professionals have mentored learners from Alexandra, Johannesburg who attend Saturday classes at St Mary’s School in Waverley. The programme caters for 300 Grade 10, Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners. The learners are selected from the five high schools in Alexandra. The learners on the programme are also exposed to career information and lifeskills sessions. The Grade 12 are helped to apply at university and get bursaries. Funding is also secured to assist top achieving learners with bursaries. In 2015, funding received from the governement from Wallonia Brussels (French speaking Belgium), the RATP Foudation, Bombela, the SA subsidiary of the Belgium company Zetes and private sponsors have allowed us to give full bursaries or partial funding to 20 students at the University of Johannesburg, Wits and TUT.

On Saturday 3rd of October, 7 entrepreneurs, out of 13 who completed the Sizanani entrepreneurship training (SET) progra...
13/10/2026

On Saturday 3rd of October, 7 entrepreneurs, out of 13 who completed the Sizanani entrepreneurship training (SET) program, pitched their businesses in front of a jury and received small financial awards. All of them are emerging entrepreneurs from Alexandra township
Welcome Jali got the 1st prize (R4000) for the outstanding presentation and professionalism displayed in the running of his company (Giktec) which provides IT services to security companies. Olana Vusani was awarded the 2nd prize (R3000): she runs Lonars Soft Comfort, which resells affordable quality toilet paper, and gives back to the community by providing some for free to children homes. Asisipho Mdaweni got the 3rd award (R2000) for his 3 D printing business, ALTGNAT (PTY)LTD
A big thanks to the jury members (see pictures) and the facilitators of the programme (Portia Mhlongo for the 10 sessions and Tracy Sibiya for the 6 emotional coaching sessions), as well as the mentors of the entrepreneurs, the guest speakers and SET assistant Neo Pelo.
SET is funded by Puma Energy and the Belgium Chamber of Commerce for Southern Africa.

On Saturday 3rd of October, 7 entrepreneurs, out of 13 who completed the Sizanani entrepreneurship training (SET) progr...
13/10/2026

On Saturday 3rd of October, 7 entrepreneurs, out of 13 who completed the Sizanani entrepreneurship training (SET) program, pitched their businesses in front of a jury and received small financial awards. All of them are emerging entrepreneurs from Alexandra township

Welcome Jali got the 1st price (R4000) for the outstanding presentation and professioanislm displayed in the running of his company (Giktec) which provides IT services to security companies. Olana Vusani was awarded the 2nd price (R3000) : she runs Lonars Soft Comfort, which resells affordable quality toilet paper, and also gives back to the community by providing some for free to children homes. Asisipho Mdaweni got the 3rd award (R2000) for his 3 D printing business, ALTGNAT (PTY)LTD

A big thank to the jury members : Shaira Pillay from , and -Louis Hazard of the Belgian Chamber of Commerce in South Africa, Thabiso Sebata from ).

SET was run by Sizanani team (including Neo Pelo), with facilitators (Portia Mhlongo and Kagiso for the 10 training session and Tracy Sibiya for the 6 emotional coaching sessions), as well as the mentors of the entrepreneurs and guest speakers.

SET is funded by and the Belgian Chamber of Commerce in South Africa

Last Saturday, Sizanani celebrated its (nearly) 20 th years birthday at the farewell party organized for Monique Adams, ...
21/09/2026

Last Saturday, Sizanani celebrated its (nearly) 20 th years birthday at the farewell party organized for Monique Adams, Sizanani chairperson, and Valérie Hirsch, Sizanani NPO founder. Both of them will retire at the end of the year. About 100 alumni, mentors and sponsors, attended the event at St Mary’s school.

“This farewell was beautifully expressed by the poet, says Jemi Luzinga, a Wits 3rd year student in medicine and bursary recipient from (Monique’s company). Such a tribute echoes the impact Valerie and Monique have made in the lives of many students from Alexandra and beyond. An impact which will last in future generations, as many more people's lives will be changed by the students you helped”

“Valerie and Monique have opened our eyes to possibilities that many of us did not known, adds Hope Mavasa, a second year student in HR (UJ). You showed us that our circumstances do not have to determine where we end up in life. You gave young people hope, opportunities and the courage to dream bigger".

Thank you to all the speakers who contributed to the commemoration of Sizanani legacy since 2007.

On 5 September, we were delighted to welcome 3 new volunteer mentors to Sizanani! 💜💚🧡Their commitment means that 5 Grade...
18/09/2026

On 5 September, we were delighted to welcome 3 new volunteer mentors to Sizanani! 💜💚🧡

Their commitment means that 5 Grade 10 learners from Alexandra now have a mentor in their corner — with one of our new mentors generously taking on 2 mentees.

A huge thank you to our new mentors for choosing to give their time, guidance, encouragement and life experience to support a young person through their high school journey. And a special thank you to our alumni volunteers for lending a helping hand to help us with our mentor inductions!

And this is only the beginning! 7 prospective mentors attended our induction, with more mentorship relationships currently in the process of being confirmed. We can't wait to welcome even more members into the Sizanani family. 🤗

We're currently at 88 mentors supporting our Grade 10–12 learners, and we're still hoping to reach our 100+ mentor goal! 🎯

If you've been thinking about becoming a mentor, or know someone who would make a wonderful one, please reach out to us. We can make arrangements to chat, answer your questions and explore how you can get involved.

Because every learner deserves someone in their corner. 💜💚🧡

Thank you to ! The International French company (water & waste management) has welcomed some of our job seekers from A...
17/09/2026

Thank you to ! The International French company (water & waste management) has welcomed some of our job seekers from Alexandra township for several days of - job shadowing, to increase their chance to secure employment. “I have been shadowing in the procurement department and a big thank you for offering an opportunity to gain industry insights aligning with my Transportation Management qualification. With this shadowing, I am more enthusiastic about my future”, says Melusi Pooe.
Another graduate, Johannes Malemela (Information tech diploma) has "The shadowing has been an eye opener. It helped me to keep up with the changes in my industry”. Two other graduates in management were welcomed for a day.
HRs from Veolia have participated to four mock interview sessions organized at the French chamber of commerce to train 80 of our graduates from Alexandra township. The sessions were part of the “Alexandra Graduates employability program” (AGEP), funded by hashtag .

Meet our Mentor of the Month — Shobitha Shetty! 🤩From being a mentor since 2019 to continuing to support Sizanani from L...
08/09/2026

Meet our Mentor of the Month — Shobitha Shetty! 🤩

From being a mentor since 2019 to continuing to support Sizanani from London, Shobitha has shown that distance doesn't have to mean disconnection.

Her recent R50,000 donation towards the tertiary fees of two students is another beautiful example of her ongoing commitment to helping young people build brighter futures.

Thank you, Shobitha, for continuing to show up, believe in our learners and invest in their journeys!



Shobitha first joined Sizanani as a mentor to Talent in 2019, and although she has since relocated to London, her commitment to Sizanani has never wavered.

Recently, Shobitha donated R50,000 towards the tertiary fees of two Sizanani students, continuing to invest in the journeys of young people even from thousands of kilometres away. 💚

Thank you, Shobitha, for showing us that mentorship doesn't end when circumstances change — and that giving your time, support and belief in others can have a lasting impact. We are so grateful for you! 👏🏽

🏆 Celebrating our Contributor of the Month — Tebogo Mosetlhe! 🏆Tebogo is one of our alumni who continues to give back to...
08/09/2026

🏆 Celebrating our Contributor of the Month — Tebogo Mosetlhe! 🏆

Tebogo is one of our alumni who continues to give back to the Sizanani community with genuine compassion and purpose. From being an active Peer Coach and supporting learners one-on-one, to sharing his story and even going the extra mile to support a learner's educational journey, Tebogo consistently shows what it means to give back.

Thank you, Tebogo, for your time, heart and unwavering commitment to our learners. We are so grateful for you! 👏🏽

“Before my job interview, I had already visited C-Best shop in Diepsloot to get glasses, sponsored by Sizanani. And now,...
07/09/2026

“Before my job interview, I had already visited C-Best shop in Diepsloot to get glasses, sponsored by Sizanani. And now, I will work as their sale assistant in Alexandra, from October !", says Khuselwa Paul, a financial planning TUT graduate.
She was hired by Tom Vanneste, a Belgium citizen, who set up a social company to sell affordable prescription glasses (less than 500 rands, test included) in townships and also offer some for free to Ngos ! His first shop in Diepsloot was opened in June. The second will start operating in October in Alex !
Another Sizanani alumni, Matidi Mathekga (graduate in Sociology and linguistics) was also hired by Tom. Khuselwa and Matidi have been part of our “Alexandra graduates employability program”, funded by the Group of the RATP Foundation, to help our job seekers to find work. “The guidance I received through AGEP helped me to prepare for this great opportunity”, says Khuselwa.
It is also the result our partnernship with C-Best (both Sizanani an C-Best founders are from Belgium).
Sizanani has already bought 26 pairs of glasses from C-Best for our learners and alumni, and many more will be bought- or donated - when the shop opens in October. Later this month, C-Best will screen all our 300 high schools learners from Alexandra who are attending Saturday classes at St Mary's.

Our girls got to experience the NBA! 🏀💜 On Saturday, 22 August, 10 of our Grade 9–12 girl learners had an unforgettable ...
02/09/2026

Our girls got to experience the NBA! 🏀💜

On Saturday, 22 August, 10 of our Grade 9–12 girl learners had an unforgettable experience at the 'Her Time To Play – Leadership & STEM Workshop' at the NBA Africa offices in Sandton!

And what a day it was!

The girls got to step inside the NBA Africa offices, learn about the NBA's history, participate in Math Hoops, explore leadership, and hear from inspiring women working across fields including STEM, veterinary science, virology, marketing, entertainment, technology and sport.

It was a wonderful reminder that a career connected to sport doesn't necessarily mean being an athlete. There are opportunities in technology, data, marketing, business, science, media, leadership and so much more!

A very special thank you to Sizanani mentor, Mthoko Madonda (Social Responsibility & Player Programs Lead at NBA Africa) for inviting our girls and giving them the opportunity to experience something new.

We are also so grateful to all the guest speakers who inspired our learners and shared their journeys:

Baleseng Dlamini (Marketing & Partnerships Management, NBA Africa), Vuyelwa Mpakanyiswa (Producer & Strategic Brand Architect), Dr Farhahna Allie (Senior Lecturer & Researcher in Biochemistry, University of Johannesburg), Dr Charlotte Nkuna (Senior Executive & Veterinarian, SANParks), Dr Faith Peta (Virologist & Vaccinologist), Snothando Konwabo (Content Producer & MC, NBA Africa) & Khotso Matlou (Senior Decision Analytics Analyst specialising in data, AI and emerging technologies)

And then came this beautiful reflection from our Grade 9 learner, Miyelani Rikhotso:

“I came at NBA with the mind of giving up and a low self-esteem but went out to that door with the mind of not giving up. If I fall, I can stand up without being scared of being judged or what other people will say.”

She also discovered that you can combine a love for maths with basketball through Math Hoops, learned about careers she didn't know existed, connected with other young people and, most importantly, left with a renewed belief in herself.

That is what exposure can do.

Sometimes a young person simply needs the opportunity to walk through a different door and see what is waiting on the other side.

Thank you, NBA Africa, for opening that door for our girls.

On Friday, Innocentia Ntombela, project manager at Sizanani received 4 laptops donated by Close the Gap, in partnershi...
24/08/2026

On Friday, Innocentia Ntombela, project manager at Sizanani received 4 laptops donated by Close the Gap, in partnership with Candriam. Close the Gap is a NPO launched by Olivier Vanden Eyde, to sell at low cost and donate pre-owned laptops to needy communities. They have opened a workshop near Alex, where they have already trained 7 of Sizanani alumni in cleaning and checking the laptops (mostly imported from Belgium). Innocentia Ntombela from Sizanani has also bought several laptops for our students in need. The new ones will be donated to our alumni or used for our upcoming AI competition. We are so happy about this win-win partnership between 2 Ngos founded by 2 Belgium citizens !

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