From Violence to Economic Rupture: The Cost of Xenophobia

South Africa is already contending with stagnant economic growth, persistently high unemployment and declining business confidence, which makes attacks on entrepreneurs, regardless of nationality, one of the most self-defeating responses imaginable. Instead of addressing the pressures communities face, such violence destroys productive economic activity in places that need more investment, not less, and targets many of the very people doing what policymakers encourage: starting businesses, creating employment and generating income. This contradiction should not be ignored. Legitimate concerns about undocumented migration and weak border management must be taken seriously, and every sovereign state has both the right and responsibility to regulate immigration...

25 Jun

Youth Entrepreneurship Cannot Thrive on a Weak Foundation

Opportunity is only meaningful when it is accessible. If unemployed youth cannot reliably access the information, transport, safety, and support systems required to pursue those opportunities, then the promise remains largely theoretical. A house built on a weak foundation will not withstand pressure. The same is true of entrepreneurship...

24 Jun

22 On Sloane Launches Version Three Of The Township Digital Market Access Programme In The Western Cape

The programme launched in June 2024 is designed to address persistent barriers to digital participation, particularly limited digital literacy and restricted access to e-commerce marketplaces. Through structured training, technical onboarding and ongoing digital support, participating businesses will be capacitated to list and trade on leading South African e-commerce platforms. “Version three (3) represents a deliberate shift from access alone to preparedness and competitiveness,” says Bongani Ntombela, Executive: Programmes at 22 On Sloane...

18 Jun

The New Uprising: How South Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs Are Turning Freedom into Ownership

South Africa has a predominantly young population, with over 26 million people between the ages of 15 and 34. Yet this generation faces a difficult reality. According to Statistics South Africa, youth unemployment for those aged 15 to 34 stands at over 46%, making it one of the highest youth unemployment rates globally. For many young people, a traditional job remains out of reach. But something remarkable is happening. Instead of waiting for opportunities, many young South Africans are creating them. This is visible across townships, cities, and rural communities. Young entrepreneurs are launching technology startups, fashion brands, logistics companies, digital agencies, agricultural enterprises, and social businesses...

11 Jun

The Year of Action Meets the Age of Deconstruction: How Young People are Rethinking Old Systems

Younger founders are becoming less interested in spaces where people perform competence at one another; instead, the focus is shifting from presentation to presence. This is not tradition being rejected for the sake of rebellion, but rather tradition being interrogated. Why must a pitch happen behind a stand? Why must credibility be staged like a TED Talk audition? Why must access flow in only one direction? These are not abstract questions; they are design questions, and the answers are quietly reshaping how new ecosystems are built...

4 Jun

The Degree Was Never Meant to Be the Finish Line

The fifty years since 1976 have given South Africa’s youth more political freedom, greater access to education, and stronger institutional support than any generation before them. Yet the next chapter requires a different kind of courage. Not the courage to march, though that will always be honoured, but the courage to build, to launch, to fail publicly, and to begin again...

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22 On Sloane is the largest startup campus in Africa. The campus offers disruptive startups and innovative SMEs a complete turnkey solution to scale, from the initial idea all the way to commercialisation, funding opportunities and access to markets. Its aim is to nurture the entrepreneurial mindset, ensure their sustainability, and explore development of new industries and contribute towards job creation in Africa.