June 2025, Johannesburg, South Africa. The SAB Foundation has invested more than R688 million in small businesses and social innovations across South Africa, according to the most recently released Impact Report 2024. These numbers tell a far bigger story, one of grit, growth and the power of possibility. Behind every rand is an entrepreneur with a vision or a determined innovator working to improve South Africa’s future.
Since 2015, the Foundation has helped transform ambitions into sustainable, growing enterprises that create jobs, drive innovation, and contribute meaningfully to South Africa’s development through targeted funding and business support.
The Foundation’s impact is best reflected in the journeys of its entrepreneurs:
- Lungelo Gumede, who co-founded Excel@Uni after dropping out of university, built a national student support network now employing 21 people.
- Mapha Logistics, a township-based delivery and e-commerce service, scaled from four employees to 50, with revenue increasing 13-fold.
- Spoon Money, a micro-lending cooperative inspired by traditional stokvels, has distributed over 16,000 loans to women running informal businesses.
- Green Arch Innovations, a sustainable aquaculture enterprise, grew from 11 to 25 employees and positively impacts over 45,000 households.
“At the heart of the SAB Foundation is a mission to ignite opportunity by backing South Africans who are building sustainable businesses that uplift lives and strengthen communities,” says Bridgit Evans, Executive Director of the SAB Foundation. “We invest in people with bold ideas and the determination to solve real challenges, because when they succeed, their impact ripples across families, neighbourhoods, and the nation.”
South Africa’s small business sector contributes an estimated 34% to GDP and employs about 59% of the total workforce. Yet, despite their critical role in driving inclusive growth and innovation, only 6% of small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) secure formal loans to expand their operations, with 44% relying instead on personal savings.
The Foundation supports entrepreneurs through a combination of grant funding, tailored business development services, and long-term guidance. Its focus is on creating opportunities for those who face systemic barriers to economic participation, particularly women, youth, and people with disabilities. In line with its commitment to inclusive growth, the Foundation has invested over R78.6 million in 186 social innovations addressing challenges in education, healthcare, energy, agriculture and recycling, demonstrating the power of entrepreneurship to drive sustainable development from the ground up.
With unemployment at 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025 and youth unemployment among the highest globally, the need for inclusive, job-creating solutions remains urgent. The Foundation’s programmes are designed to respond to this reality by supporting entrepreneurs in rural and underserved communities, where a single business can sustain many lives. By backing individuals who are often excluded from traditional economic opportunities, the Foundation is working to expand access, close participation gaps, and foster long-term, community-level resilience. This approach is an extension of SAB’s enduring legacy of nation-building, one rooted in empowerment, resilience and shared value.
“As SAB commemorate 130 years, the SAB Foundation stands as a powerful reflection of our enduring commitment to South Africa’s progress,” says Zoleka Lisa, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at SAB. “For over a century, SAB has believed in the potential of this country and its people. The Foundation allows us to carry that belief forward by backing entrepreneurs who are solving real challenges, creating jobs, and driving inclusive economic growth. Through this work, we continue to honour our commitment to be a force for good, not just in business, but in the lives of South Africans.”
The full SAB Foundation 2024 Impact Report is available for download here.
Media contact:
Lungile Manganyi
Account Manager, Client Experience
T +27 11 566 6318 | M +27 78 595 2467
webershandwick.com
