Sanlam's Systemic Development Commitment

As Africa’s largest non-banking financial services group, Sanlam works tirelessly to make a positive and lasting impact wherever it operates. To achieve this, the Group has implemented a myriad of social investment, enterprise development and sustainability focused initiatives to help thousands live with confidence. Three stories stand-out as embodying the Sanlam purpose and #SAINC went to uncover them firsthand.

I was excited for the opportunity to own a tablet

The People

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Thami Nkosi (60 Sec)

Thami Nkosi is an inspiring young man. Having matriculated from PJ Simelane Secondary School in Dobsonville Soweto at 17, he now studies computer science at the University of Johannesburg. Thami was a diligent student in high school but often found it challenging due to limited resources. When Sanlam arrived at his school, his academic world came to life. With a device and ample internet access, he could supplement his learning which significantly impacted his results. Now he is an inspiration to his brother and other friends following in his footsteps.

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Justin Smith – Head of Business Development at WWF-SA. (60 Sec)

Justin Smith is the Head of Business Development at WWF-SA. As a passionate advocate of sustainability, he has formidable experience in working with the business sector to develop solutions to environmental challenges. WWF-SA has a long-standing relationship with Sanlam around water stewardship, especially in marine conservation. More recently, the partnership has focussed on the freshwater space, where socio-economic challenges, climate change and alien invasive species are wreaking havoc on our water supply and our ability to manage fire risks.

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Sanlam Thembi Sitole – Owner of G&T Autobody (60 Sec)

Thembi Sithole epitomises the saying “dynamite comes in small packages”. Originating from rural KZN, Thembi made her way to Johannesburg, where she completed her schooling and found a job at a car wash in Randburg. Being ambitious and hard-working, she worked her way up to becoming a spray painter, an office administrator and finally a business manager.

She soon realised she had reached her ceiling as an employee, so she opened her own panel shop. Recognising her obvious entrepreneurial drive, Sanlam supported her business, providing the coaching and mentoring she needed to triple her revenue in a single year. Sanlam also provided the funding she needed to expand into new premises. Today, G&T Autobody is an accredited supplier to the insurance industry, and Thembi is a woman making serious waves in the panel-beating world!

Corporate Overview

The Story

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The first visit was to Dobsonville, Soweto, to see just how much impact one of Sanlam’s initiatives could have. The results were striking. As a systemic school intervention, Sanlam worked with classroom educators to build their teaching capacity. Through direct engagement with learners, the programme has impacted over 70 000 students to date! It has also led to a significant improvement in academic results, thus equipping this cohort of learners to step into a brighter future.

Next, we went to the Western Cape’s Berg River catchment area to explore the water conservation initiatives implemented in partnership with the WWF South Africa (WWF-SA). The goal was to see the remarkable impact of alien invasive clearing on the city’s water supply.

Then it was back to Johannesburg to meet with a firecracker of an entrepreneur. There we discovered that, through grit, determination, and some help from Sanlam’s ESD programme, Thembi Sithole had grown her panel beating business into a significant industry player.

These initiatives demonstrate how purposeful engagement from a committed corporate citizen is delivering positive progress and changing lives at scale.