At Silulo Foundation, impact is not only measured by the entrepreneurs we support. It can also be seen in the people who work alongside them every day.
As our programmes have grown, so too have the people behind them. Team members are becoming stronger facilitators, mentors, connectors and leaders, taking what they learn through their work with township entrepreneurs into an increasingly wider entrepreneurship ecosystem.
This was beautifully reflected at the 2026 Triga Entrepreneurs Conference, where Silulo Foundation’s COO Mona-Lisa Maposa and Programme Coordinator Aqhama Tinise were invited to participate.
The annual conference is one of the highlights of the Triga community’s year and marks the culmination of its Accelerator Programme. It brings together entrepreneurs, fellows and local and international speakers around learning, connecting, contributing and building ventures capable of creating meaningful social and economic impact.
For Silulo Foundation, seeing Mona-Lisa and Aqhama recognised in this way represents something bigger than participation in a conference.
From programme delivery to ecosystem leadership
Mona-Lisa and Aqhama play an important role in the day-to-day work of Silulo Foundation, supporting entrepreneurs who are building businesses in township communities.
They work closely with entrepreneurs as they navigate challenges, strengthen their businesses, build confidence and connect with people and opportunities beyond their immediate environment.
Both have also been part of the Triga Fellowship community.
Their participation in the year-long Triga programme was made possible through Astron Energy’s investment in their development. More than supporting Silulo Foundation as a funder, Astron also invested in strengthening the people behind the work, giving Mona-Lisa and Aqhama access to a programme focused on entrepreneurship, leadership and building ventures for greater impact, with mentors helping them identify gaps, challenge their thinking and strengthen their approach.
That exposure matters.
The value of networks is not only what they create for an individual. The knowledge, insights and skills gained can be brought back into their organisation, strengthening its programmes, informing its approach and helping it create greater impact within the community.
When members of our team gain access to new ideas, relationships, experiences and platforms, that knowledge flows back into the Foundation and, ultimately, into the businesses and entrepreneurs we support.
It strengthens programme delivery.
It expands networks.
It creates stronger bridges between township entrepreneurs and the wider entrepreneurship ecosystem.
And, importantly, it also creates the space to challenge how we think about the work itself.
Looking beyond business skills
One of the most meaningful moments for Mona-Lisa during the Triga experience came during a Braintrust session exploring why some entrepreneurs drop off the programme and what could be done to improve retention.
During the discussion, one of the mentors challenged the team to look beyond the numbers.
The question, she suggested, may be deeper than programme participation alone.
It may also be about identity.
That perspective prompted an important reflection: entrepreneurship support cannot only be about equipping people with business skills. It must also recognise the person behind the business, their aspirations, confidence and belief in what is possible for their lives.
For Mona-Lisa, this gave even greater weight to the work of Silulo Foundation.
“We are not simply helping people build businesses; we are working with people, their aspirations, their confidence, and their belief in what is possible for their lives.”
In a South African context, where the legacy of the past continues to shape access, opportunity and confidence in many communities, entrepreneurship can become part of a much broader process of restoration.
It can help people begin to see themselves differently.
To recognise their own value.
To imagine new possibilities.
And, from that stronger foundation, to build more sustainable businesses.
Leadership is something we have to model
The Triga experience also reinforced an important lesson for the Silulo team: the responsibility of an entrepreneurship programme goes beyond transferring knowledge.
It requires organisations to be intentional about the people they are developing, the environments they create and even the way success is measured.
This means asking deeper questions.
Are entrepreneurs only gaining business knowledge, or are they also growing in confidence?
Are they seeing new possibilities for themselves?
Are programmes helping them develop the resilience and sense of agency required to sustain a business over time?
These are important questions for Silulo Foundation as it continues to develop its programmes.
They are also an example of why the growth of the internal team matters so much.
As Mona-Lisa explains:
“It has challenged me to think more deeply about how we design our programmes, how we engage with entrepreneurs and how we measure success.”
Entrepreneurship programmes frequently talk about resilience, accountability, continuous learning, networking and the willingness to step outside your comfort zone.
Those principles cannot only be taught.
They need to be modelled.
For Silulo Foundation founder Luvuyo Rani, the wider team, and past and present entrepreneurs, there is a great deal to celebrate in seeing Mona-Lisa and Aqhama continue to grow personally and professionally while helping others do the same.
Growth that reaches beyond Silulo
Silulo Foundation’s work is rooted in township entrepreneurship, but its impact does not stop within the communities in which its programmes are delivered.
As team members such as Mona-Lisa and Aqhama grow in confidence, experience and visibility, they are increasingly able to contribute to conversations and networks beyond the Foundation itself.
In turn, those experiences, ideas and relationships come back into Silulo.
That creates a valuable cycle of learning.
The Foundation contributes its practical experience of working with township entrepreneurs to the broader ecosystem, while bringing new thinking, connections and opportunities back into its programmes and communities.
Recent figures shared around the Foundation’s work show the scale of this broader impact, with more than 200 entrepreneurs reached and 651 jobs created or sustained.
Behind those numbers are people.
Entrepreneurs building businesses.
Employees earning livelihoods.
Families and communities benefiting from economic activity.
And behind those entrepreneurs are programme teams, mentors, partners and ecosystem builders continually learning how to support them more effectively.
Seeing Mona-Lisa and Aqhama recognised by the Triga community is therefore something we are especially proud of.
It represents their own personal growth.
It represents the development of the Silulo Foundation team.
And it demonstrates what can happen when organisations invest not only in the people they serve, but also in the people responsible for supporting them.
For Mona-Lisa, the Triga experience ultimately reinforced something even deeper:
“Our work is not only about building sustainable businesses, but also about contributing to the restoration of identity, dignity and possibility in our communities.”
When we invest in people, their growth rarely stops with them.
It travels into their organisations, their networks, their communities and, ultimately, into the people they help to grow next.
That’s the kind of growth we’re looking for!
Applications for our entrepreneurship programme are now open. If you have an existing business or a business idea you’re ready to grow, we’d love to hear from you. Apply for our next cohort intake and become part of the next chapter of this story.
Application Link: https://airtable.com/app9mgqebZgpR9saO/pag5USMETbGKNkVsc/form
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