2026 SAB Foundation Tholoana Enterprise Programme

📖 About SAB Foundation Tholoana Enterprise Programme

The Tholoana Enterprise Programme supports entrepreneurs to become successful and resilient business owners through extensive entrepreneurial skills development, mentorship, and access to markets, finance, and practical business tools and templates.

Upon acceptance, participants will undergo a comprehensive journey of self-assessment, goal setting, and strategic growth planning tailored to their business needs. The programme provides inclusive wrap-around support, including mental health assistance, to help entrepreneurs achieve their full potential.

🛤️ The Journey

The 18-month journey includes:

• Five practical and inspiring business-skills workshops.
• A series of financial management interventions.
• Ongoing one-on-one mentorship.
• Access to a range of business growth initiatives, including investment readiness support, brand building, market readiness support, and access to markets.

🎯 Participant Expectations

Participants are expected to:

• Fully participate in all programme elements, peer groups, and business growth interventions.
• Meet all agreed milestones.
• Complete baseline and yearly surveys for a period of five years.
• Regularly engage with their mentor and utilize their knowledge and support.
• Submit monthly business data, including simple online financial reports.
• Maintain open, two-way communication with the programme team.
• Demonstrate a positive entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to learn and grow.
• Share ideas, think big, and help themselves and others succeed.

🎁 Benefits of the Programme

Leadership Development

• Build a combination of business, personal, and leadership skills.

Practical Skills Development

• Attend five dynamic workshops (compulsory).

Mentoring and Coaching

• Access to a personal mentor for up to four hours per month.
• Ongoing support from portfolio coordinators and the programme manager.

Online Information Sessions

• Participate in online sessions for knowledge sharing, skills building, peer learning, and networking.

Market Readiness Interventions

• Bespoke interventions aligned with market readiness needs, including brand building, sales and marketing tools, and media opportunities.

Access to Resources

• Resources in legislation, compliance, business development, market access, finance, and media relations.

Performance Tracking

• Monitoring and evaluation of business data to identify challenges and track performance.

Peer-to-Peer Community and Networking

• Digital peer-to-peer platform for collaboration and sharing information.

Financial Management Support

• Curated financial interventions to ensure entrepreneurs are financially savvy, confident, and investment-ready.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

Entrepreneur Requirements

• High moral and ethical standards with a desire to contribute to South Africa's economy.
• Resilient, self-motivated, and driven to succeed.
• Willingness to learn, grow, and change.
• Demonstrates entrepreneurial and leadership abilities.
• Involved in daily operations and management of the business full-time.
• South African citizen.
• Possesses skills and experience relevant to their business.
• Seeks business support, mentorship, and skills training to elevate their business.
• Committed to full participation in the programme for 18 months.
• Open to change and willing to drive new strategies for business growth.

Business Requirements

• At least 51% black-owned and managed.
• Creates jobs.
• In the early stages of growth.
• Operational and trading for at least 12 months.
• Commercially sustainable and viable.
• Headquartered and registered (if applicable) within South African borders.

📅 Application Date and Process

• Application Deadline: 08 September, 2025
• Visit the SAB Foundation Tholoana Enterprise Programme website for more details.
• Apply directly via the application portal.

🌟 Sponsor Organisation

The programme is sponsored by SAB Foundation.

📌 Key Dates

• Date Published: August 15, 2025
• Application Deadline: September 08, 2025

For more information, visit the official SAB Foundation Tholoana Enterprise Programme page.

• Leadership Development: Successful businesses are built on a combination of business skills, personal skills and leadership skills.
• Practical skills development: Five dynamic workshops form an important part of the programme and attendance at these sessions is compulsory.
• Mentoring and coaching: Participants have access to a personal mentor for up to four hours per month. In addition to the mentor, ongoing support and guidance from portfolio coordinators and the programme manager is on offer.
• Online information sessions: A number of online information sharing sessions will take place over the course of the programme. These sessions contribute to knowledge sharing, skills building and peer learning and networking.
• Market readiness interventions: A wide variety of bespoke market readiness interventions are available for business leaders to select from in alignment with their market readiness needs including brand building, sales and marketing tools, media opportunities, etc.
• Access to resources: Participants will have access to resources in the fields of legislation and compliance, business development, market access, access to finance and media relations.
• Performance tracking: The monitoring and evaluation of business data allows the team to identify individual challenges that require support interventions. This data also allows the Tholoana Enterprise Programme team to track the performance, giving an overview that shows your performance in relation to your peers. Financial information, management accounts and jobs data are submitted on a monthly basis.
• Peer-to-peer community and networking: In addition to the networking opportunities facilitated at the workshops, a digital peer-to-peer platform enables participants to share information, collaborate and discuss common challenges. Active participation in peer group activities is required.
• Financial Management Support: Effective financial management is key to the success of any business, yet it is an element of business management that most entrepreneurs find overwhelming. The Tholoana Programme has curated a series of Financial Interventions that will ensure our entrepreneurs are financially savvy, confident and investment ready.