Welcome Ndileka Zantsi!

Saartjie Baartman’s Entrepreneurship Hub gets a big boost!

By Lala Steyn, Blocktober member, 7 August 2026

The Saartjie Baartman Centre has contracted Ndileka Zantsi this month to support the expansion of their Entrepreneurship Hub. This work has been made possible through donations from Blocktober supporters. 

As Ndileka begins this new chapter with the Centre, I caught up with her to learn more about her background, her passion for entrepreneurship development, and what she hopes to contribute to the Hub. 

Ndileka Zantsi, Entrepreneurship Innovator

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m excited to get started and believe there is tremendous potential to build on the work already happening at the Saartjie Baartman Centre.

I was born and raised in Worcester and later grew up in Cape Town. I’m a mother of two, an entrepreneur myself, and have more than 18 years of experience in entrepreneurship development, with a particular focus on supporting vulnerable groups in townships and rural communities.

I recently completed my MPhil in Inclusive Innovation at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business. My research explored whether entrepreneurship programmes in townships are responding to the actual needs of entrepreneurs and whether these programmes are sustainable over time. 

What attracted you to support the Saartjie Baartman’s Entrepreneurship Hub?

I was drawn to the Saartjie Baartman Centre because its work strongly aligns with my interests in economic development, inclusion, skills development and creating meaningful economic opportunities for women.

The Centre already has a strong foundation through its existing products, facilities and programmes. I see significant potential to build on this by diversifying the product offering and bringing in external partners who can contribute additional skills, resources, networks and access to markets.

There is an opportunity to expand the Entrepreneurship Hub beyond its current product offerings and create a more comprehensive pathway for women towards economic empowerment.

Importantly, not every woman participating in the Centre’s programmes will become an entrepreneur, and that is okay. Economic empowerment should include both entrepreneurship and pathways into employment. This could include support with CV development, job interview preparation, workplace readiness and broader skills development.

For women who do choose entrepreneurship, support should go beyond initial training. They need assistance with starting their businesses, ongoing mentorship, access to networks and post-programme support that can help them build sustainable businesses.

What barriers do women entrepreneurs face?

Women entrepreneurs face a range of barriers, including limited access to resources, skills gaps and a lack of ongoing support. These challenges can be particularly difficult for single mothers and women who are the primary or sole income earners in their households. When a business fails, the consequences can affect the entire family.

Entrepreneurship programmes therefore need to recognise the broader realities of women’s lives. Practical interventions such as child-friendly training environments, travel or meal stipends and support that takes wider family responsibilities into account can make a meaningful difference to participation and outcomes.

Entrepreneurship support needs to be holistic. It cannot focus only on teaching business skills; it must also consider the circumstances and support systems that enable women to participate, start businesses and sustain them over time.

As you know Blocktober participants contribute through walks/runs/rides and through donations. Do you have any closing words for them?

Blocktober is a wonderful initiative, and I think its real strength lies in being more than a once-off intervention. It creates an opportunity for sustained support and long-term impact.

I’m incredibly grateful to the Blocktober supporters who have contributed towards this work. Your support is helping create opportunities for women and strengthening the Centre’s efforts to build pathways towards economic empowerment.

I would also love to join a Blocktober Sunday solidarity walk. I regularly participate in my local Tyger Valley Parkrun/Walk, although I need to take things a little cautiously at the moment as I recover from an ankle injury!

I’m looking forward to the journey ahead and to working with the Saartjie Baartman Centre, its women entrepreneurs, partners and supporters to strengthen the Entrepreneurship Hub and create even more opportunities for women.

We say: Welcome! Welkom! Wamkelikile!

Read one of our other blogs!

Looking with new eyes (February 2026)

 

You can manage tough times  

By Bridget Pitt, Author and Blocktober walker 

On Sunday, 22 February 2026, I had the pleasure and privilege of joining one of the Blocktober walks. These epic treks have been going since 2020 as part of a campaign to raise awareness of gender based and domestic violence, show solidarity with survivors of GBV and to raise funds to support the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children.

The hike this Sunday took place at Silvermine, walking from the gate up to the dam.  Sixteen women and children from Saartjie Baartman, led by Siba Rolinyati (who works there), fourteen Blocktober supporters, and three dogs took part. We walked up a meandering and rugged track alongside the river to the dam, through groves of ancient milkwood and yellowwood trees. A cool morning mist soon lifted, and by the time we reached the dam, everyone was ready to strip off their shoes and socks and immerse hot tired feet in the refreshing water. Some of the kids immersed their whole selves.

On the way back I chatted to Megan, who works at the centre, about what these walks mean for the staff and inmates of the centre. She loves her work - the hardest part she says is saying goodbye to the children when their stay is up and they move on to hopefully easier lives.

'It’s really good to get out, the kids feel free here. In Manenberg you have to stay inside a lot because of the shooting. It’s wonderful to feel this freedom.’ 

Youth from the Saartjie Baartman Centre enjoying the River Walk, Silvermine

This was her first hike, and she is determined to do more.

I also spoke to Crystal (not her real name), a resident at Saartjie Baartman. She lost her parents when she was young and went through a difficult childhood in foster care.  Despite this, she is resolved to keep strong. She has been on a number of walks and believes that walking the trails reminds her of her inner strength. ‘Sometimes the going is tough, but you manage and that tells you that you can manage tough times in life, too.’ We looked at the milkwood trees, some blackened from the devastating fires last year, but sprouting new leaves, and reflected on how nature gives us lessons in resilience. Crystal’s ambition is to do motivational speaking and perhaps start an organisation to help women speak out against abuse.

Silvermine dam shines 

Last year, I joined a walk up to the blockhouse above Rhodes Memorial. I encouraged a young girl, who was finding the steep, rocky path hard going. But when we reached the top, she forgot her tiredness and discomfort as she looked out in amazement at the city stretching out before her feet. ‘I have never seen it like this,’ she said.

Perhaps this moment beautifully captures the power of these walks: to give us all a new perspective, those who have suffered trauma and those who are lucky or privileged enough to have been more sheltered. Hiking this ancient mountain has so much to offer all who venture on it, even just the simple pleasure of being out amongst plants and birds and insects, with the sun warming your skin and the breeze cooling you down. This beautiful project offers this opportunity to many people for whom the mountain is inaccessible. And it offers everyone the opportunity to show support and have life-changing encounters with others.

Thanks so much to the organisers, and to those who shared their inspiring stories with me.

For the Road Ahead

Join our:

• Monthly Sunday Solidarity Hikes with the Saartjie Baartman team: next walks are on 15 and 29 March with details provided on the Blocktober WhatsApp Group.

• Why not read the blogs you have missed?