FUNDA NATHI
We collaborate with Siyakha Youth Foundation as well as a wide range of other organisations to strengthen this impact, including Tshwane Library, Green Guardian Eersterust, True Love Movement, Curro School Mamelodi, Capital Live FM, Capital Media Hub, Education is our Future, Impilo Tennis Club, Voice It in Action, and Patch-Up SA.
To ensure lasting impact, Funda Nathi supports teachers and parents in our communities by equipping them to assist learners with reading, spelling bee, and word raffle competitions in Mamelodi. The programme also runs holiday reading club activities to help learners excel at school. In recognition of its success, Safari Investments was awarded the Silver Footprint Award by SACSC in 2024 for this initiative.
The Funda Nathi team visits 11 participating schools to kick off group spelling bee and story-reading sessions, followed by interactive Q&A discussions. In partnership with Capital Live, a local radio station based at Denlyn Mall, participants not only gain the opportunity to read in front of their peers but are also invited to be interviewed and conduct book readings on air. In 2025, the programme expanded with the launch of a Book Club, which introduced a range of enriching activities. These included radio interviews and poetry recitals by children in their mother tongue – celebrating language, culture and a love for reading.
Learners first participate at school level, with the final competition hosted at Denlyn Mall, where each participant proudly receives a medal. Denlyn sponsors trophies for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the spelling bee, word raffle, reading impromptu, and book review competitions. Feedback from school principals has been overwhelmingly positive, noting that the initiative significantly boosts the confidence and enthusiasm of all participating learners.
In collaboration with the Siyakha Youth Foundation, the Denlyn team holds feedback sessions with teachers who support the programme. These sessions provide an opportunity to reflect on successes, discuss challenges, and identify areas where the Denlyn team can improve.
Children flourish when they learn through experience. On our Funda Nathi journey, we foster a culture of reading that not only enhances knowledge but also nurtures creativity through the written word. We proudly launched our first edition featuring the winning short stories and poems submitted by participating primary schools in Mamelodi. Learners were thrilled to see their own work published, and the enthusiastic feedback from school principals and teachers encouraged even more learners to write their own stories and poems.
The Funda Nathi short stories and poetry are regularly featured on Capital Live Radio and shared with children during our Saturday Book Reading sessions at Denlyn Mall.
At the end of each year, the Denlyn team visits all eleven schools that form part of the Funda Nathi Programme to show our appreciation and honour the teachers who dedicate their time and effort to support the initiative without compensation. To thank them, we prepare hampers for the teachers and treat the Funda Nathi team to a well-earned Nando’s meal.
