For three decades, the Zenex Foundation has been at the forefront of advancing quality education and equity in South Africa. Our journey has been one of consistent investment in systems, partnerships, and people. Ensuring that talent from disadvantaged backgrounds is not lost, but nurtured to its fullest potential.
Among the most profound examples of this impact are the lives of Dr Princess Gumbi, Lindokuhle Ngwenya, and Nonzuzo Dlamini. They received academic support in their final years of schooling (Grade 10-12) through the Zenex Foundation’s partnership with the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa in the Mathematics and English Learner Programme (ISASA M&E Programme). Their stories encapsulate what it means to transform access into opportunity, and opportunity into leadership.
Investing in Talent to Transform Futures
In the mid-2000s, the Zenex Foundation recognised the need to expand access for talented learners from under-resourced communities to quality mathematics, science, and language education. To address this, it implemented a Learner Programme between 2007–2016 using an immersion model that placed high-potential learners from disadvantaged schools into selected independent, public, and bridging schools offering strong mathematics, science, and English support. The goal was to increase the number of Black learners achieving quality passes in these subjects and entering STEM fields at post-school level.
Zenex partnered with ISASA for placement of learners in independent schools, CASME and TEN to support implementation in public schools, and Reunert, Star Schools, and Midlands Community College for bridging schools. Learners were selected through rigorous testing, interviews, and household income assessments. Dr Gumbi, Lindokuhle, and Nonzuzo were among those placed at Inanda Seminary, one of the ISASA schools in the programme.
The programme’s holistic approach, combining financial support, mentorship, and personal development, enabled learners to thrive academically, socially and emotionally. It has not only changed the trajectories of individual learners, but also demonstrated the multiplier effect of educational investment across generations.
Dr Gumbi, who is now a medical doctor, is a proud alumna of the programme who studied towards her MBChB at the University of Havana in Cuba. She was a high performer who grabbed the opportunity with both hands and achieved excellent results in Grade 12.
Today, she reflects:
“When I entered the programme, I was a shy girl with little confidence. That environment helped me discover my voice and my leadership potential. Every leadership role I’ve held since began with that experience.”
The Power of Support and Belonging
Beyond academic access, Zenex’s model emphasised the importance of psychosocial and relational support, key determinants of learner success. For many beneficiaries, this network became a lifeline.
Lindokuhle Ngwenya, who went on to pursue her studies in Economics and Mathematics at Rollins College in the United States of America, was placed in Inanda Seminary between 2008 and 2010. She recalls how the programme’s structure provided both stability and hope during difficult times:
“I lost my mother during my final year of school. But I had mentors and teachers who became mothers to me. The support system carried me through and made me fearless. It’s because of that environment that I went from a small rural village to studying in the United States of America.”
Such testimonies illustrate how Zenex’s interventions have always gone beyond access. They build resilience, self-belief, and agency – qualities that sustain long after school. Today, Lindokuhle is a seasoned Business Analyst and Consultant in the agile technology sector.
From Beneficiaries to Change Agents
Another great testament to Zenex’s approach is how it multiplies impact over time. Many former beneficiaries, such as Nonzuzo Dlamini from the programme’s 2009 learner cohort, who went on to obtain an Honours Degree in Geography from Wits University, where she is currently completing her Masters Degree, have grown into role models and mentors within their families and communities. Today, Nonzuzo is a Development Planning Professional specialising in Environmental Management and Local Economic Development.
“I was the first in my family to graduate,” says Nonzuzo. “Now, younger relatives say, ‘I want to be like Sis Nonzuzo.’ The programme didn’t just change my life, it changed my family’s mindset about what’s possible.”
These individual stories collectively demonstrate the strategic value of Zenex’s long-term investments: supporting learners who, in turn, inspire and uplift others, showing how education’s ripple effect extends far beyond the classroom.
A Legacy of Purpose and Partnership
While Zenex’s strategy has evolved and we no longer fund in the Further Education and Training Phase (Grade 10-12), nor do we work with individual learners because of our focus on making wider systemic impact, this initiative is one that we are proud of because of the lasting impact it has had on the learners, their families, their communities and indeed the country’s economy.
The learner programme addressed a dire need in the country at the time, being that too few Black children were exiting school with quality passes in mathematics and science to address the economic needs of the country. The stories of Dr Gumbi, Lindokuhle, and Nonzuzo represent how the programme was truly transformational for over 1000 learners. As Dr Gumbi aptly states: “Zenex didn’t just fund our education; it transformed our lives.”
As Gail Campbell, CEO of Zenex Foundation, notes, “at Zenex, our purpose remains unwavering: to catalyse equitable, high-quality education that unlocks the potential of every learner”.
