Komani’s Rani proves it is possible

Born and raised in Komani, Luvuyo Rani truly epitomises the adage that “your attitude determines your altitude”, and that one’s background does not have to define one’s destiny.

Like many of us, Luvuyo was born to working-class parents, a father who worked as a nurse, and a mother who worked as a domestic worker, and later as a housewife who ran her own “illegal” sheeben to supplement the family income and make ends meet.

It is, in fact, while helping his mother in the sheeben after school that the seeds of greatness were first planted in him.

Since those days, Luvuyo, while still facing many life challenges like the rest of us, has soared in stature to levels most of us will only ever dream of.

Having completed his tertiary education, Luvuyo worked as a teacher for a few years.

Important as that noble profession is, it was not enough to satisfy the fire that was burning inside of him.

He left teaching in 2004, and with his partners, founded Silulo Ulutho Technologies, initially just selling refurbished computers to teachers, and later moved to offering a suite of services, mainly ICT training, targeting the underprivileged.

Over the last 20 years, Silulo has grown to include more than 43 branches in three provinces, and has trained more than 70,000 people in various programmes, empowering them with much-needed skills to enable them to meaningfully participate in the economy of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Had it not been for Luvuyo ’ s visionary leadership, most of these people would not have access to these skills to be able to fully to realise their potential, and support their families.

It is for this reason that Silulo and Luvuyo himself have won a string of awards over the years, too many to mention.

It is also for the same reason that in 2016 he was awarded the Schwab Global Social Entrepreneur of the Year, one of only eleven to be awarded that year.

For the uninitiated, Klaus Schwab is the ounder of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the international NGO for public-private sector collaboration that is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

The stated mission of the forum is “improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas”.

There can be no gainsaying the fact that the WEF is the eminent body that sets the world economic, and I dare say even political, agenda.

It is a very exclusive club of rich (mostly) individuals who gather every year, and decide priorities for the world economy.

Every year in January, a big meeting is held in the very cold city of Davos, where government and business leaders converge to look at the state of the world economy, and agree on how to make it better.

After decades-long criticism and protests by advocates of poor communities about what they perceived as the incorrect bias of the WEF, there has been an increased focus on social entrepreneurship in the recent past, capitalism with a soul so to speak, led by Schwab himself.

This is the foundation upon which Silulo is built.

Social entrepreneurship is about running businesses that not only bring wealth to their owners, but bring about positive change in the communities in which they operate.

This is what has always driven Luvuyo, and saw him overcome many obstacles as he and his partners were growing the business.

Through the 2016 award, Luvuyo became a member of the WEF and has traversed the world since, participating in their events, both for his own developmental purposes, and also as a leader and expert in his own right, imparting knowledge.

What a marvel it was watching his interview from Davos, reflecting on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on education on the African continent, and how we ought to respond so as not to be left behind.

Being part of the SA delegation, comprising only five ministers and business leaders (exclusive), Luvuyo participated in high-level panels such as Equity, Climate and Gender; People & Planet First: New Policies for Better Business and Artificial Intelligence for Social and Environmental Innovation.

He participated meaningfully in these panels alongside global leaders representing SA and Africa, and imparting wisdom.

Even from corporate SA, not many enjoy such privilege.

Indeed we are very proud of this son of Komani, and we want his life to motivate all the young people of Komani that it is possible.

Through education, and a correct attitude, it is possible.

As Madiba famously said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —