About RFTT
Where Lived Experience Becomes Structured Knowledge
Book Synopsis
The Book That Introduces the RFTT Story
Rising from the Township — Inspiring Stories of South African Entrepreneurs
By Dr Steven Zwane & Yamkela Khoza Tywakadi
Rising From the Township is not just a collection of feel-good stories from successful business leaders, with no practical tools of how they built their empires. Rather, it is an essential read for anyone seeking actionable and practical strategies to build a thriving business. Meet ten inspiring business moguls from both townships and rural areas: Themba Makamo of Vaya Footwear, who redefines local pride with his booming footwear brand, and Sheldon Tatchell of Legends Barbershop, who is revolutionising the haircutting industry. From the innovative Ntuthuko Shezi to the visionary Nozipho Tshabalala and the pioneering Candice Thurston, each story is a testament to resilience, creativity, and the indomitable spirit forged in the townships and rural areas of South Africa.
The book is the brainchild of Dr Steven Zwane, who, upon meeting Yamkela at a conference in Cape Town, shared his vision for the project. With Yamkela’s expertise in publishing and her talent as a prolific writer, their collaboration brought the project to life. Their shared passion for telling stories of resilience and entrepreneurship led to the creation of a work that has become more than just a book; it is a movement, celebrating the ingenuity of South African entrepreneurs and offering hope and mentorship for future leaders.
Founder
Dr Steven Zwane
Dr Steven Zwane works at the intersection of multiple disciplines, bridging academic rigour with entrepreneurial practice to create systems that transform how township enterprise is understood, taught, and scaled.
Works at the Intersection of:
Published Case Studies
His cases have been published in Ivey Publishing and Harvard Publishing, making African township entrepreneurship accessible to global university classrooms.
“To transform township entrepreneurship stories into codified knowledge systems that can be taught, scaled, researched, and embedded within universities, corporates, and policy frameworks.”
Mission
To ensure township enterprises are studied, systematised, and institutionalised — moving from informal resilience to structured, scalable knowledge that shapes education, industry, and policy.
Platform Purpose
Codifying Township Enterprise Into Scalable Systems
RFTT is a knowledge creation and entrepreneurship education platform that codifies township enterprise journeys into structured, research-informed systems. We convert lived experience into frameworks that can be taught, scaled, and institutionalised.
Academic Case Studies
Published through Ivey Publishing and Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies for global university classrooms.
High School Learning Models
Age-appropriate entrepreneurship workbooks aligned with South Africa's national curriculum policy goals.
higher education curriuculum
Full course modules, teaching notes, and assessment frameworks for higher education institutions.
Corporate Shared Value Frameworks
Structured enterprise development and CSI programmes grounded in real township enterprise data.
Policy-Relevant Research
Evidence-based insights informing entrepreneurship education policy at national and provincial levels.
The Transition
From Inspiration to Impact
Inspiration
Capturing lived entrepreneurial journeys from the township.
Instruction
Converting stories into structured teaching and learning content.
Institutionalisation
Embedding knowledge into universities, schools, corporates, and policy.
Impact
Creating scalable systems that drive entrepreneurial capability nationally.
Inspiration
Capturing lived entrepreneurial journeys from the township.
Instruction
Converting stories into structured teaching and learning content.
Institutionalisation
Embedding knowledge into universities, schools, corporates, and policy.
Impact
Creating scalable systems that drive entrepreneurial capability nationally.
Want to Learn More?
Explore our entrepreneurs, discover our knowledge products, or get in touch to discuss partnership opportunities.