About us
Nika strives to impact the future of South Africa through education equality.
Nika is both a conduit and an ignition – an ignition to inspire companies to transform their business focus towards lifelong social impact; and a conduit through which companies can join in this transformative work.
All this occurs from the basis of genuine generosity.
Who we are
a christian Public Benefit Organisation (“PBO”) aiming to bring systemic change by disrupting poverty through quality education to underprivileged communities.
the vision
Nika dreams of redeeming thousands of disadvantaged children out of a cycle of poverty through quality education, so they can be nurtured to live out their full potential.
This results in a multigenerational return on investment for individuals, their families, and South Africa.
the MISSION
Nika achieves this vision with the following strategies.
Since Nika partnered with the school in Mamelodi and proved the fundamental idea, Nika must now further develop its functional mission to innovate methodologies to identify pupils, grow the philanthropic base, and expand the program. The Nika mission is thus informed by the following learnings:
Catch them early.
Let parents contribute, even if it’s minimal, to establish emotional buy-in.
Identify children with drive and potential.
Provide schooling and support in the form of bursaries.
Monitor individual academic progress consistently and engage proactively.
Offer teacher and school support in various forms.
Offer real-world internships during holidays with partner companies.
Enable 50% discounted tertiary studies at Henley business school.
Achieve success in Gauteng before expanding Nika’s reach.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
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Stewardship Principle: Generosity Out Of Gratitude
At Nika, we aim to responsibly manage the resources God has given us, including money, intelligence, and opportunities. We believe these blessings should be used not just for personal gain but to benefit the community and improve society.
02
Social Impact Investment Through Generosity
Nika offers companies a meaningful way to invest in social impact by contributing to educational initiatives in South Africa. Partnering with Nika not only supports a noble cause but also aligns with corporate social responsibility goals. Companies can become part of this impactful journey by sharing a portion of their shares, benefiting from Nika's expertise in structuring such investments efficiently.
03
Servanthood Principle: charity and philanthropy
Nika balances charity and philanthropy – charity as helping the needy and philanthropy as addressing the root causes. Therefore, we try to address immediate need/suffering, but also strive address the root causes and enable by creating pathways out of poverty.
Directors
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Bertie Lourens
Bertie serves as both CEO and Managing Director of WastePlan, a national on-site waste management company focused on recycling and landfill diversion. He is the founder of Nika Capital and serves as co-CEO.
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Itumeleng Maluleka
Itumeleng is a Liason Officer at King Price Insurance. She has played a vital role in Nika Capital’s operations for the past 4 years and has become a big part of Nika’s identity. She now serves as a Director.
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John Jones
John is the pioneer and head chair of C12 South Africa and serves as an advisory committee member for King Price Insurance. John has been crucial in Nika Capital’s leadership and growth for over 7 years and currently serves as co-CEO.
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June Matlala
June is a member of the Institute of Directors Southern Africa (IODSA), a director for WastePlan, serving as chair for the Social & Ethics Committee. She is a contributing founder and director of Nika Capital.
beneficiaries
Nika makes funding allocations to selected schools, NPOs, and NGOs educate and develop children into valuable persons and leaders, grounded on biblical principles.
We endeavour to find sustainable solutions and innovative strategies to create a better future for these children, parents and educators.
At present, the two main beneficiaries are Schools of Hope and OakTree Christian Schools.
Projects
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Nika Capital Projects have over the years, provided resources and support across all the educational phases, i.e. ECD, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. This support has been as follows:
ECD Phase – Nutritional support (Startwell porridge), curriculum materials for teachers and learners, training programs and financial support for teachers.
Primary Phase – Leadership and examination preparation workshops, support at school events like assemblies and Prize-Giving Ceremonies.
Secondary Phase – Software and iPads provided for online learning, internet access which also allowed for online classes (streamed live), coding & robotics resources and academic support in the form of Shadow-Match profiling and study skills workshops.
Tertiary Phase – Shadow-Match profiling and study skills workshops, as well as bursary support for students for Henley Business School.
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Nika Capital’s Bursary Program commenced in 2023 with 165 Primary School learners at Curro Academy in Mamelodi; 2 Secondary School learners at Prestige College and 4 Tertiary students at Henley Business School. Curro Academy and Prestige learners received a partial bursary which subsidized their school tuition fees. Of the Henley Business School students, 3 received full bursaries and 1 student a partial bursary, also for their tuition fees. This year we have extended the Bursary Program to include Secondary School children of WastePlan and Trident Steel employees. These learners attend different schools in KZN and Gauteng.
We are hugely thankful to all our Nika Capital sponsors and donors for their generosity. This makes a significant difference in the lives of all our bursary recipients, enabling them to receive a quality education, the impact of which will reach, not only each recipient and their families, but ultimately their communities and our country!
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Nika Capital continues its engagements with and provide support to Curro Academy Mamelodi, Bona Lesedi High School, Pretoria Technical High School and the Rutegang Centre. This support ranges from facilitating extra classes, tutoring and mentorship, to relationships and connections with schools and bursary learners.
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In a world where financial landscapes are ever-evolving, it becomes crucial, especially for the South African youth, to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate these intricacies. Our commitment to create pathways out of poverty in South Africa through Education has led us to create Money Matters.
Money Matters is a consumer education and financial literacy solution, in the form of magazines. Aimed at equipping individuals with knowledge, skills and confidence to navigate the marketplace effectively. We promote generosity, stewardship, financial literacy, consumer rights, and ethical consumerism. These magazines aim to unravelling the mysteries of finance and instil a sense of financial literacy that will prove invaluable in the years to come. South Africa is brimming with potential. However, for this potential to flourish, it is imperative that we grasp the foundations of financial management and basic consumer practice. This paves the way for personal financial success while also contributing to the overall economic growth of the nation. Our hope is that Money Matters can begin to rectify the financial literacy challenges that South Africa is facing and curate a wealth of information designed to make financial literacy accessible, engaging and relatable. The Money Matters Magazines are designed to be useful, helpful, relatable and create good stewards of God's property.
Click here to view the 1st Money Matters Issue, and here for the 2nd Issue.
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The Munga is a 120 hour, non-stop, single-stage, mountain bike race across the middle of South African in the heat of the summer. The Munga covers roughly 1 100km from Bloemfontein, Free state to Wellington, Western Cape on beautiful district gravel road and thorough magnificent farms.
Nika Capital has successfully been taking 20 riders to partake in this life changing event every year since 2018, with the main goal of raising funds for our education equity goal. Nika Munga riders is tasked with raising a minimum amount of R55 000.00 to partake in the Munga as part of the Nika Team. We can proudly say that over R1 million has been raised every year. Nika Capital is more than a NPC, it is a family of generous individuals with a heart to change South Africa. If you share in the passion of cycling or just want to make a difference, the Nika family welcomes you.
For more information please contact Thinus at thinus@nikacapital.org. If you want to support this year’s Munga please click HERE. Nika Capital NPC is one of the official charity partners of The Munga.