Siyanda Vazi on building an organisation designed to change lives.
- 22 hours ago
- 6 min read
After so many attempts to get hold of the man who is busy building not just his dream organisation but many people’s lives through his passion for developing communities through social solutions and education, we have finally got a moment to hear his heart and vision as he builds one of South Africa’s organisations that is strongly fighting unemployment while creating partnerships that matter to fulfil its vision.
This other Sunday evening, we sat down and listened to Siyanda Vazi as he shared with us all about Ubomi Foundation, the people behind it, the challenges confronting South African communities and, most importantly, the institution he hopes will one day stand beyond him.
For Vazi, the story of Ubomi Foundation is deeply connected to people. A social entrepreneur, community development advocate and business leader, Vazi has dedicated much of his work to creating sustainable opportunities for young people, entrepreneurs and communities. He is the Founder, Group Chairman and CEO of UBOMI Holdings, a multidisciplinary business group focused on enterprise development, project facilitation, social development and strategic business initiatives.
He is also the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ubomi Foundation SA, a community-centred non-profit organisation working across education, youth development, skills development, artisan opportunities, entrepreneurship, social support and community empowerment.
But when you listen to Vazi speak about Ubomi, it quickly becomes clear that this is not simply a corporate or organisational project. It is personal.
“Ubomi Foundation is an organisation that is born from young minds, young men and women who are willing to serve the community,” he tells us. “They are volunteers, professionals, active citizens who wanted to contribute to the wellbeing of society and the community at large.”
That idea of active citizenship sits at the centre of his philosophy. Vazi believes that communities cannot wait for someone else to solve every problem. There must be platforms that allow ordinary citizens, professionals, young people and organisations to bring their skills and energy into the communities around them.
That is where he sees Ubomi Foundation playing its role. Its purpose, he explains, is to become a platform for South Africans who want to contribute meaningfully to their communities and become part of creating solutions.
And South Africa certainly has no shortage of problems that require solutions. Among the most pressing is unemployment, particularly the growing challenge facing young people and graduates. For Vazi, the crisis cannot simply be discussed from a distance. It requires innovation, collaboration and people willing to act.
“We do believe as an organisation, as Ubomi Foundation, the current situation brings about innovation and brings about solutions to the problem,” he says. “And Ubomi Foundation is that solution.”
Siyanda Vazi on building an organisation designed to change lives.
That solution, however, cannot be built by one person. This is why Vazi has placed considerable emphasis on partnerships and bringing the right people into the organisation. His leadership approach is built around collaboration between government, private-sector partners, educational institutions, community organisations and individuals who possess the skills and experience required to make programmes work.
The Foundation is therefore entering an important period of organisational growth, appointing individuals with relevant skills and experience who can help strengthen its ability to respond to social and economic challenges.
“We are employing, partnering and working in association with relevant people to bring about the solution to the biggest crisis, especially on unemployment among graduates,” he says.
For Vazi, building the right team is not merely an administrative exercise. It is part of building an organisation capable of delivering on its promises. During Women’s Month, the foundation has also been deliberate about creating opportunities for women to take on leadership roles. “We are deliberate in taking the lead on appointments, and especially on actions that are to be taken to bring about solutions,” Mr Vazi says.
It reflects the kind of institution he wants Ubomi Foundation to become - one that does not merely speak about empowerment but actively creates spaces for people to participate in solving the challenges facing society.
Yet behind the appointments, programmes and partnerships lies something even more important to Mr Vazi - the people whose lives are ultimately touched by the work. He speaks with warmth about the moments when he and his team are on the ground, interacting with communities.
Whether it is in a school, an old-age home, working with vulnerable groups, conducting educational programmes or providing entrepreneurship workshops, the greatest reward for him is seeing people respond to the work.
“As the founder of Ubomi Foundation and the CEO, I always appreciate and cherish moments where we are able to experience young and old when we are on site doing our projects and be able to support communities,” he says.
For Vazi, impact is often found in something as simple as a smile. It is in the testimony of someone who feels that an interaction with Ubomi has changed their circumstances. It is in a young person beginning to believe that education can create a different future. It is in an aspiring entrepreneur receiving knowledge, support or an opportunity that may help them take their first meaningful step.
“That’s something we pride ourselves with,” he says. “We want to change lives from better, to better, to great.” There is an important distinction in that philosophy.
Vazi does not want Ubomi Foundation to create communities that are permanently dependent on assistance. He wants to help create people who can eventually stand for themselves. “Our people must be able to do it for themselves, not just people who are dependable,” he explains. That vision extends beyond immediate relief. It is about creating the confidence, knowledge, skills and opportunities that allow individuals and communities to participate in their own development.
And perhaps that is why the name Ubomi carries such significance. In isiXhosa, ubomi means life. For Vazi, the word speaks to the experiences that shape all of us - the good, the bad, the challenges and the victories.
“Each and every one of us… have reference to things, whether good or bad experiences. That’s why we call it Ubomi,” he reflects.
But he does not want life to be defined only by hardship. “We felt it is important that we take it through that now life is happening. Now must just not be negative but rather be positive.” It is this belief that appears to drive much of his work: that circumstances may be difficult, but people should never be denied the opportunity to change their circumstances.
As our conversation moves towards his personal hopes for the organisation, Vazi becomes particularly reflective. He is not only interested in building an organisation that succeeds today. His ambition is to build an institution that survives tomorrow. “I always had the desire to ultimately design an organisation to be an institution,” he tells us. “An institution that tomorrow will stand beyond me and the future generation to benefit.”
That may ultimately be the greatest measure of his leadership. Not how dependent Ubomi Foundation becomes on Siyanda Vazi, but how capable it becomes without him. He wants it to be formidable, organised, structured and, most importantly, working. “I always have the vision and the dream and the wisdom to see things becoming formidable, organised, structured, and most importantly, working,” he says.
It is a bold ambition, but one that speaks to a deeper understanding of legacy. For Vazi, legacy is not about having his name remembered. It is about building something that continues to serve people when his own chapter is over. An institution that creates opportunities. An institution that develops communities. An institution that gives young people reason to believe in themselves. An institution that brings partners together to solve problems that often seem too large for one organisation to tackle alone. And an institution that, above everything else, gives life a chance to become better.
“Ubomi must stand,” Vazi says. “Ubomi Foundation must stand.” And that is the heart of Siyanda Vazi’s story. He is not simply building an organisation. He is attempting to build an institution that can carry a vision beyond its founder, one that can continue turning partnerships into opportunities, challenges into solutions and lives into stories of possibility.
For a country searching for practical answers to some of its most difficult social and economic challenges, that kind of ambition matters. And for the communities Ubomi Foundation hopes to serve, the real story will not be in what Siyanda Vazi says today. It will be in what Ubomi Foundation continues to do tomorrow.
For more, visit: Ubomi Foundation SA
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