Recognised as the CSI Manager of the Year through the CSI Legacy Awards, Vovo has become a leading figure in Corporate Social Investment in South Africa. Her innovative leadership and passion for sustainable development have played a central role in the success of the Mbewu Social Fund, a pioneering initiative she helped design while serving at Barloworld. Today, as Non-Executive Director of the fund, her influence continues to shape the way corporates engage with social change.
“I am currently the Non-Executive Director to the Mbewu Social Fund, having exited full-time employment with Barloworld in September 2022,” Vovo explains. “I’m a social entrepreneur at heart, and I was privileged to design the fund which launched in 2019. Since then, it has activated a number of social enterprises that continue to flourish in local communities, addressing challenges through a business lens and adapting innovative solutions to create social impact.”
The word Mbewu, meaning “seed” in isiZulu, encapsulates the fund’s core philosophy — to plant the beginnings of change that multiply over time. “We deliberately chose the name to reflect the idea of seeding a better future. Think about how many seeds are in an apple, and in turn, how many apples are in a seed. Our intention was to plant as many of these seeds as possible — creating initiatives that not only feed communities but help them reimagine their own futures by leveraging their internal strengths and community assets.”
Mbewu was born out of a realisation that many promising social entrepreneurs were falling through the cracks. “We kept receiving requests from brilliant young people whose ventures didn’t quite meet traditional funding criteria,” she recalls. “We believed there had to be a model that provided resources — not just funding, but governance, registration and legal support — that mirrored corporate compliance. Many social impact organisations, especially in under-resourced communities, struggle to meet these standards. Mbewu was designed to fill that gap.”
The programme’s development was rooted in deep collaboration. “We undertook extensive research and consulted both within Barloworld and externally. Getting internal buy-in was crucial — it elevated the programme to a strategic level and ensured the financial support it needed. We also ensured that it aligned with the company’s broader sustainability agenda and transformation targets, particularly under the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment framework. This gave us a solid foundation to develop community-focused solutions that also served the company’s long-term interests.”
A key strength of Mbewu has been its ability to stay aligned with Barloworld’s business values while delivering tangible impact for beneficiaries. “We anchored all our efforts on the corporate sustainability pillars, especially the social pillar. We carefully selected beneficiaries whose work aligned with our goals; while also ensuring they served the needs of their own communities. When communities prosper, the businesses supporting them also benefit — it’s a mutually reinforcing ecosystem.”
While many CSI programmes struggle with long-term sustainability, Mbewu has endured by staying intentional. “We built the programme to align with the company’s long-term goals and placed sustainability at its core. Our focus areas were informed by this vision, and we made a point of truly understanding the communities we served.”
Asked about the broader role of corporates in tackling South Africa’s most pressing social challenges — from education inequality to youth unemployment — Vovo is unequivocal: “CSI programmes have historically contributed to access to quality education, but inequality is complex and requires multiple interventions. Supporting local SMMEs is one powerful way to create jobs and provide vocational training for young people. This gives them the exposure and experience they need.”
Looking to the future, she sees the intersection between sustainable development and food security as a key opportunity for CSI. “We need to support green economies, integrate digital technologies into impact reporting, and redirect resources where they’re needed most. With climate-related disasters on the rise — from cyclones in the Indian Ocean to droughts in the western regions — future CSI initiatives will have to be agile and technologically equipped to respond effectively.”
Winning the CSI Legacy Award in 2024, she says, has been a powerful validation of her team’s work. “It meant a great deal to us — it confirmed that we were on the right path by listening to the needs of our beneficiaries. For me personally, it was thrilling to see the outside world recognise that impactful, innovative programmes can be developed within corporate spaces. These are world-class initiatives, grounded in solid research.”
For those just starting out in the CSI space, her advice is clear: “Build partnerships with like-minded organisations and academic institutions. This will give you a strong theoretical grounding which you can then test within a corporate environment. Internally, find an executive sponsor who will advocate for your ideas at leadership level — and seek out a mentor to guide you along the way.”
Vovo’s journey is proof that social investment, when done with vision and integrity, can plant the seeds for transformational change — not only for communities, but for the future of Corporate South Africa itself.
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