When Busisiwe Mfeka started Siwe Group in the middle of lockdown, her goal wasn’t just to run tours, it was to build something that changes lives.
Four years later, her Durban-based events and tourism company is doing just that, using collaboration and storytelling to uplift young people and share the beauty of South Africa through local eyes.
“We realised that tourism could grow people, not just profits,” Busisiwe says. “Every partnership we build helps someone new take a step forward.”
Siwe Group is built on collaboration. From partnering with township eateries and small caterers to working with schools and digital creatives, every project is designed to give others a platform.
When the company needs guides, it trains young people from local communities. When it hosts an event, it hires small suppliers from furniture makers to local photographers.
This approach means the money that comes in through tourism doesn’t leave the township economy. It stays in the hands of the people who make the experiences possible.
“We don’t believe in working alone,” says Busisiwe. “Tourism is about connection and that starts right here in our communities.”
Busisiwe knows what it feels like to start with little more than passion and faith. That’s why she makes it her mission to open doors for others. Siwe Group runs mentorships and school outreach programmes that introduce learners to careers in tourism, technology, and event management. The company offers internships and holiday jobs for students, giving them real-world experience long before graduation.
“Most young people just need someone to give them a chance,” she says. “Once they believe in their ability, they soar.”
Twelve people are now permanently employed at Siwe Group, and seventeen more work as casuals many of them youth from the same townships Busisiwe grew up in.
At the heart of their work is storytelling. Whether it’s a township tour, a school trip, or a conference in the bush, every experience tells a piece of South Africa’s story, its resilience, warmth, and culture.
Through carefully designed “micro-itineraries,” guests get to experience the country beyond the tourist trail, from the Phoenix Settlement where Gandhi once lived to the vibrant energy of Inanda, the Bluff temples, and Zulu cultural villages.
Each tour brings income to local guides, caterers, and artists, transforming stories into livelihoods.
“When travellers hear our stories from the people who live them, they don’t just visit South Africa, they connect with it,” Busisiwe says.
The company’s partnerships go beyond tourism. Siwe Group works with schools to host Tourism Awareness Days, sponsors community events like school clean-ups and prayer days, and collaborates with youth-led media teams to document their work.
These collaborations ripple outward, growing local confidence, skills, and income.
As Africa’s regional tourism rebounds, with 74 million visitors recorded in 2024, 81% of whom are from the continent, Siwe Group is showing that sustainable tourism starts at home.
By giving local people ownership of the story, Busisiwe and her team are helping to rewrite what travel looks like in South Africa.
“Our dream is for every visitor to leave with a story that was told by someone whose life it helped change,” she says.
For Busisiwe, Siwe Group’s success is proof that collaboration, faith, and storytelling can do more than attract travellers; they can build futures.
“When we work together, we create something bigger than ourselves,” she smiles. “We create hope.”
Siwe Group is a participant business on the SAB Foundation’s Tholoana Enterprise Programme.
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About the Author
Terrena Rathanlall is the SME Portfolio Manager at Fetola.
