A group of bold entrepreneurial South Africans has launched The Lekker Network, a place for South Africans and others who love working with them to connect, share opportunities, and do business together.

With the full complement of offerings and benefits still to be finalised before its official opening in March 2025, The Lekker Network will offer its members various advantages such as a business directory, a job portal for employers and job seekers, access to featured brand stories and to a social platform with like-minded individuals, and events in diverse locations for guests to meet others who are inspired by South Africans’ ‘can-do’ attitude.

“No matter where South Africans are, it’s always lekker doing business with us, whether everyone involved is living and working in South Africa, or whether it’s emigrants benefiting from home-grown connections in their new home country,” says Renier Lombard, co-founder of The Lekker Network.

“South Africans are naturally collaborative, we thrive on solving challenges through innovation, and it’s in our natures to want to make the world a better place,” he adds. “Through The Lekker Network, we’re setting out to harness these great drivers of our fellow citizens – at home and abroad – so that we can drive economic progress with purpose, pride, and a commitment to uplifting our communities and one another.”

The Lekker Network is setting out to forge connections between South African businesses and businesspeople, regardless of their location in the world, and has also welcomed members who aren’t South African, but who value South Africans’ work ethic, creativity, and resilience.

To encourage maximum efficiency, chapters of The Lekker Network will be grouped by region to allow for region-specific programming and cross-country networking. Groups could be collected within cities or smaller regions to enable in-person events and closer community support, with each local chapter organising workshops, meetups and social events for members to connect and collaborate.

Curated learning tracks and mentorship opportunities will be able to set emerging businesses up with more experienced counterparts to amplify potential, whether that’s for international businesses to employ local talent to work remotely, or to build businesses in South Africa to further invest in the country’s economic growth.

“This is more than a platform for global networking – it’s an environment that sets out to connect, uplift and empower South African businesses, leaders, and innovators here and abroad,” Nic Latouf, co-founder of The Lekker Network. “We’re not setting out to guilt emigrant South Africans to come back home – we’re creating opportunities for them to amplify and share their successes, and to help fellow South Africans flourish, and to be a part of the country’s future growth, wherever in the world it is that they choose to live.”

The Lekker Network’s exclusive founding membership tier has reached capacity, having secured over R4 million in pre-launch commitments from leading South African business leaders and corporations. The network will open additional membership tiers to the public in March 2025.

In addition to its founding members, The Lekker Network has welcomed official ambassadors, Linda Reddy, Bruce Whitfield, Amanda Dambuza and John Sanei – to start – all distinguished South Africans who are leading the charge to inspire excellence and success at home and abroad.

The Lekker Network will accept applications for membership from 1st March 2025. For more information, visit www.thelekkernetwork.co.za .

 

About The Lekker Network

The Lekker Network is a place for South Africans – and others who love working with us – to connect, share opportunities, and do business together, co-founded by Nic Latouf, Renier Lombard, Madeleine Henstra, and Guy Ellis. The Network also creates access to funding and capital opportunities, offers masterclasses through connections with other successful people, and helps local businesses tap into new markets.