Ndumiso Zulu, CEO: OM Group Social Investments. 
Social impact also needs to reach everyone, which means giving people from all backgrounds the chance to be heard. This became especially important ahead of South Africa’s G20 presidency and the B20 Summit. As the country engaged on global policy issues, it became clear that ordinary South Africans had meaningful insights to contribute.
Amplifying marginalised voices
Regardless of where they live, how much money they make or what they do for a living, South Africans were given an opportunity this year to help inform national policies and priorities, and to promote transformation, growth and prosperity across the country. That opportunity gave birth to Add Your Voice, Old Mutual’s campaign that encouraged and facilitated inclusive dialogue with the potential to lead to nationwide progress.
“It’s rare for an opportunity like B20 to come around, an opportunity for ordinary South Africans to play a part in policy discussions and help identify and advance national priorities,” says Ndumiso Zulu, CEO of the Old Mutual Group Social Investments “Building on the gains we’ve made as a corporate citizen, the Old Mutual Group took things a step further. We put small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, learners and community members from all walks of life in the same room as global leaders. That is how we achieve real, lasting social impact.”
With the B20 Summit now concluded, the voices gathered through Add Your Voice helped bring communities closer to decision makers and allowed them to participate in processes that align with global priorities. This connection between community perspectives and policy engagement reinforces Old Mutual’s wider commitment to social impact across South Africa.
Enabling positive change
Any social impact project must be guided by a simple mandate. It must make a difference in the communities where it operates. Whether the focus is on education and skills development, healthcare, environmental awareness or economic empowerment, projects must serve as change drivers and open up opportunities for people who are disenfranchised or underserved.
Old Mutual Social Investments is one of those enablers. Made up of the Group’s social impact initiatives, the division forms a key part of Old Mutual’s corporate responsibility strategy and champions an approach that promotes shared value and sustainability.
“As Old Mutual evolved over the last 180 years, so too has our approach to responsible corporate citizenship. With Old Mutual Social Investments, we aim to futureproof our approach to community investment across the Group,” explains Zulu. “The intention is that through our collective contributions, we will help enable a future where social inequalities and poverty are no longer pressing issues.”
Delivering people-centred results
South Africans need pathways for positive change. Those pathways can start at home, at their place of work, where they gather with their communities or where they learn. What these spaces have in common is that they need support at an institutional level to help people thrive. This is where Old Mutual’s long-standing community investment work becomes so important.
Established in 1999, the Old Mutual Foundation set out to invest in vulnerable communities, focusing on key areas such as education, humanitarian relief and employee volunteerism. Over the years, that mission has evolved along with Old Mutual’s Group strategy. This has led to new initiatives that put people at the centre of the transformation the Foundation strives for.
The Old Mutual Foundation has implemented long-term, system-wide interventions aimed at strengthening South Africa’s education landscape. The Foundation has focused on programmes designed to shift outcomes beyond individual schools and influence the broader education ecosystem. Its Learn.Think.Do. programme equips young people with essential financial literacy skills. In partnership with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and other education stakeholders, the Foundation contributed to the development of Africa’s first language-appropriate early reading assessment tool and supported the establishment of the DBE Language Unit, which advances the use of African languages in teaching and learning.
In addition to education, the Foundation has prioritised humanitarian relief efforts, including emergency relief, social cohesion, food security and livelihood support.
Over time, the Foundation has placed a greater emphasis on proactive disaster risk reduction. This includes early-warning awareness, disaster preparedness and training for responders, which helps municipalities and other organisations strengthen their resilience and respond more effectively to disasters. Alongside strengthening communities in this way, Old Mutual also supports economic participation through initiatives that empower entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Creating socio-economic opportunities
Socio-economic transformation in South Africa is driven by the empowerment of enterprises, entrepreneurs and innovators. The small business landscape, although one of the country’s most important economic sectors, continues to face structural obstacles that limit its ability to grow.
“The biggest challenges facing SMEs include finding reliable and relevant information on funding opportunities, regulatory requirements and market trends. Strict lending criteria, insufficient collateral and complex application processes prevent many SMEs from securing the funding they need to grow,” says Zulu. “At the same time, a lack of tailored training, mentorship and business development support makes it challenging for SMEs to become investment-ready and sustainable.”
Old Mutual’s non-profit Masisizane Fund helps address these challenges directly. By offering tailored funding solutions to SMEs through development and commercial financing, the fund supports black-owned businesses, women, youth and people living with disabilities. Each application is evaluated on its own merits.
Alongside this, Old Mutual’s Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) unit supports majority black-owned businesses with targeted financial and non-financial assistance. The aim is to strengthen supply chain participation and build sustainable SMEs that participate meaningfully in Old Mutual’s value chain and the wider economy.
Through initiatives such as the Masisizane Fund and ESD, SMEs become a vehicle for job creation, increased economic participation and financial inclusion, and they help strengthen the communities where they operate.
Collaborating on a shared vision
Old Mutual’s commitment to social and economic transformation extends to the partnerships it builds and the platforms it supports. Part of creating change is amplifying the voices of those who need it most, which is why campaigns like Add Your Voice played such an important role ahead of and during South Africa’s G20 engagements.
“When we keep our people in siloes or fail to connect community structures with the governments and officials that serve them, we lose the chance to make real, tangible change. Add Your Voice put the need for dialogue front and centre. As has been the case at Old Mutual for 180 years, even before the establishment of the Foundation, we’re not interested in empty gestures or surface-level improvements. We want to fundamentally change the lives of all South Africans, and that change starts by including them in the conversations that matter,” concludes Zulu. The campaign collected many insights from across the country, and these voices directly shaped the recommendations presented at the B20 Summit.
What South Africans told us through add your voice
The insights gathered from citizens formed the basis of the recommendations handed over at the B20 Summit. Key themes included:
• Infrastructure as the backbone of growth: Citizens called for the maintenance of existing assets, the completion of stalled projects and increased investment in water, sanitation and electricity so that people can participate fully in the economy.
• Agriculture for inclusive prosperity: South Africans highlighted the need to address land ownership inequities and to support small-scale farmers with financing, skills development and access to value chains in order to unlock jobs and strengthen food security.
• Youth as Africa’s competitive edge: People emphasised the importance of universal digital connectivity, vocational training and rural revitalisation to help the continent realise the potential of its rapidly growing youth population.
• Integrity and anti-corruption: Citizens stressed that stronger accountability is essential to restore trust, attract investment and support long-term, sustainable growth.
• Jobs and economic participation: South Africans urged the creation of dignified work, better preparation for technological disruption and improvements to key enablers such as energy affordability, food security and public safety.
These findings show that South Africans understand what is needed to build a more inclusive and prosperous society. They also highlight how important it is for social impact to reach every community and for people from all backgrounds to be heard.
As South Africa stepped into its G20 presidency and engaged with global leaders at the B20 Summit, it became clear that ordinary South Africans had valuable insights to offer. By bringing these voices into national and international conversations, Old Mutual showed that progress is strongest when it is shared. The work continues in the way organisations support communities, invest in people and commit to building a future where everyone has a fair chance to thrive. DM
Biography
Ndumiso Zulu, CEO: OM Group Social Investments
Ndumiso Zulu, a qualified Chartered Accountant (SA), is the Chief Executive Officer of Old Mutual’s Group Social Investments Business. He joined Old Mutual in 2022 as the CFO of its Masisizane Fund. In April 2023, he was appointed CEO of Masisizane Fund after serving as acting CEO for 9 months. In his current role, Ndumiso oversees the company's socially impactful investment initiatives within the communities in which Old Mutual operates. This role includes supporting small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) with funding and capacity-building resources through the Masisizane Fund and the Enterprise Supply Development (ESD) Fund, as well as supporting communities through various Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives.
With a strong background in both development funding and commercial banking, Ndumiso joined Masisizane from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), where he worked as a Project Development Specialist. Prior to his time at DBSA, he spent several years in Corporate and Investment Banking at Absa CIB and Barclays Capital, taking on various roles across Finance, Markets, and Corporate Banking. He began his career at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) as a CA(SA) Trainee, subsequently joining their Technology Venture Capital Fund as a Senior Investment Analyst. Ndumiso considers himself one of the few beneficiaries of effective development and transformation, and he is motivated by the desire to extend those benefits to those who need it most.