The Sukuma Fund: Crisis Relief for South Africa’s Small Businesses

We're here to Rescue jobs,Revive businesses,and help the economy recover.

We’re a nation of survivors. We’ll make it through this just as we’ve made it through so much that came before.

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy.

They’re run by entrepreneurs with grit and determination… people of integrity who play by the rules, pay their taxes and create jobs.

Yet they’re vulnerable in a crisis.

When Covid-19 hit, South Africa’s small businesses were the hardest hit. Many couldn’t earn an income for the duration of lockdown. Thousands of businesses were threatened with closure. They needed funds urgently – to remain in business, pay employees, and cover the basics for survival.

Emergency relief

The Sukuma Fund was established within days of lockdown with an initial R1 billion donation from the Rupert Family and Remgro Limited. Since then, thanks to further charitable donations, the fund has grown by tens of millions of rands.

Our goal is to rescue and revive thousands of small businesses across the country – preserving jobs and supporting the people who depend on them.

These small businesses will play an essential role in our country’s economic recovery when the pandemic is over.

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. Now it’s our turn to look after them.

Please note: Due to high demand, all applications are currently suspended. Follow us on social media for the latest updates to the fund.

What we do

We provide two types of emergency support to small businesses:

Survival grants (of R25,000 each) help support small business owners until they’re able to return to work.
Qualifying recipients include sole proprietors (independent craftspeople, freelancers and consultants who work for themselves) as well as SMEs.
Survival grants do not need to be repaid.

Low-interest loans (of up to R1 million each) enable qualifying small businesses threatened with closure to remain in business and to pay employees.
These loans provide financial assistance for payroll expenses and ongoing working capital requirements for four months. The objective is to ensure that the business continues to operate after Covid-19.
Loans are interest-free for the first 12 months, after which recipients will pay interest at the prime rate, which is much lower than a commercial loan.
There are also no collateral or security requirements and no repayments for the first 12 months. Loan repayments start a year after the first of four monthly payments, and the full capital is then repayable over four years.

We’re paying it forward

This is a long-term project. We intend to become a permanent relief fund for small businesses, able to assist South African small businesses in future crises.

Interest and capital repayments will provide funding for new loans to small businesses hit by emergencies or disaster.
Repayments will allow us to become a continuous emergency relief scheme, on the basis of ‘paying it forward’, helping others after you have been helped.
This unique South African innovation has already attracted interest from other countries who hope to copy or adapt it.

Sukuma stands for the timeless principles of all rescue missions: Humanity, Impartiality, Independence, Unity and Neutrality.