Sbukeli Zuma

Read my story of how I put myself and my sisters through University when our parents passed away. I'm looking for sponsor and mentorship for my SME which encourages people to become financially free. I'd also love to do a Post-grad in Futures Studies at USB in Cape Town. 

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Sbukeli Zuma was born in a rural area called Impendle to parents who were both teachers. He went to a primary school called Bonelokuhle at Impendle. He lost his father at the age of 11 and his mother at the age of 19 leaving him with two younger siblings aged 10 and 13 (sisters) whom he had to take care of while taking care of himself. 

“I began paying school fees for myself and my siblings at age 19, going to parent meetings, paying bills, buying groceries and acting as a parent to my siblings at the age of 19. But my pride comes from the fact that both my sisters are now grown up, both graduates and working”. 

He now has over seven years in the financial industry, first working as an Auditor for four years where his job entailed auditing private companies in various sectors and thereafter founded his own company Personal and Business Wealth Solutions, a company he established as a Financial Planner with the desire to help other South Africans gain financial literacy, financial freedom and to uncover the dangerous trends facing salaried individuals, households, and companies in the country by proving financial literacy training, financial planning, debt management and investing services. 

“I was drawn to financial literacy as a profession through my personal experience growing  up,  with no one to guide me. I fell into a lot of traps, to the point where I had multiple credit store accounts, multiple credit cards, and a lot of unregistered debt, whilst trying to raise myself and my siblings.” 

An entrepreneur at heart, Sbukeli has been involved in numerous business initiatives outside of finance. He was selected to the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders under the Leadership in Business Program of 2019 in the United States amongst 700 Africans from 38 000 applicants across the continent. Sbukeli also holds a position as an Operations Officer for a youth development organization called Umvithi Youth Development which is involved in developing youth through sports, arts, education, beauty, and fashion. Upon completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Sbukeli plans to continue his work as a Financial Planner with a specific focus on financial literacy trainings, financial planning services, and investments with a plan to advocate financial freedom amongst all Africans. Sbukeli holds a Post-Grad Diploma in Financial Planning from Milpark Business School.

His plan for the next 12 months is to expand his reach by providing financial literacy training and financial services within the private and public sector across the country and the continent. 

According to studies, South Africans are drowning in debt. Current statistics show South African’s debt to financial institutions standing at R1.78 trillion. Currently, there are 23.37million credit-active consumers in South Africa with an average of 3 accounts each and 10.6 million of them have missed more than 2 installments. About 5000 cars are being repossessed monthly and South Africans spend about 78 cents in every R1 to service their debt (up from 48 cents in 2003).

“We have become so debt-ridden that we’ve begun to believe that being in debt is the normal operating procedure. We all know the problem is there and the big question is, what are we doing to get out of this tragedy that the whole country is facing?”

Sbukeli Zuma is looking for a strong mentor and sponsorship to promote and grow his dream of expanding his business Personal and Business Wealth Solutions (PBWS). He has shown true resilience and, in keeping with his Strengths of Futuristic and Strategic, has a desire to study a post-grad in Futures Studies at the University of Stellenbosch Business School to expand his understanding of how he can influence the future of society.