Stellenbosch Community-Based Tourism Social Enterprise, Township and Village was awarded gold at WTM on April 10, 2025.
Townships and Villages are tourism social enterprises that develop and sell community-based cultural and historical experiences for tourism entrepreneurs who provide products in and around Stellenbosch.
Township and Village Social Enterprise was co-founded in July 2018 by socioeconomic development specialist Nicolet Buyence and non-profit Stellenbosch Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Development Trust (SEED) to promote local economic development through tourism. The social enterprise startup was funded by Stellenbosch Municipality, Stellenbosch University, Old Mutual Foundation and Greater Stellenbosch Trust (GST).
The purpose of Social Enterprise is to create market access for community-based tourism entrepreneurs and develop high quality, authentic, culturally important tourism experiences. “This initiative is a blueprint for expressing South Africa's tourism-driven economic development strategies and for successful community-based tourism development,” says co-founder of Nicollet Buiens' Visit Stellenbosch and Regeneration Tourism Lead.
We visited Stellenbosch, a partnership with Township and Village in 2020, and will provide strategic tourism consultation, marketing support and product development funding through Cape Wineland District Municipal's LTA and BR&E funding programme as part of our revitalization tourism drive.
Rene Momberg was appointed to manage social enterprises in June 2022, and with the continued support of Seed's Leana Kotze and GST, they have grown the entities to new heights. “We are thrilled to be able to share what we have achieved truly incredible things in our township and villages. This recognition from WTM Africa is not just a personal milestone for me, but a testament to the passion, dedication and commitment to sustainable tourism of our team. We are visiting Rene Momberg's Head of Growth, Experience and Strategic Partnerships, Stellenbosch, who helped us to make this happen, and all of our funders.
Townships and villages are a sustainable social enterprise as their central goal, and are in a position to mitigate two of the biggest issues: product development and access to formal tourism markets.
Townships and Villages offer a wide range of unique experience products run by one or more independent service providers (tourism entrepreneurs), each of which benefit directly from the trade they source. For more information, please visit https://townshipandvillage.co.za/.
“Stellenbosch is leading the way in tourism growth in South Africa and attracts enviable visitors profiles. The reality is that this growth does not always lead to economic benefits for community-based tourism entrepreneurs.
So we are working with our partners to promote systematic change through community-based enterprise development, youth employment, deeper sector integration, and regeneration tourism strategies focusing on truly sustainable practices. It's not just about growth, but about comprehensive and lasting impact. “Stellenbosch CEO Annemie Liebenberg says he'll be visiting
Ultimately, the village is necessary to bring about meaningful change, and Stellenbosch's multidimensional partnership approach is consistent with the objective “goal partnership” of Sustainable Development Goal #17. The township and villages certify the commitment and integration of the Stellenbosch tourism industry, local governments, education providers and civil society.
