When companies want their corporate social investment (CSI) initiatives to create meaningful, lasting impact, they need trusted community partners who understand local needs and know how to turn resources into practical opportunities. Gloria Mbeve has built that pedigree over many years and remains a trusted partner to both government and the private sector, helping connect their resources and expertise with communities that need them most.

Operating a training centre from the Rose Happy Times Elderly Care Projects at 34 Mashao Street, Saulsville, Pretoria, Gloria has developed a deep understanding of literacy, skills development, health awareness, entrepreneurship and social upliftment. She brings experience, an ethical approach and a personal commitment to uplifting people. Importantly, she remains independent of political agendas, focusing instead on practical interventions that improve lives.

Gloria believes true CSI must go beyond ticking boxes and securing tax rebates. While these incentives have an important role to play in encouraging companies to invest in communities, she believes the real measure of CSI is whether a project creates lasting impact.

She believes rural and under-resourced communities require the greatest effort because access to education, skills development, information and economic opportunities can be particularly limited. Her experience is that these communities also recognise the value of meaningful investment. Gloria notes: “When projects respond to genuine needs and provide practical opportunities, they do not take them for granted. Instead, communities engage with them, embrace the opportunities and often work hard to ensure that the benefits endure.”

That philosophy was shaped in Atteridgeville, where Gloria watched women turn to her grandmother for advice and guidance. As a young adult, she became involved in government social development projects, travelling into communities across South Africa. Through research and visits, she saw the extent of poverty and how limited access to education, information, resources and opportunity reinforced disadvantage. She also saw how outdated attitudes about women's roles could leave women economically dependent and impoverished.

“Literacy is therefore much more than reading and writing,” she says. “It is about giving people the knowledge and confidence to understand their circumstances and change them.”

Education that creates opportunity

She says that business literacy can help people identify opportunities, manage finances and build enterprises. Through a partnership with Tshwane University of Technology, for example, Gloria recruited women for an entrepreneurial skills programme funded by the university and provided mentorship as they developed their business capabilities.

Health literacy has also been central to her work. She has been involved in HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, including initiatives in correctional facilities, and more recently COVID-19 awareness in communities.

Civic literacy is another priority. Through a partnership with the Electoral Commission of South Africa, Gloria has helped women understand the voting process and how to cast their votes. “I am doing this again ahead of the municipal elections,” she says, adding that she remains deliberately independent of political parties as political agendas can sometimes hinder community development.

Her commitment to community safety extends to a partnership with SAPS, helping community members understand how to report crimes anonymously.

Her longstanding partnership with Triple E Training, a leading provider of adult literacy and numeracy training, also speaks to the credibility and depth of her work in this field. The relationship has helped translate literacy into tangible employment opportunities. Gloria is often greeted in her own community by cashiers and other workers who tell her they secured jobs after completing adult literacy and numeracy training. Triple E Training supports these initiatives by providing stipends and training materials, helping remove practical barriers to participation.

One of the strongest examples is a learnership programme that equipped 40 young people and adults with disabilities from Atteridgeville with practical business and workplace skills. Learners progressed from NQF 1 Business Practice through NQF 2 and NQF 3 Business Administration Services. Thirty-eight completed the NQF 3 qualification, while all learners completed NQF 1 and all but one achieved NQF 2.

The programme developed workplace, communication, numeracy, administration, customer-service and business skills. More importantly, learners gained confidence, pursued employment, strengthened businesses and became better equipped to support their families. Triple E Training has continued assisting with stipends and food, recognising that successful skills development requires support beyond the classroom.

Empowering women to change their circumstances

For Gloria, literacy and skills development are particularly important for women.

“Education and practical skills can increase economic independence and give women greater agency,” she says. “For those experiencing gender-based violence, financial independence and knowledge of their rights can provide options and support their ability to leave abusive circumstances.”

A woman who understands finances can manage her household resources and one with business skills can establish an enterprise. Women with workplace skills can pursue employment. “And those who understands her rights can participate more confidently in decisions affecting her life and community,” Gloria adds.

The impact can extend beyond the individual. “A woman who gains skills can create employment, support her children and become a role model for others.”

A track record of community impact

Gloria's contribution has received recognition over several years. In 2022, she was honoured for Best Community Upliftment Programme in KwaZulu-Natal. In 2023, she received a Black Blazer through the South African Heroine Awards' Heroine Alumni Blazer Recipients Awards in Sandton, followed by a White Blazer in 2024. Her contribution to community development continues to attract recognition, with Gloria nominated for a further accolade this year.

Yet her focus remains on impact rather than accolades.

This is evident in her work with Rose Happy Times Elderly Care Projects in Saulsville, Pretoria. Government supported development of the old-age home, while Gloria is part of its management team, overseeing daily operations, finances, resources and activities.

The centre promotes food gardening, handicrafts, health initiatives and educational programmes. Gloria has also created opportunities for older people to experience things they may never have had the chance to enjoy. In one memorable initiative, she took a group to Durban, allowing some of them to see the sea for the first time.

She now hopes to take another group to Cape Town, including a visit to Robben Island. To date, however, a lack of funding has prevented the trip from becoming a reality. For Gloria, this is about more than an outing. It is about giving older people experiences, restoring dignity and allowing them to visit places they may previously only have encountered through history books and stories.

A food-security partnership involving Tiger Brands and Albany resulted in 110 household food gardens and a 200-square-metre central vegetable garden, giving older people opportunities to participate while strengthening food security.

Her vision is now extending into arts and culture. Gloria is working on developing a school focused on arts and cultural development. Established South African artists, including several with roots in Atteridgeville, have performed at the centre, exposing young people to role models and showing them that talent can become a career.

For Gloria, empowerment is therefore not confined to a classroom. It encompasses literacy, employment, entrepreneurship, health, safety, civic participation, dignity and culture.

It is a philosophy rooted in a simple lesson learned as a child: “Knowledge gives people the ability to understand their world; empowerment gives them the confidence to change it.”