Luvuyo Rani

Luvuyo Rani  is the co-founder of Silulo Ulutho Technologies and he was born in the Eastern Cape and educated at Kwa-Komani High School in Queenstown. After a short career in teaching, he went into business with his brother to create Silulo Ulutho Technologies, a company servicing the burgeoning internet needs of township communities.

From humble beginnings, the business has grown exponentially, garnering Luvuyo numerous local and international awards. In 2014, he was named one of the Top 10 Outstanding Young Persons of the World by the prestigious NGO Junior Chamber International, and recently picked up a coveted award for social entrepreneurship from the World Economic Forum. Luvuyo, who lives with his wife Zanele in Cape Town.

In 2006, Luvuyo Rani opened up an Internet café in the dusty townships of Cape Town. Today this businessman and founder of Silulo Ulutho Technologies employs over 170 people in their South African branches in the Eastern and Western Cape . Mr Rani was a commerce teacher in Cape Town when the Department of Education implemented Outcomes Based Education which saw teachers use computers to assist students. Seeing his colleagues using computers for the first time and struggle with the technology gave him an idea that would years later, put him on the business stage with some of the world’s top entrepreneurs.

Initially, he sold computers from the boot of his car with teachers as his primary targets. Gradually, Luvuyo could saw a gap within the ICT sector, there was little if any digital knowledge in the townships and that gap gave birth to the concept of Silulo Ulutho Technologies. The company started as an Internet café but there was a growing demand for computer training in the community. Luvuyo says that most of the people in townships struggled to get employed because they lacked computer literacy and the company offered basic computer skills and training for them.

With the help of his partners Nandipha Matshoba and his younger brother Lonwabo Rani, the brand has grown immensely throughout the years. Silulo Ulutho Technologies has empowered thousands of people in the Eastern and Western Cape. With branches all over the two provinces, the business has grown to more than an internet café and training centre; it offers technical support, as well as branding and signage services and has teamed up with companies such as Telkom and Canon amongst others.