Telkom recorded a pleasing 153,4% increase in its enterprise and supplier development investment during the 2025 financial year, with its flagship Telkom FutureMakers Programme supporting 459 youth- and women-led enterprises, driving R859 million in procurement opportunities.
Telkom FutureMakers celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year, having been launched in 2015 with a R250-million investment. The initiative aims to improve Telkom’s offerings and services by incubating ICT-based SMMEs through financial and non-financial programmes. To date, more than 2 600 black-owned SMMEs have gone through the programme.
“Telkom FutureMakers has had a real impact on people’s lives for more than a decade,” says Dr Mmaki Jantjies, Telkom Group Executive: Innovation and Transformation. “This year saw us creating 6% more job opportunities compared to the year before.”
According to the Telkom Integrated Report 2025, FutureMakers is a key component of Telkom’s socio-economic investment, supporting small businesses that contribute to more than 73 890 job opportunities, with 251 275 lives directly impacted through SMME spend. The initiative continues to strengthen Telkom’s supply chain, enhance digital skills, and drive sustainable transformation across South Africa’s economy.
To commemorate 10 years of FutureMakers, and its massive impact on youth- and women-led township SMMEs, Telkom is hosting a series of hackathons around the country during September. The Group is inviting young coders, developers, tech enthusiasts, students, as well as participants from universities, universities of technology, TVETs, and young people generally, to participate in the hackathons to ignite entrepreneurial spirit and innovation across the Telkom value chain.
The hackathons aim to identify start-up potential in the ICT sector, unleashing young participants’ technical skills as they find solutions to real-life challenges. Telkom aims to attract around 700 contestants to physical and virtual events, where they will work with Telkom staff, mentors, and Telkom implementation partner Geekulcha to tackle business and social challenges. Qualifying solutions and entrepreneurs will be earmarked for incubation.
“Hackathons encourage upcoming technopreneurs to develop creative ideas and technological solutions, and equip them to compete in the demanding telecoms space,” says Dr Jantjies. “By aligning technology, innovation, and SME empowerment, Telkom is helping to shape change in the industries of the future, such as fintech, healthtech, e-commerce, edtech, gaming, and cybersecurity.”
“It’s about developing talent, and empowering innovative entrepreneurs to be drivers of growth and development in their communities,” concludes Dr Jantjies.
