Lucha Lunako

Lucha Lunako Lucha Lunako is an innovative organisation focused on developing youth agency, employability, and self-employment.

Our Youth Have It™ Foundational Skills Programmes empower young people, shifting mindsets and equipping them with skills for success.

Thank you for sharing your voice with us! 💙Our Youth Wellness Survey and competition are now closed. To everyone who too...
09/10/2026

Thank you for sharing your voice with us! 💙

Our Youth Wellness Survey and competition are now closed. To everyone who took a few minutes to share their experiences, thoughts and hopes for better wellness support, 'THANK YOU'! Your perspectives will help us understand what matters to young people and shape meaningful support.

Here’s what happens next:
• We’ll review the responses and check competition entries against the rules.
• Prize winners will be selected at random from eligible entries.
• Winners will be contacted on 16 October 2026 using the contact details provided in the survey and announced on social media thereafter.

Please take note that completing the survey does not guarantee a prize.

Follow our pages to stay updated on the winner announcement, youth wellness resources and opportunities from Lucha Lunako. We’d love to keep you part of the conversation. 💬

Your voice. Your wellness. Your future.

07/10/2026

The first few sessions often tell you a lot. For participants entering My Personal Brand@Work, the early conversations are an opportunity to pause, reflect and begin thinking differently about how they show up in professional spaces.

From the feedback we’ve received so far, one thing is already clear: the course is creating space for young people to think more intentionally about confidence, communication, self-awareness, workplace behaviour and the value they bring.
That is exactly the intention behind MPB@W.

Work readiness is not only about knowing how to do a job. It is also about understanding yourself, how others experience you, and how to grow into the kind of professional you want to become.

These are just the first impressions... The journey is still unfolding.

Career resilience increasingly depends on more than climbing a single ladder.For many young professionals, the future of...
07/10/2026

Career resilience increasingly depends on more than climbing a single ladder.

For many young professionals, the future of work is becoming more fluid, shaped by multiple income streams, transferable skills, entrepreneurship, personal values and the ability to adapt without losing yourself in the process.

Our latest article profiles Banesa Tseki, interdisciplinary creative, wellness entrepreneur, activist and Head Coach at Nike Shapa Soweto, whose career journey is a powerful example of what it means to build on your strengths across different spaces.

From co-founding an entertainment promotions agency while studying at UCT, to creating inclusive cultural experiences, building The Nest Space as a wellness hub, and growing into corporate and community partnerships, Banesa’s path has never followed one conventional route.

What ties the journey together is alignment.

A willingness to take ideas seriously.
To be seen trying.
To formalise and scale what works.
To lean on community and networks.

And to protect mental well-being as part of long-term career sustainability.
Her story challenges the idea that success has to fit neatly into one profession or title.

For young people navigating a changing economy, that matters.
You can build across disciplines. You can create more than one income stream. You can begin again. And you can define success on your own terms.

Read the full article:
https://luchalunako.com/forging-your-own-path-how-banesa-tseki-built-a-multi-faceted-career-on-wellness-passion-and-community/

Talent Spotlight | Meet the people behind the workSome of the strongest careers are not built by following a straight li...
30/09/2026

Talent Spotlight | Meet the people behind the work

Some of the strongest careers are not built by following a straight line. They are built by staying curious, learning from each experience, and recognising the thread that connects seemingly different chapters.

This month, we’re spotlighting Zinhle Phakathi, Head of Marketing and Business Development at Lucha Lunako.

Zinhle’s career has moved through sport and recreation, entrepreneurship, community building, international development, communications, innovation and youth development. Along the way, she has worked across sectors, built programmes, supported entrepreneurs, explored markets and developed a deep understanding of how people, systems and opportunity intersect.

What stands out most is the consistency behind the pivots. Curiosity. Strategy. Communication. Inclusion. And a strong belief that people should have meaningful ways to participate.

That perspective now shapes the work she leads at Lucha Lunako — helping us build stronger partnerships, communicate our impact and think more strategically about how youth development connects to economic participation.

For young people still figuring out their path, Zinhle’s story carries an important reminder:
You do not need to have your whole career mapped out from the beginning.

Focus on building real skills. Stay open to learning. Follow the opportunities that stretch your thinking. And, as Zinhle puts it, focus on becoming valuable, not just looking impressive.

Read the full Talent Spotlight article here:
https://luchalunako.com/talent-spotlight-the-unconventional-thread-how-curiosity-carved-zinhle-phakathis-career-path/

29/09/2026

Development does not always look dramatic... Sometimes, it looks like a conversation that makes you think differently. A question that asks you to reflect. A moment where you find the confidence to contribute. Or a room where you are given space to better understand who you are and what you bring.

These are some of the moments behind My Personal Brand@Work.

Through discussion, reflection and practical activities, young people explore how they communicate, how they show up around others, the values they carry into professional spaces, and the kind of reputation they want to build.

Because preparing for the workplace is not only about learning what to do.

It is also about developing the self-awareness, confidence and behaviours that influence how you do it, and how you grow once you get there.

A glimpse into MPB@W in action.

Some journeys begin with a big opportunity. Others begin with a small decision to show up.For Thobeka Mndaweni, voluntee...
22/09/2026

Some journeys begin with a big opportunity. Others begin with a small decision to show up.

For Thobeka Mndaweni, volunteering became the first step in a journey that would grow through experience, learning, responsibility and self-belief.

From her early days with Safe Study, to a Youth Employment Service (YES Youth) placement through Lucha Lunako, to being selected for the Global Changemakers Summit, Thobeka’s story is a powerful reminder of what can happen when potential is met with opportunity and support.

Her growth has been shaped by many spaces and people, but the determination to keep moving forward has always been hers.

We are proud to celebrate her journey and grateful to the organisations that have helped create the ecosystem around it.

Read Thobeka’s full story here:
https://luchalunako.com/from-volunteer-to-global-changemaker-how-thobeka-turned-small-steps-into-big-impact/

Congratulations, Thobeka. This is only the beginning.

Career paths are rarely as linear as they look from the outside. For many young people, growth is shaped by pivots, setb...
18/09/2026

Career paths are rarely as linear as they look from the outside. For many young people, growth is shaped by pivots, setbacks, unexpected opportunities and the ability to keep learning while the plan changes.

In our latest article, we feature Obert Takudzwa Rukato, clinical psychologist, entrepreneur and co-founder of BOBZA (Black Owned Business South Africa), whose journey offers a powerful reflection on adaptability, identity and what it means to keep moving when the original plan no longer fits.

Before establishing his psychology practice, Obert helped build BOBZA as an e-commerce platform aimed at creating stronger links between African SMMEs and the digital marketplace. His story sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship, sport, psychology and youth development, and reminds us that experience is rarely wasted when we learn how to carry it forward.

At Lucha Lunako, we value the people and partners in our network who bring different perspectives, professional journeys and lived experience into conversations about youth development and economic participation.

This feature is one example of the kind of insight we want to keep sharing, not only from within our organisation, but from the wider ecosystem of people building, learning, experimenting and creating pathways for others.

Read “Pivot, Play and Prosper: Obert Rukato on Turning Setbacks into Strategy” here:
https://luchalunako.com/pivot-play-and-prosper-obert-rukato-on-turning-setbacks-into-strategy/

Thank you, Obert Takudzwa Rukato, for sharing your story and perspective with us, and a special spotlight to BOBZA / Black Owned Business South Africa for the entrepreneurial work that forms part of that journey.

Hiring someone is only the beginning of their workplace journey. The real value of workforce development lies in what ha...
16/09/2026

Hiring someone is only the beginning of their workplace journey. The real value of workforce development lies in what happens after someone enters the organisation. How they communicate, how they build trust, how they respond to feedback, how they take ownership, and how confidently they contribute to the spaces around them.

This is where work readiness becomes an ongoing development priority, not simply a pre-employment intervention.

My Personal Brand@Work was designed to help young people and early-career employees strengthen the behavioural and professional capabilities that sit alongside technical competence. Self-awareness, communication, confidence, accountability, workplace conduct and a clearer understanding of the value they bring into a team.

For HR leaders, CSI teams, programme implementers and organisations investing in youth employment, internships, learnerships or graduate development, this creates an opportunity to think differently about workforce investment.

The question is not only, “Can this person do the job?”, but also, “Are we creating the conditions for them to grow, contribute and thrive in the workplace?”

Our My Personal Brand@Work Impact Report explores this in practice, sharing programme outcomes, participant experiences and insight into how personal development and workplace readiness can strengthen employability and professional growth.

Real confidence. Real growth. Real impact.

Download the full report here:
https://luchalunako.com/my-personal-brand-work-impact-reports/

To explore how My Personal Brand@Work could be integrated into your internship, learnership, graduate development, CSI or youth employment programme, contact our team at [email protected].

11/09/2026

A few moments from our Street Smart Upstarts session at Vic Yards.

This is where young people get to explore entrepreneurship in a practical way, asking questions, sharing ideas, learning useful tips and building the confidence to start small.

SSU is about helping young people see that entrepreneurship is not only about having a big business idea.

It is also about problem-solving, creativity, self-belief and learning how to create value from where you are.

Small starts. Big possibilities.

Digital inclusion is not only about access to technology. It is also about the skills, confidence, support systems and p...
09/09/2026

Digital inclusion is not only about access to technology. It is also about the skills, confidence, support systems and partnerships that enable people to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.

Today at the Digital Inclusion Summit South Africa 2026, our very own Zinhle Phakathi will be moderating Panel 3: Bridging the Digital Skills Gap.

This conversation brings together voices from across the ecosystem to explore how South Africa can move from awareness to access to adoption, and how digital skills can help unlock opportunity for more people, especially young people.

We are proud to see Lucha Lunako represented in this important national conversation, and we wish Zinhle and all the panellists a powerful and impactful discussion.

All the best, Zinhle!

Join the Digital Inclusion Summit virtually here:
1a8da2db-046c-4ab7-98c0-a3013f376714@b4e5483d-e090-4a58-b1cf-fbaa0ec4beb5" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1a8da2db-046c-4ab7-98c0-a3013f376714@b4e5483d-e090-4a58-b1cf-fbaa0ec4beb5

Address

Johannesburg

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+27108221216

Website

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