South African entrepreneur Tshaamano Mabuba, founder of Buddy Learning, has taken the top spot in Season 5 of Her Perfect Pitch, an initiative by Jacaranda FM supported by SPAR and 1st for Women.
Mabuba walked away as the season’s winner after pitching Buddy Learning, an online tutoring platform inspired by the educational challenges she saw growing up in a village.
The platform focuses on making academic support more accessible by allowing children to learn in the language they are most comfortable with. It also offers a practical solution for families who may prefer remote tutoring, reducing the need for learners and tutors to travel for face-to-face lessons.
For Mabuba, the idea comes from a very personal place. Her experience of seeing children struggle to access learning support in their mother tongue became the inspiration for a business designed to make education more inclusive.
Thandeka Ngcongo, founder of Orchid Medical, took second place, while Zulfa Nkosi of Zulfa’s Glamour Girls secured third place.
Beyond the pitches and prizes, this year’s Her Perfect Pitch also comes at a significant moment for women in South Africa, with ongoing conversations around gender-based violence and women’s safety.
SPAR Group PR, Communications & Sponsorships representative, Mpudi Maubane, says recognising women’s achievements remains important, particularly at a time when many women continue to face serious challenges.
She says initiatives such as Her Perfect Pitch create spaces where women can be recognised not only for the businesses they are building, but also for the impact those businesses can have on families and communities.
SPAR’s support of the programme forms part of its wider focus on creating opportunities for women as entrepreneurs, employers and contributors to the economy.
And with Mabuba’s Buddy Learning taking the winning spot, Season 5 has once again put the spotlight on women turning personal experiences and everyday challenges into business ideas with the potential to make a difference.
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A good business idea can start with something as simple as noticing a problem and asking, “How can I make this better?” Mabuba’s story is a reminder that entrepreneurship is not always about starting with a big idea. Sometimes, it starts with lived experience and a desire to create something that works for others too.