Did you know that according to Statistics South Africa, only 2,1% of unemployed South Africans in 2021 were university graduates? Despite persistent graduate unemployment rates, a university degree is still a significant economic determinant in this country. It is particularly important for students from underserved regions in this country to access a university education to advance themselves and their families, but these students often require tailored support to successfully navigate the process of getting into an accredited institution.

GradAccess is a platform which facilitates the process of applying for university with the needs of students with limited streams of income in mind. The tool enables students to determine a career path, obtain an overview of the university applications process and receive support in applying for tertiary programs and funding. At GradAccess, our aim is to make a tertiary education truly accessible to all South African students.

About Our Founder

Khanya Mamba

Khanya Mamba is a strategic management consultant based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Finance and Accounting from the University of Cape Town and has 6 years’ experience in supplemental education for lower income students. She has worked with students from the St Mary’s Home for Children, Sefikeng Primary School, Botshabelo Children’s Home, Walter Teka Primary School, and other schools in Manenberg, Nyanga and Khayelitsha in Cape Town. She is an Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellow and a Klaus-Jurgen Bathe Leadership scholarship recipient.

Khanya Mamba founded GradAccess (Pty) Ltd in 2020 during her undergraduate studies at the University of Cape Town. Her family hails from the township of Zwelitsha in the Eastern Cape where she spent her formative years, and after she moved to Johannesburg with her mother for work, Khanya started teaching and mentoring students from schools in underserved regions similar to where she grew up when she was 14. Her early decade-long experience in tutoring, teaching, running after school programs and providing career advice to students exposed her to the need for technological tools to facilitate at-scale application assistance for underserved students. Enter GradAccess!