When Tumi and Moses Masekela looked at Soweto’s limited access to swimming education, they did not see only a challenge they could not overcome – they also saw a business opportunity.
Today, the privately owned Soweto Swim School, based in Orlando East, teaches children and adults to swim while building a business around a skill the founders believe should be accessible to all.
“We want to challenge the status quo that says black people cannot swim. We want them to learn how to swim as a life skill so that we can prevent drowning,” said co-founder Tumi Masekela.
The school charges an annual registration fee of R100, a monthly fee of R400 for children under 12, while adults and learners over 12 pay R550 for four lessons.
The pricing model allows township families to access structured swimming education while creating a recurring income stream for the business.
Soweto Swim School introduces children as young as six months old to water, helping babies develop confidence before moving on to more structured lessons as they grow.
For Masekela, the business has always been about more than generating income.
“We want to broaden their accessibility to sporting codes. We want them to learn swimming as well,” she said.
The school aims to expose township children to opportunities traditionally associated with more privileged communities, including competitive swimming.
The business has also focused on inclusion, particularly for children with disabilities.
“Many township children, including those on the autism spectrum, lack access to safe swimming facilities,” Masekela said.
Soweto Swim School recently partnered with the US-based Swim Up Hill Foundation, founded by Paralympic medallist Jamal Hill, to expand swimming access and water safety education across South African townships.
The Foundation notes on its page that black youths “drown at an alarming rate 5x [five times] that of the overall population. Decades of generational trauma and systemic racism have created an underrepresented class of aquaphobes – our neglected neighbours who purposely avoid contact with the water for themselves and their children.”
The partnership aims to strengthen swimming programmes, reach more learners and create opportunities for children who have historically been excluded from swimming because of limited facilities, disability or affordability barriers.
Research shows that drowning remains one of the leading causes of unintentional injury deaths among children in the country, with babies under five facing high risk.
A business built from a market gap
The idea came after the Masekelas struggled to find a place that offered swimming lessons closer to home. After enrolling their own children at a swimming school while living in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs, they noticed the difference in access between affluent areas and township communities.
That gap became a business opportunity. The lack of facilities and structured swimming programmes in Soweto convinced the couple that a new approach was needed.
Masekela and her husband officially registered Soweto Swim School in 2013, but building the business was not easy.
“We couldn’t find open spaces. Municipalities were sceptical and didn’t buy into our vision,” she said.
Instead of abandoning the idea, the couple invested their own savings and secured bank finance to build a heated indoor swimming pool on their property.
“It is tough to establish a business. You need to invest in your vision before others invest in you. People do not invest in ideas, they invest in what they see,” Masekela said.
