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Media release

Media release

South Africa’s ‘stokvel stars’ revealed

4 December 2025

Winners of the 2025 Absa Stokvel Awards scoop major prizes for turning group savings into success

The best of the best of South Africa’s stokvel savers gathered at The Houghton Hotel in Johannesburg, on Saturday night, 29 November 2025, where the winners of the 2025 Absa Stokvel Awards were announced.

The awards, first launched by the diversified pan-African business in 2024, celebrated the outstanding achievements of the winners in seven categories.

Commenting on the high standards of the winners in each category, Tawanda Rumhuma, Executive: Savings and Investments at Absa Personal and Private Banking said, “These are our stokvel stars, who shine as beacons of excellence in their respective categories. We applaud them for their conviction that communities working together can help make individual and collective dreams come true. They’ve excelled at thinking out of the box and going the extra mile to inculcate something Absa actively promotes – that a culture of saving really works to uplift communities.”

Under the theme of Every Story Deserves a Stage, the event saw prizes of R50 000 per category being awarded, with those stokvels who hold an Absa Investment Club Account doubling their winnings with an additional R50 000, bringing their total reward to R100 000.

The winners of the 2025 Absa Stokvel Awards are:

  • Best Community Impact Award: True Love Movement (TLM) Club – This stokvel has made a meaningful contribution to its community through social projects, donations, and support initiatives. The initiative that this stokvel winner supports, will receive a further donation from Absa Citizenship.
  • Most Innovative Investment Stokvel: Ubhoko Social Investment Club – Recognising a stokvel that has successfully ventured into investments or innovation-driven initiatives, setting a benchmark for others.
  • Best Stokvel in Financial Literacy and Leadership: Mufhatu Stokvel – This stokvel exemplifies strong leadership and promotes financial literacy, empowering members to make informed decisions and achieve financial growth.
  • Best Stokvel Enablers: PR Investment Club – Recognising organisations or individuals who uplift and enable stokvel communities through resources, mentorship, and impactful support.
  • Best Digitally Empowered Stokvel: Lekgotla Social Club – This stokvel effectively uses technology to streamline operations, improve accessibility, and enhance member engagement.
  • Lifetime Stokvel Achiever Award: Basepedi Burial Society – This award honours a stokvel that has stood the test of time, demonstrating resilience, sustainability, and continuous improvement over many years.
  • Stokvel of the Year: Tshwelopele Ladies Club – This stokvel emerged as the overall winner, showcasing exceptional success and impact during the year.

 

Furthermore, Andrew Lukhele, Chairman of the National Stokvel Association of South Africa (NASASA) was honoured with a special award by Absa for his incredible contribution to the stokvel industry and their inclusion in the banking system.

Explaining the importance of the Absa Stokvel Awards, Rumhuma said, “Stokvels represent the values of trust, unity and resilience which are so important. Through these awards we also shine a light on modern banking solutions like digital banking, financial literacy and inclusive banking. We believe it’s part of our social responsibility to assist stokvel members wherever we can. Stokvels represent a powerful block in festive season spending power, and we recognise their impact and influence on the way household budgets work, underpinning the success of long-term planning to reach financial goals. It makes good financial sense.”

Rumhuma stressed that stokvels have evolved far beyond being year-end buying groups. “Modern stokvels go much further. They are the changemakers who use extraordinary innovation to uplift their members and achieve success. Some assist their communities with social projects or teach their members how to invest money. We love that stokvels are starting to provide financial literacy education for their members, using easily accessible cellphone technology to do so. This is a way of futureproofing their club and their savings.”

Despite 11 million South Africans contributing a massive R50 billion to stokvels each year, over 60% of stokvels don’t use the services of banks yet. “The benefits of opening an Absa Investment Club Account include increased security for their funds, no monthly management fees and gaining interest on their capital. Stokvels can access their accounts through online banking and easily track member contributions. It takes a lot of administration work away from the treasurers. It makes good stokvel sense.”

Rumhuma concluded by saying that the stokvels that were awarded prizes at the Absa Stokvel Awards 2025 served as proud examples to others.

“We all have a lot to learn from their members about discipline, determination and harnessing their courage to take that first step to gather community members together and say, ‘Let’s start. Together we can do this’.  At Absa we believe everyone is capable of starting somewhere. Under this year’s theme of “Every Story Deserves a Stage,” what would your stokvel’s success story be?”

 

For more information about the Absa Stokvel Awards, please visit www.absa.co.za/stokvelawards.

4 December 2025

Winners of the 2025 Absa Stokvel Awards scoop major prizes for turning group savings into success

The best of the best of South Africa’s stokvel savers gathered at The Houghton Hotel in Johannesburg, on Saturday night, 29 November 2025, where the winners of the 2025 Absa Stokvel Awards were announced.

The awards, first launched by the diversified pan-African business in 2024, celebrated the outstanding achievements of the winners in seven categories.

Commenting on the high standards of the winners in each category, Tawanda Rumhuma, Executive: Savings and Investments at Absa Personal and Private Banking said, “These are our stokvel stars, who shine as beacons of excellence in their respective categories. We applaud them for their conviction that communities working together can help make individual and collective dreams come true. They’ve excelled at thinking out of the box and going the extra mile to inculcate something Absa actively promotes – that a culture of saving really works to uplift communities.”

Under the theme of Every Story Deserves a Stage, the event saw prizes of R50 000 per category being awarded, with those stokvels who hold an Absa Investment Club Account doubling their winnings with an additional R50 000, bringing their total reward to R100 000.

The winners of the 2025 Absa Stokvel Awards are:

  • Best Community Impact Award: True Love Movement (TLM) Club – This stokvel has made a meaningful contribution to its community through social projects, donations, and support initiatives. The initiative that this stokvel winner supports, will receive a further donation from Absa Citizenship.
  • Most Innovative Investment Stokvel: Ubhoko Social Investment Club – Recognising a stokvel that has successfully ventured into investments or innovation-driven initiatives, setting a benchmark for others.
  • Best Stokvel in Financial Literacy and Leadership: Mufhatu Stokvel – This stokvel exemplifies strong leadership and promotes financial literacy, empowering members to make informed decisions and achieve financial growth.
  • Best Stokvel Enablers: PR Investment Club – Recognising organisations or individuals who uplift and enable stokvel communities through resources, mentorship, and impactful support.
  • Best Digitally Empowered Stokvel: Lekgotla Social Club – This stokvel effectively uses technology to streamline operations, improve accessibility, and enhance member engagement.
  • Lifetime Stokvel Achiever Award: Basepedi Burial Society – This award honours a stokvel that has stood the test of time, demonstrating resilience, sustainability, and continuous improvement over many years.
  • Stokvel of the Year: Tshwelopele Ladies Club – This stokvel emerged as the overall winner, showcasing exceptional success and impact during the year.

 

Furthermore, Andrew Lukhele, Chairman of the National Stokvel Association of South Africa (NASASA) was honoured with a special award by Absa for his incredible contribution to the stokvel industry and their inclusion in the banking system.

Explaining the importance of the Absa Stokvel Awards, Rumhuma said, “Stokvels represent the values of trust, unity and resilience which are so important. Through these awards we also shine a light on modern banking solutions like digital banking, financial literacy and inclusive banking. We believe it’s part of our social responsibility to assist stokvel members wherever we can. Stokvels represent a powerful block in festive season spending power, and we recognise their impact and influence on the way household budgets work, underpinning the success of long-term planning to reach financial goals. It makes good financial sense.”

Rumhuma stressed that stokvels have evolved far beyond being year-end buying groups. “Modern stokvels go much further. They are the changemakers who use extraordinary innovation to uplift their members and achieve success. Some assist their communities with social projects or teach their members how to invest money. We love that stokvels are starting to provide financial literacy education for their members, using easily accessible cellphone technology to do so. This is a way of futureproofing their club and their savings.”

Despite 11 million South Africans contributing a massive R50 billion to stokvels each year, over 60% of stokvels don’t use the services of banks yet. “The benefits of opening an Absa Investment Club Account include increased security for their funds, no monthly management fees and gaining interest on their capital. Stokvels can access their accounts through online banking and easily track member contributions. It takes a lot of administration work away from the treasurers. It makes good stokvel sense.”

Rumhuma concluded by saying that the stokvels that were awarded prizes at the Absa Stokvel Awards 2025 served as proud examples to others.

“We all have a lot to learn from their members about discipline, determination and harnessing their courage to take that first step to gather community members together and say, ‘Let’s start. Together we can do this’.  At Absa we believe everyone is capable of starting somewhere. Under this year’s theme of “Every Story Deserves a Stage,” what would your stokvel’s success story be?”

 

For more information about the Absa Stokvel Awards, please visit www.absa.co.za/stokvelawards.