Sanari Capital (“Sanari”) is pleased to announce the conclusion of its R28 million investment in education company, Edulife Group (“Edulife”). Edulife is the largest independent school group in the Free State. Founded by Koos Engelbrecht in 1998 with one school and six learners, the group has grown under the leadership of his son and current CEO, Hansie Engelbrecht, to three schools and more than 1200 learners, and is opening its fourth school in January 2020.
Edulife offers accessible quality education across the affordability spectrum. Sanari’s growth equity investment will expand the existing schools, improve facilities, and fund the roll-out of an additional school.
Nelson Mandela famously said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. This is the basis of one of Sanari’s investment themes, hence its interest in the Edulife Group which has provided quality, affordable education to the Batho community in Bloemfontein for over 20 years. Edulife is in the process of opening a Cambridge curriculum school in 2020 to serve the new Wild Olive estate. The new school, Olive Ridge, will focus on skills needed for the 4th Industrial Revolution, such as coding and robotics.
Sanari’s investment will provide the schools with modern and upgraded facilities, allow the Edulife team to share specialized resources across all schools, triple the number of jobs to over 300, and grow the group’s learner base to 2000+ over the next five years. The transaction with Sanari is intended to help grow this typical family run business into a more professional, corporatized organisation by employing Sanari’s “3S” focus on Sustainability, Scalability and Saleability, unlocking its potential to become a recognized education brand in South Africa.
Sanari partner, Moushmi Patel, said, “Edulife is an extremely exciting deal for Sanari. Not only is it a highly attractive investment but it will have a multiplier effect on the economy and community of Bloemfontein, and that’s at the heart of our Profit with Purpose strategy”.
Hansie Engelbrecht, CEO of Edulife Group said: “Sanari’s management team and vision immediately impressed me. Their exceptional leadership, talents and skills will ensure sustainable growth for Edulife Group. The investment will enable us to continue our vision of making a difference through education.”
“We are thrilled to partner with such a focused and passionate entrepreneur. Hansie and his team bring great hope to their learners and this was further evidenced in the decision to issue shares in Edulife to a non profit company for the benefit of the Academy of Excellence learners and Batho community. We’re looking forward to being a part of this story,” said Samantha Pokroy, Sanari CEO.
