Emzini Tours
Changing lives - one township tour at a time
Basic information
Experience
Do
Project description
Emzini Tours offers visitors an authentic and eye-opening experience of township life in Knysna, South Africa. Guided tours combine cultural immersion, personal storytelling, and community connection. Guests visit local homes, learn about the history and transformation of the township, and take part in drumming, Xhosa language lessons, and shared meals. Beyond tourism, Emzini Tours directly supports a Safe House for 16 children, providing them with housing, education, clothing, and food. The project uplifts the township community by creating employment, offering a dignified platform for cultural exchange, and inviting global visitors to play a role in long-term social impact.
Involvement of V Social
Emzini Tours is preparing to welcome its first guests through Africaventura in 2025, and discussions are underway to integrate Emzini into future itineraries and visitor programming. The goal is to raise awareness about the Safe House through meaningful travel experiences and increase visitor-based donations that sustain care for the children, while continuing to provide employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for township residents.
Your impact
Knysna
Country: South Africa
Emzini Tours is co-owned by two women—one Xhosa and one English—who have built the business over 15 years. Together, they employ a team including guides, a driver, carer, cook, bookkeeper, and accountant. Through Emzini, each of these individuals earns a sustainable income in a region with limited job opportunities. The broader impact of Emzini is felt through its Safe House for 16 children, all of whom receive full support thanks to guest donations. The house covers education, food, clothing, transport, and emotional care for children who have experienced neglect or abuse. Every tour not only educates visitors—it also helps sustain a deeply needed sanctuary for vulnerable youth in the township.
Their story
Emzini Tours was born from the heart and resilience of Ella Mapurisa, a woman who transformed hardship into hope—not only for herself, but for an entire community. Ella grew up on a farm during the apartheid era in South Africa, raised by an alcoholic mother. From the age of 9, she worked to keep the household going, balancing labor with school as best she could. It was a childhood marked by survival, but also by strength. At 18, a missionary visited the farm and saw something in Ella. He offered her shelter, safety, and something she’d rarely had before—opportunity. He placed her in a supportive home and helped her return to school. Ella passed her final exams at age 25, and soon after, moved to Knysna. It was there, in a small Baptist church, that Ella met Penny Mainwaring, originally from Zimbabwe. The two became fast friends, united by their faith and desire to create something meaningful. In 2008, they founded Emzini Tours—a cultural experience that would take guests into the heart of the Knysna township and build bridges across worlds. But for Ella, the tours were only one piece of a bigger dream. Having lived through neglect and hardship, she felt called to protect children who were growing up as she had. In 2010, she and Penny opened the Lukhanyiso Safe House, now home to 16 children who are fully supported through Emzini’s income and guest donations. Today, Emzini Tours employs local guides, drivers, cooks, and carers—people like Mbulelo, Lamla, Ellen, and Fikiswa—who have found confidence, financial stability, and purpose through their work. Together, they share not only the story of their township but the story of transformation. For the Emzini team, each visitor is more than a tourist. They are a witness to resilience, a supporter of change, and a participant in a journey of healing. Through every drumbeat, shared meal, and spoken word of Xhosa, Emzini Tours uplifts lives—one story at a time.