WeeklySA_AdminPHILOSOPHY: KFC Africa has released its first Impact Report, arguing that business success should be judged as much by jobs created, children fed and communities strengthened as by financial returns, adding momentum to the growing debate over corporate accountability in South Africa…
By WSAM Reporter
As South Africans increasingly demand greater accountability from both government and business, KFC Africa has challenged the corporate sector to rethink how success is measured.
The company’s inaugural Impact Report 2025, titled Impact, Served Daily, argues that business performance should no longer be assessed solely through profit margins and shareholder returns, but also through the social and economic opportunities companies create.
Released this week, the report combines hard business data with measurable community outcomes across KFC Africa’s operations in 22 sub-Saharan countries, presenting a picture of a company that says growth and social impact should be inseparable. KFC Africa general manager Akhona Qengqe said the report reflects a broader philosophy about the role of business in society.“Chicken is what we sell, but what we serve goes far beyond that,” she said.
“Business growth creates real opportunity. When companies expand responsibly, they don’t just generate profit, they create jobs, build skills, support suppliers and strengthen communities.”
The report reveals that KFC Africa supported more than 40 000 employees during 2025 while operating 1 573 restaurants across the continent.
Beyond direct employment, every new restaurant is estimated to create around 35 permanent jobs while supporting another 100 positions through suppliers, logistics companies and local service providers. With ambitions to expand to 3 000 restaurants by 2035, the company says each new outlet represents a significant investment in local economic activity.
Much of the report focuses on programmes designed to address South Africa’s persistent social challenges. Through its Add Hope initiative, KFC says it served 35.5 million meals to vulnerable children during 2025, reaching more than 167 000 youngsters through over 3 000 feeding centres. Since the programme began in 2009, Add Hope has raised R1.27 billion and helped feed more than 1.5 million people.
The report also highlights KFC Mini-Cricket, which introduced almost 120 000 children to the sport during 2025 across 4,652 schools. Since its launch, the programme has reached more than 2.5 million children, with three-quarters of the current Proteas Women’s squad having started their cricket journey through Mini-Cricket.
Employee development forms another pillar of the company’s impact strategy.
During 2025, more than 9,500 staff members underwent training, nearly 1 850 received management development, and 202 employees graduated through the Streetwise
Academy with nationally accredited qualifications fully funded by the company. KFC Africa also achieved Top Employer certification for its people practices.
Chief People, Culture and Purpose Officer Nolo Thobejane said investing in employees remains central to the organisation’s long-term success.
“When people feel seen, supported and valued, everything changes. Culture isn’t what we say, it’s what people experience every day,” she said.
The publication of the report comes as expectations grow for companies to demonstrate measurable contributions towards tackling unemployment, inequality and food insecurity.
Rather than presenting corporate social investment as a stand-alone initiative, KFC argues that social impact should be embedded within business operations and measured with the same discipline as financial performance.
The company says it hopes the report will encourage broader discussion about how South African businesses define success and whether transparency around social impact should become a standard measure of corporate performance.
“The more companies measure, report and act on their broader impact, the stronger South Africa’s future will be,” the report concludes.
