What Shonaquip does

Shonaquip Social Enterprise (SSE), legally Shonaquip PTY LTD, is a Cape Town-based social enterprise founded in 1994 (per company history; some sources cite 1992) that designs, manufactures and distributes rugged, modular assistive technology for children and adults with mobility disabilities across Southern Africa. Its product portfolio consists of interoperable seating systems (Madiba, Madiba2Go, SamActive, SullyActive, SnoekieActive) that mount on a family of base frames (Folding 10 Buggy, Rigid 10/20 Buggy, Rigid 20/24 Active, Rigid 10 Manual, Powerbase), supplemented by back supports (TessBack, TAB, LATS, GibbyBack), seat cushions (Pressure Care, Jarik Fluid), positioners (JackStander, LalaPositioner, Izi), therapy products, the Ndinogona caregiver training programme, and newer offerings such as the Rural Transporter, Waste Reclaimer Trolley and Beach Wheelchair. Multiple devices carry ISO 16840-3 testing, CE designation under EU MDR, and SAHPRA licensing, supporting both clinical credibility and eligibility for institutional procurement.

The company operates a hybrid social-enterprise business model combining hardware sales with attached professional services. Revenue streams include direct hardware sales to families, healthcare providers and government clients (notably through South African national and provincial tender procurement), clinical assessment and fitting services delivered via Community-Based Outreach Seating clinics (approximately 15 clients per session) at sites such as clinics, schools and care centres, a Cape Town repair and refurbishment workshop (the Blue Line Project, in partnership with DSV Global Transport), CPD-accredited training programmes for healthcare practitioners, caregivers, community workers, civil servants and students, and a paid corporate inclusion advisory line supporting South African companies on B-BBEE and Employment Equity objectives. Distribution is multi-channel: outreach seating partnerships with provincial health departments (e.g., Northern Cape Department of Health), direct enquiry-based sales via the website, and partnerships with NGOs including Uhambo Foundation NPC (the affiliated non-profit arm), Light for the World, Plan International Mozambique, AfriNEAD, RuReSA, GATE and WHO. Governance and quality infrastructure include ISO 13485 (QMSMED00018), BBBEE Level 2 status for Shonaquip PTY LTD and Level 1 for Uhambo Foundation NPC, and recognition through Ashoka and Schwab Foundation fellowships, the Stanford GSB case study (No. E355, 2009), Design Indaba awards, SAB Foundation and the Forbes Accessibility 200 list (2024).

Name

Shonaquip

Legal name

Shonaquip PTY LTD

Website

https://shonaquipse.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Shonaquip Social Enterprise designs and manufactures rugged modular wheelchairs, seating systems, and positioning devices for children with mobility disabilities in Southern Africa, supported by clinical services, training programmes, and a community-based outreach delivery model operating across nine South African provinces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobility Aids (Wheelchairs, Scooters, Walkers, Canes) (HLAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seating & Positioning Systems (Cushions, Backs, Pressure Relief) (HLAHAMAB), Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

Keywords

• Assistive mobility devices
• Wheelchair seating systems
• Posture support equipment
• Disability inclusion services
• Pediatric mobility manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

Revenue model

1. Mobility and Posture Support Device Sales: SSE manufactures and sells a comprehensive range of wheelchairs, buggies, seating systems, positioning devices (lying, standing, seated), back supports, seat cushions, and accessories. Revenue is generated through direct sales to families, healthcare providers, government departments, and NGOs. Devices are available in various sizes and configurations to accommodate children and adults with varying levels of disability.
2. Assessment, Fitting, and Customisation Services: SSE provides clinical assessment, device fitting, customisation, and review services for users. These are delivered through community-based outreach seating clinics and at the factory in Cape Town. Services may be funded by government health departments, medical aids, or direct payment.
3. Repair, Refurbishment and Parts: SSE operates a repair and refurbishment workshop in Cape Town for both Shonaquip and other brands of wheelchairs. The Blue Line Project refurbishes donated, abandoned or outgrown devices for re-issuance at reduced prices. Parts replacement is offered as a separate revenue stream.
4. Training Programmes: SSE offers CPD-accredited and non-accredited training workshops in 24-hour posture support, seating, inclusive play, disability awareness, community-based outreach seating, and other topics. Training is delivered remotely and in-person to healthcare providers, caregivers, community workers, government staff, and students. Some training is offered free; others are fee-based.
5. Corporate Inclusion Advisory Services: SSE offers advisory services to local companies seeking to increase disability inclusion in their workforce, including disability awareness workshops and support for B-BBEE transformation objectives. This is a fee-for-service offering targeting South African corporate clients.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shonaquip Social Enterprise (SSE) designs, manufactures and sells a comprehensive range of rugged assistive mobility and posture support devices (wheelchairs, buggies, modular seating systems, back supports, cushions, and standing/lying/seated positioners) for children and adults with mobility disabilities across Southern Africa. Alongside device sales, SSE delivers clinical assessment, fitting, customisation, repair/refurbishment, CPD-accredited training programmes, and corporate disability inclusion advisory services as part of an integrated ecosystem model.

Product overview

Shonaquip Social Enterprise (SSE) is a comprehensive provider of assistive mobility devices and positioning equipment focused on enabling inclusion of children with disabilities across Southern Africa. The product portfolio consists of modular mobility base frames that pair with various seating systems: the Folding 10 Buggy, Rigid 10 Buggy, Rigid 20 Buggy, Rigid 20 Active, Rigid 24 Active, Rigid 10 Manual, and Powerbase frames work with Madiba, Madiba2Go, SamActive, SullyActive, and SnoekieActive seating products. Back support offerings include TessBack, TAB (Tension Adjustable Back), LATS, and GibbyBack systems. Seat cushion options comprise Pressure Care Cushion and Jarik Fluid Cushion. Positioning devices include JackStander (standing), LalaPositioner (lying), and Izi Positioner (seated). Therapy products encompass therapy equipment, plinth, and bath seat. The Ndinogona Programme provides structured stimulation training for caregivers, complemented by Ndinogona Inclusive Play activities. Additional mobility devices include Worldmade, Rural Transporter, Waste Reclaimer Trolley, and Beach Wheelchair. SSE also delivers services including health services, social inclusion, education, research and advocacy, corporate inclusion solutions, and lecturing/public speaking, supported by training programmes for various audiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Uhambo Foundation: The nonprofit foundation arm of Shonaquip Social Enterprise, focused on broader ecosystem building and community support for disability inclusion.

Quantifiable outcome

• SSE has been operating for 30 years, demonstrating sustained operational scale and longevity in a challenging social enterprise environment.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Uhambo FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUhambo Foundation (The Shonaquip Foundation) is the non-profit arm of the Shonaquip group. The Foundation runs programmes to build the capacity of ECD and Day Care Centres to support children with disabilities, supplements training for parents, and manages initiatives such as the Ndinogona 'I Can' Programme and the Inclusive Play Programme. Uhambo Foundation partnered with Plan International Mozambique and Light for the World in 2016 to pilot disability-inclusive ECD approaches in rural Mozambique.
• Swiss ReminorOthersSwiss Re is listed as a partner of SSE, likely providing corporate social responsibility or grant support for the organisation's mission.
• RuresacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRuReSA (Rural Reclaiming Agency of South Africa) is listed as a partner, suggesting collaboration in rural outreach and rehabilitation services.
• AfrineadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfriNEAD (African Network for Evidence-to-Action in Disability) is listed as a partner, suggesting collaboration in disability advocacy and evidence-based practice.
• GATE (Global Alliance for Assistive Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGATE (WHO's Global Alliance for Assistive Technology) is listed as a partner, indicating SSE's involvement in global advocacy and standard-setting for assistive technology.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO is listed as a partner, indicating SSE's role in advancing WHO guidelines for wheelchair service provision and assistive technology globally. SSE references WHO's 8 steps to appropriate wheelchair provision as a framework for its services.
• Dare ConsultminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDare Consult is listed as a partner, likely providing consulting or advisory services.
• Light For The WorldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLight For The World is listed as a partner and has collaborated with Uhambo Foundation and Plan International Mozambique on disability-inclusive ECD in rural Mozambique.
• DSV Global Transport and LogisticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDSV Global Transport and Logistics partners with SSE on the Blue Line Project, which collects abandoned or donated Shonaquip devices from around South Africa for refurbishment and re-issuance. DSV arranges transportation of donated devices.
• Plan International MozambiqueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUhambo Foundation partnered with Plan International Mozambique and Light for the World in late 2016 to pilot an approach to supporting community-based ECD centres in rural Mozambique to be disability-inclusive.
• Northern Cape Department of HealthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSSE works with provincial government health departments to provide wheelchair services, training, and device provision. The Northern Cape Department of Health specifically engaged SSE for staff training and outreach services.
• Stanford Graduate School of BusinessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSE is the subject of a Stanford Graduate School of Business case study (Case No. E355, 2009), indicating academic collaboration and knowledge-sharing about the SSE social enterprise model.
• Africa ForwardminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAfrica Forward is listed as a partner, likely supporting SSE's expansion or distribution activities across African markets.
• Go AssistminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGo Assist is listed as a partner, potentially providing assistance services related to device provision or support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Motivation Charitable Trust: UK-based social enterprise designing and distributing terrain-appropriate wheelchairs for developing countries. Directly comparable — Shonaquip even distributes Motivation's Worldmade product line in Southern Africa — making it the closest functional and mission-aligned peer.
• Joni and Friends: US-based disability ministry running the Wheels for the World program, which collects, refurbishes, and distributes wheelchairs internationally. Comparable on refurbishment-and-distribution model and faith/mission-driven delivery to LMICs.
• Free Wheelchair Mission: Large US-based nonprofit distributing free wheelchairs to people with disabilities in developing countries. Comparable scope of mission (assistive mobility for low-income populations) and donor-funded operating model.
• Whirlwind Wheelchair International: Nonprofit that designs and builds rugged, locally-repairable wheelchairs for resource-limited contexts. Closely comparable on product philosophy (durable, repairable, terrain-appropriate) and on the mission-driven funding model.
• Hope Haven International: Dutch-rooted nonprofit delivering rehabilitation and mobility devices (including wheelchairs) in low-resource settings globally. Comparable as a social-enterprise mobility provider combining device distribution with training and community-based service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Invacare Corporation: Long-established global manufacturer of wheelchairs and home medical equipment. Comparable on the institutional/procurement channel and overlapping paediatric-mobility product category.
• Sunrise Medical: Global wheelchair and mobility manufacturer with broad product portfolio across manual, powered, paediatric, and postural seating. Comparable as competing bidder for South African and broader African government tenders across the same product categories.
• Permobil: Global leader in powered wheelchairs and complex rehabilitation seating. Comparable through its powered mobility and advanced seating systems overlapping with Shonaquip's Powerbase and SamActive ranges.
• MEYRA Group: German wheelchair and rehab manufacturer with broad manual, power, and paediatric ranges. Comparable as another established European competitor in the same institutional procurement channels Shonaquip pursues.
• Ottobock: German medtech major in prosthetics, orthotics, and wheelchairs/seating. Comparable as a competing global seating-and-mobility incumbent bidding into the same high-complexity rehab tender segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCU3RuxKKHQVQdgXeuaHjEZA/videos?view=0&sort=p
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShonaquipSE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1066851/admin
• Instagraminstagram.com/shonaquip_social_enterprise/?igshid=1dana7golmc0n

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shonaquip