Pretoria learner wins The Courier Guy design competition

Ynara Ismail received a R10 000 cheque for her school and a second R5 000 in her name courtesy of The Courier Guy.

Education and the pivotal role it plays in changing lives is something that’s well-documented. It occupies a special place towards the realisation of aspirations and is the best known success tool and enabler in a variety of arenas, from self-advancement, to community upliftment and national development, with education also requisite in the job market, in entrepreneurship and in cultivating talent. In short, there’s no end to the myriad possibilities that a quality and creative learning culture can generate.

The Courier Guy has long realised this fact and tries its best to nurture talent in learners and contribute to education in general. It emphasises the importance of education in an ecosystem in which The Courier Guy plays a very active role in creating job opportunities through an interconnected web of spinoffs that increasingly demonstrate its rising profile in employment and the national economy.

Education and the pivotal role it plays in changing lives is something that’s well-documented. It occupies a special place towards the realisation of aspirations and is the best known success tool and enabler in a variety of arenas, from self-advancement, to community upliftment and national development, with education also requisite in the job market, in entrepreneurship and in cultivating talent. In short, there’s no end to the myriad possibilities that a quality and creative learning culture can generate.

The Courier Guy has long realised this fact and tries its best to nurture talent in learners and contribute to education in general. It emphasises the importance of education in an ecosystem in which The Courier Guy plays a very active role in creating job opportunities through an interconnected web of spin-offs that increasingly demonstrate its rising profile in employment and the national economy.

This track record notwithstanding, The Courier Guy has always seen itself as rooted in the community. After all, its success as a corporate entity would not have been possible were it not for a spur of the moment decision way back in 2000 by founder Stephen Gleisner “to do a friend a favour” by dropping off a file at the printers on their behalf.


As most would agree, one of the best ways to contribute to the community is to do our best in ensuring that schools are properly resourced and learners adequately supported, especially in view of the fact that our education system has been faulted for failing to produce work-ready school leavers and matriculants who are up for the challenge of university.

The Courier Guy’s sponsorship of the Pretoria News Design-an-Ad (DAA) competition is thus motivated in part by a desire to inspire and encourage learners to reach their artistic potential and endeavours. In addition to its participation in the Pretoria News DAA, The Courier Guy has in the past run it’s own separate DAA competition with schools in regional areas where their kiosks are situated.Ynara Ismael was the proud recipient of a cheque to the tune of R5 000 for her impressive artwork for The Courier Guy.

For St Mary’s DSG learner Ynara Ismail, being summoned to the office of Head of School The Reverend Angus Patterson was out of the ordinary, on a morning of all times. She need not have worried. The Courier Guy was visiting the school to deliver a pleasant surprise. This was in acknowledgement of her excellent DAA artwork for The Courier Guy, which came second overall in this year’s Pretoria News DAA.

For adroitly capturing The Courier Guy’s brief, Ynara received a R10 000 cheque for her school and a second R5 000 in her name courtesy of The Courier Guy.

“The donation is for you. You can use it as you see fit,” The Courier Guy National Franchise Manager Helga Steenkamp told a very elated Ynara. The Gr 11 learner deliberated between using the money to stock up on art supplies and sharing it with her parents.


“This year we wanted our clients to know that it’s never too near or too far or never too big or too small for us to deliver a parcel,” Steenkamp added.

She complimented Ynara’s artwork for highlighting all the modes of delivery The Courier Guy utilises. The design features the theme “Never too near or too far” at the top, a labyrinth of highways illustrating road delivery as well as air and sea traffic modes, thereby underscoring The Courier Guy as a truly worldwide express service.Pretoria News editor Val Boje; pupil Ynara Ismael; art teacher Jane Knight; The Courier Guy National Franchise Manager, Helga Steenkamp; Pretoria News staffer Adrian Fidler; The Courier Guy National Kiosk Manager, Duane Calitz and St Mary’s DSG Head of School, The Reverend Angus Paterson.

“You really put it well together,” enthused Steenkamp who added that including the navigation showed The Courier Guy’s international dimension just as the theme ““We would love to handle your package” is part of the company’s identity.

Steenkamp also commended the improving quality of artworks from learners and cited last year’s drawings as having also exhibited high standards and great quality.

The Courier Guy has grown from its humble beginnings as an entity with only one motorbike and operated out of servants’ quarters to a tightly-knit family of depots, kiosk outlets nationally, customers, owner drivers and agents.


It attributes its success to its empowering franchising method and word-of-mouth marketing.

Ordinary people have the chance to become business people in their own right thanks to The Courier Guy’s pioneering model which contributes to employment generation and social upliftment.

For example, the total number of kiosks has increased to 72 nationally, with every kiosk store running two community projects each year, according to The Courier Guy National Kiosk Manager Duane Calitz.

Through its network of independent driver representatives who use their own vehicles to get into business, The Courier Guy gives lots of people a head start.

All one needed to be a driver representative was possession of a driver’s licence, a good record, good social skills and a certain level of competency and general responsibility, said Steenkamp.

It really is a case of it never being too near or too far and them really loving to handle your package!