Emmelie Steentjes is a Dutch entrepreneur who has called Cape Town home since 2015. While splitting her time between the Netherlands and South Africa, she found it hard to build lasting connections during short stays and often felt she was missing a community to belong to in the city.

That gap led her to found BUMBUNTU, a platform and events community that helps remote workers and newcomers connect with each other and with Cape Town itself. Her approach centers on consistent, everyday activities rather than one-off events, so people can build real friendships over time.