Tumi Phake, the former banker who founded Zenzele Fitness in 2014, has grown it from a handful of corporate gym contracts into Zenzele Group, a multi-brand wellness business that survived the pandemic by diversifying beyond gym floors entirely.
From banking to wellness
Phake left a seven-year career in investment banking to design, furnish and manage wellness and fitness facilities for corporates, universities and government departments. The model gave Zenzele a foothold with blue-chip clients and academic institutions, including Wits, rather than competing directly with consumer gym chains for individual members.
Surviving Covid-19 by diversifying
The pandemic hit gym operators particularly hard, closures and reduced foot traffic through 2020 and 2021 forced Phake to rebuild the business model. Zenzele Fitness evolved into Zenzele Group, adding a sports and athleisure clothing line, a health supplements business, a bottled water brand and a technology platform, spreading revenue across products that don’t depend on people walking through a gym door.
What the pivot says about resilience
Phake was named Sanlam and Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017 and was selected for the Obama Young African Leaders Initiative in 2016, recognition earned before the pandemic tested a wellness sector the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has since flagged as central to national health outcomes. That the company diversified into adjacent revenue streams rather than shrinking back to its original model is the clearer lesson for founders in physical-space businesses today.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Zenzele Fitness?
Tumi Phake, a former investment banker, founded Zenzele Fitness in 2014.
Is Zenzele Fitness still operating?
Yes, now under the broader Zenzele Group, which added clothing, supplements, bottled water and technology ventures after Covid-19 disrupted its original gym-management model.
What does Zenzele Group do?
It designs and manages wellness and fitness facilities for corporates, universities and government bodies, alongside newer product lines in athleisure, supplements and bottled water.
What awards has Tumi Phake received?
Sanlam and Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017, and selection for the Obama Young African Leaders Initiative in 2016.
How did Zenzele survive the Covid-19 pandemic?
By diversifying beyond gym management into product lines that didn’t depend on in-person facility use.
Further reading
Originally published in September 2016. Updated September 2026 to trace how Zenzele Fitness became Zenzele Group after diversifying into clothing, supplements and bottled water to survive the pandemic.
