Sable Assets, the Johannesburg software company that took a gamble on training 30 inexperienced coders in 2015, is still operating today from the Riversands Incubation Hub, now built into an accredited training provider as well as a software developer.
A local answer to outsourcing frustration
Founders Sandiswa Nqampoyi and Sandile Swana started Sable Assets in 2011 after a costly, difficult experience outsourcing software development to Ukraine. Rather than keep sending work overseas, they built local capacity, taking on 30 interns with little to no development experience and training them through real client projects, including risk-management software and municipal performance-management systems.
Where the business stands now
Sable Assets continues to operate from the Riversands Incubation Hub in Johannesburg, and has since formalised its training arm: the company is now an accredited training provider, running structured courses alongside its software development work for public and private sector clients. The dual model, build software and train the people who build it, has held up as a durable business structure rather than a one-off experiment.
The lesson for other tech employers
South Africa’s ICT skills shortage that Sable Assets was responding to in 2016 hasn’t disappeared, a gap the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies still lists among the barriers to the country’s digital economy ambitions. Employers that build their own training pipeline, rather than competing for the same small pool of experienced developers, still have an advantage in accessing talent that larger, better-funded competitors overlook.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sable Assets still operating?
Yes. Sable Assets continues to operate from the Riversands Incubation Hub in Johannesburg.
Who founded Sable Assets?
Sandiswa Nqampoyi and Sandile Swana founded the company in 2011.
What does Sable Assets do?
It develops custom software and data warehousing systems for public and private sector clients, and now also runs accredited technology training courses.
Why did Sable Assets train inexperienced developers?
After a difficult outsourcing experience, the founders decided to build local software development capacity by training junior developers directly.
Is Sable Assets a training provider?
Yes, it is accredited to provide training courses in addition to its core software development business.
Further reading
Originally published in August 2016. Updated September 2026 to confirm Sable Assets is still operating from Riversands and has since become an accredited training provider alongside its software development work.
