Marvel and Malunghelo started with a second-hand computer and a vision. After capturing South Africa’s hearts, the NOVAR app built by the Limpopo duo now has R1 million and the tools to expand… thanks to a movement born from kindness.
Johannesburg, South Africa (20 May 2025) – Two young innovators in Limpopo are proving that determination and community spirit can change lives.
Marvel Shibambu and Malunghelo Mathonsi grew up in a small, under-resourced village in Limpopo but from that humble beginning they taught themselves to code and built NOVAR, a social-media style learning app offering free lessons, videos and news for high-school students.
Their story captured the nation’s attention after a TikTok by Cool Story Bru went viral, and South Africans rallied behind them, donating over R160,000 in crowdfunding. Now their journey has reached a thrilling new milestone. Liberty Group’s #DriveHope initiative has awarded Marvel and Malunghelo R1 million in funding to scale up NOVAR and realise their vision of free education for all.
NOVAR: An EdTech Innovation from Limpopo
NOVAR was born out of adversity and ambition. With no formal training or proper computer equipment, Marvel and Malunghelo pooled R700 saved from odd jobs to buy a second-hand PC and teach themselves programming. They built NOVAR to improve education for students like themselves, creating an app that is essentially a social-media style feed filled with educational content. Today the platform divides content into hubs… from short video lessons to news and exam guides, all curated and uploaded by the founders. In just a few months, NOVAR has been downloaded tens of thousands of times by eager learners.
The tipping point came when popular content creator Cool Story Bru shared their story. Within days, donations flooded in, crowdfunding quickly surpassed R120,000 and climbed to over R160,000.
@coolstorybru_ These two South African men from a rural village in Limpopo have invented a game-changing app 😍🇿🇦👏 @Shibambu Marvel @Malunghelo 1Drop #southafrica #tiktoksouthafrica🇿🇦 ♬ original sound – Cool Story Bru! 🇿🇦
As Malunghelo reflected on this outpouring of support.
“We were stunned by how strangers believed in us,” says Malunghelo. “It’s not just about the money – it’s about knowing that our country believes in our vision.”
That national faith is now being amplified by corporate South Africa through Liberty’s #DriveHope.
#DriveHope: Liberty’s Grassroots Initiative
So, what is #DriveHope? Something that we (at Good Things Guy) are incredibly proud to be part of. We have been there since the start of 2019 when Liberty’s digital marketing executive Karen Denny came across a heart-rending Facebook post from a woman in need. Inspired by Jeremy Mansfield’s Christmas Wish campaign, Denny and her colleagues began granting small wishes within Liberty for struggling employees and neighbours. When COVID-19 struck, the programme opened to the public, allowing anyone in crisis to be nominated for help.
Five years on, #DriveHope has grown into a nationwide movement of compassion. To date it has contributed over R3.4 million in ‘random acts of care’ across the country. Through this platform, Liberty has funded everything from medical costs to food parcels, helping thousands of families, students and entrepreneurs.
The NOVAR funding is a perfect fit… it combines Liberty’s commitment to financial empowerment with education and youth development.
“A key purpose of Liberty is to uplift communities and support local innovators,” says a Liberty spokesperson, Rindy Janse Van Rensburg. “Marvel and Malunghelo are shining examples of South African grit and creativity. Through #DriveHope we are thrilled to empower their vision for NOVAR. This is more than just a donation, we are offering mentorship and long-term partnership to ensure their success.”
But Liberty’s support for NOVAR has indeed gone far beyond money. Rindy explains that the people within the #DriveHope group really go above and beyond.
“Amelia Beattie had the vision, heart and determination to believe in Novar and the team behind it. She is set to guiding, guarding, and journeying with Novar to ensure it reaches the vision that Marvel and Malunghelo have for Novar and education in South African communities, utilising all available resources. In partnership with IBM and the Department of Education, among many other partners who stepped forward, Novar has a powerful team in South Africa, backing them every step of the way.”
The company has opened its doors wide for the young developers. Among the extra gifts and resources provided are:
- Office space at Liberty’s Braamfontein campus: Marvel and Malunghelo now have a desk and meeting room in Johannesburg’s innovation hub, giving them reliable internet and a professional work environment.
- Business mentoring and resources: The pair have been connected with Liberty mentors and SME coaches to develop a sustainable business plan, refine their app’s features, and navigate issues like data costs and partnerships.
- Brand-new Windows laptops: Each co-founder received a powerful new laptop. (Their original computer, the R700 one, served them well, but these fresh devices will help them code faster and add new features to the app.)
- A Checkers voucher to celebrate: To mark the occasion, Liberty gifted the friends a big grocery voucher so they could enjoy a meal and rest amid their hectic schedules.
- Phones for Marvel’s sisters: Seeing that Marvel’s two younger sisters love learning too, the #DriveHope team surprised the family by buying them smartphones so they can use NOVAR themselves.
- Birthday book set for Malunghelo’s daughter: When the team learned that Malunghelo’s little girl is a voracious reader, they arranged a set of educational storybooks as a birthday gift, nurturing her curiosity.
These personal touches reflect #DriveHope’s ethos: helping not just an idea but the people behind it and those they care about.
When Marvel thinks back on the past weeks, his eyes fill with gratitude. “We are overwhelmed,” he says, “to see how people from all over South Africa, and Liberty too, have embraced our dream. We started NOVAR to help learners, and now our country is helping us. Education should never be a privilege; it should be a right.”
His co-founder smiles in agreement: “With this support, we can focus on improving the app full-time. We have so many ideas, more lessons, live tutoring, better downloads. This is just the beginning.”
Even the #DriveHope team members are touched.
As Rindy recalls: “Meeting Marvel and Malunghelo was deeply inspiring. They didn’t ask for handouts, they asked for help in spreading knowledge. We felt proud to provide more than funding. I still remember handing Marvel his new laptop and feeling the weight of what it meant. We made sure his sisters got phones so they wouldn’t miss any content, and we packed a set of books for Malunghelo’s daughter. It reminded us that giving hope is personal, and every small act can change a life.”
Marvel and Malunghelo’s story is proof of what can happen when a community (from TikTok followers to corporate initiatives) rallies behind young innovators. After all the challenges they have overcome, these two friends now carry the hopes of thousands of learners.
As Malunghelo puts it: “We were just two boys with a dream in a village, and look at how our country has come together to back us.”
Their journey is a powerful reminder that good news and kindness are contagious. It shows that, in South Africa, talent and hard work can be lifted by collective belief. With Liberty and #DriveHope by their side, the future of NOVAR looks brighter than ever.
As Rindy concludes, “I am so privileged to #DriveHope, I can’t tell you how much it inspires me. I really hope this motivates other South Africans to do good to those around them. We need to be the change the world needs to see in the world.”
This emotional chapter celebrates community, collaboration and the endless potential of South Africa’s youth. And it leaves all of us more hopeful than ever.
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