Confidence. Momentum. Opportunity
Discover South Africa
Inspiring new ways to belong, create, celebrate, lead and protect.
Inspiring new ways of belonging
Ubuntu Nation
Ubuntu is how South Africans hold one another up. Through discipline, care, and compassion. It lives in stokvels built on trust, in NGOs feeding millions, in community patrols and shelters that work quietly while the world sleeps.
“I am because we are,
it’s not philosophy here, it’s logistics.”
Inspiring New Ways to Solve Problems
Makers and Innovators
Here, invention is instinct. From township garages to global runways, South Africans reimagine what’s possible. Clay becomes ancestry, beadwork becomes code, and necessity becomes design.
“When others see constraint, South Africans see a design brief.”
Glenda Gray
Medicine as Courage
Glenda Gray’s career began in Soweto’s hospitals, where mothers and babies fought not only illness but indifference. She co-led South Africa’s first HIV vaccine trial, and later guided national COVID-19 studies. Today, as President of the South African Medical Research Council, she carries the authority of decades spent marrying science and justice. Her research has changed protocols; her advocacy has changed attitudes. To many, she is proof that medicine, at its best, is a form of courage.
Order of Mapungubwe (Silver), 2013; EDCTP Outstanding African Scientist Award
Prof Kelly Chibale
The Scientist Who Builds Medicines in Africa
In a Cape Town lab humming with hope, Kelly Chibale leads H3D — Africa’s first integrated drug discovery centre. Under his guidance, new treatments for malaria and tuberculosis move from idea to trial without leaving the continent. He is both chemist and champion, proving that Africa need not import cures; it can invent them. In Chibale’s vision, every molecule is a declaration of sovereignty.
TIME 100 Next Honoree for Global Health Innovation, 2021.
Kagiso Lediga
Story Architect
From comedy clubs to film sets, Kagiso Lediga has turned laughter into legacy. Through his studio Diprente, he built a home for satirical storytelling — producing Queen Sono, Catching Feelings, and a new wave of South African series that speak truth with wit. His humour disarms; his vision reforms. He’s the bridge between stand-up and cinema, showing that laughter can be a tool for nation-building.
Founder, Diprente Studios; Netflix collaborator.
Inspiring new ways to celebrate togetherness
Fire and Fellowship
South Africans celebrate together — at the braai, in stadiums, in song. From the township table to Amapiano dance floors, humour, rhythm, and shared pride weave the social fabric. Sport and art become languages of belonging that the world understands.
“When South Africa comes together, we don’t just play, we unite.”
Inspiring New Ways to lead, create and hope
The Next Generation
Half our nation is under 35 — and fully alive to possibility.
They’re coders, creatives, activists, and entrepreneurs rewriting the country’s story in real time. Born after apartheid but not beyond its lessons, this generation leads with energy and empathy.
“We’re not waiting our turn — we’re building our future.”
Digital Natives, Global Citizens
63% use social media to build businesses or creative platforms.
From livestream tutors to fintech coders, South Africa’s youth are creating global relevance from local bandwidth. They speak code, content, and connection — proving that creativity and commerce can thrive from anywhere.
Source: Brand SA 2024 Nation Brand Report
Entrepreneurs Before Graduation
1 in 3 young South Africans have started or plan to start a business. Youth entrepreneurship grew 42% between 2020–2024.
They launch companies between lectures, turning study groups into startups. Their ventures span AI, agritech, fashion, and food — each one proof that South Africa’s next economy is already under construction.
Source: GEM South Africa Report 2024
The Sound of Now
Amapiano streams have increased 300% globally (2022–2024). South African youth artists dominate the African Spotify charts.
Music is their passport and amplifier. From Soweto’s backrooms to London clubs, young artists export rhythm as identity — and the world keeps time to their beat.
Source: Spotify Africa / SAMPRA
Climate Activists,
Practical Dreamers
72% of South African youth say climate action is a personal priority. Youth-led environmental initiatives have increased 150% since 2020.
Featured Voice: Ayakha Melithafa — Cape Town | Climate Advocate
They clean beaches, design water-saving tech, and lobby parliament. Their activism is pragmatic, data-driven, and local — proof that resilience and restoration can grow from youthful persistence.
Source: GCRO Youth Survey / Green Connection SA
Educated, Ambitious,
Unstoppable
University enrolment among Black South Africans has grown 400% since 1994. 54% of youth say education is their path to change.
Featured Voice: Akhona Sibango — Johannesburg | First-Gen Graduate
They study by day, side-hustle by night, and mentor others online. Education is no longer escape — it’s empowerment multiplied, a chain reaction of self-belief.
Source: Stats SA / CHE Report
Civic Energy, New Politics
68% of young South Africans say they trust their generation to solve problems better than older generations. Youth voter registration increased 35% ahead of the 2024 elections.
Featured Voice: Itumeleng Mpofu — Cape Town | Social Entrepreneur
They protest with playlists, mobilise with memes, and debate with data. Their politics is participatory, not partisan — a reboot of democracy powered by optimism.
Source: Brand SA / IEC Data 2024
Inspiring new ways to protect nature and build livelihoods
Wild Heart
Rangers, innovators, and communities are restoring ecosystems and reimagining livelihoods. From anti-poaching patrols to marine guardians, from agroforestry to green tech — stewardship has become the nation’s quiet superpower.
“We protect what we depend on — and it protects us back.”
Let’s build together
The Circle Complete
South Africa is not just a place you visit — it’s a story you join. In Ubuntu’s embrace, in the maker’s spark, in the laughter around a fire, in youth’s courage, in the wild’s heartbeat — South Africa is Inspiring New Ways.
Discover more. Connect deeper. Carry South Africa with you.