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.”
Salim Abdool Karim
Shield and Torch of Science
Known simply as “Slim” to colleagues, Salim Abdool Karim has carried South Africa’s name into the highest circles of global science. At CAPRISA, he led microbicide and ARV trials that redefined HIV prevention worldwide. During the pandemic, his steady voice became a national compass. But beyond headlines and honours, he remains a teacher at heart, lifting the next wave of African scientists. His work is both shield and torch: protecting lives, illuminating futures.
Order of Mapungubwe (Silver), 2013.
Helen Rees
Custodian of Women & Children’s Health
Helen Rees has spent her life ensuring that women’s health and vaccines for children are not afterthoughts but priorities. From HIV prevention to HPV vaccination, her studies at Wits RHI have shaped WHO guidelines, ensuring global reach from Johannesburg boardrooms. Trusted as an advisor to WHO and UNAIDS, she shows that a South African scientist can redraw the map of global health. Her legacy is written not in papers alone, but in millions of protected lives.
WHO advisor on vaccines and reproductive health
Tebello Nyokong
Light Against Cancer
From the rural hills of Lesotho to a Rhodes University lab, Tebello Nyokong’s journey is an ode to persistence. She is among the world’s pioneers of photodynamic therapy — using nanomaterials and light to target cancer cells. For decades she has published, taught, and mentored, yet her pride lies not only in citations but in the black women scientists she has raised behind her. Her laboratory is both a forge of molecules and a forge of futures.
L’Oréal-UNESCO Laureate for Physical Sciences, 2009.
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
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.
“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 at 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.