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.”
Thebe Magugu
The Tailor of Identity
Thebe Magugu stitches history into haute couture. His collections explore womanhood, politics, and heritage with the precision of a tailor and the curiosity of a historian. In 2019, he became the first African to win the LVMH Prize, proving that storytelling through fabric can travel from the Free State to the fashion capitals of the world. His garments are essays in texture and truth — proof that Africa does not follow fashion; it leads it.
LVMH Prize Winner for Young Fashion Designers, 2019.
Athi-Patra Ruga
Performer of New Myths
Athi-Patra Ruga weaves performance, tapestry, and satire into a radiant subversion of power. Draped in colour and humour, his work queers history — replacing colonial heroes with fabulous, self-invented deities. Whether parading in beaded heels or stitching utopias, Ruga turns art into rebellion and laughter into politics.
Venice Biennale exhibitor; Standard Bank Young Artist Award, 2015.
Prof Henk Bouwman
The Water Sentinel
Along the platinum belt of the North West, where rivers shimmer with memory and mining dust, Henk Bouwman builds tools that listen to the land. His low-cost biosensors track toxins in the streams that feed farms and families, turning invisible danger into visible data. For decades, his research has been a lifeline for communities who live downstream from industry. Science, in his hands, becomes a public service — precise, patient, and protective.
NWU Excellence Award for Research Impact, 2023.
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 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.