As Youth Month closes in, we’ve rounded up inspiring young people who’ve responded to the DM of duty, blazed toward change and brought South Africa joy so far in 2023.
South Africa (21 June, 2023) —Youth Month reminds South Africa that the younger generations in our country aren’t just growing up—they’re planting change, flowering empowerment and harvesting the lessons of those that came before. There are so many inspiring young people crafting the rainbow nation’s future.
To celebrate the stories we’ve shared with warm hearts this year and inspire those whose stories we’re yet to tell, we’ve rounded up some future icons to know and root for.
From young leaders committed to protecting our planet to the heroes in school uniforms, the joy spreaders and barrier breakers; we have a melting pot of goodness and a brighter future to look forward to because of them.
Meet the Youth Giving South Africa a Positive Boost!
Musa Motha, the talented dancer who inspired resilience across the world
After winning over the judges on Britain’s Got Talent, Musa brought the world to beautiful and encouraged tears.
Fred Junior, the 12-Year-Old farmer who dreams of feeding South Africa’s children
The Brits-based youngster believes that teaching young people about farming will help end hunger.
Zoë Prinsloo, the eco-warrior who initiated a cross-country beach cleanup across South Africa
Determined to clean up South Africa’s beaches, Save a Fishie founder, 20-year-old Zoë Prinsloo is leading an epic cross-country clean-up mission!
Roemella Shemba, the young entrepreneur promoting peace in his community through fashion
Roemella wanted to see change in Eldorado Park and so, started his own fashion brand to promote peace: #AntiGang.
Tumisang Motsikwa, the matric who bravely rescued a fellow student
Tumisang bravely stepped in to rescue a fellow student from a mugging. His kind heart was intensely impacted by the criminals, but luckily, good people made sure his heroic story got a positive ending.
Khazimla Adam who stepped in to protect young schoolchildren from a dangerous dump
The 16-year-old saw how a dangerous waste dump near a school was impacting her community; including the students. Instead of carrying on with her day, she wrote to the mayor and made a difference!
Brady Bernard, the high schooler who collected hundreds of kilograms of plastic lids for wheelchair funding
Brady Bernard started collecting plastic bottle lids six years ago in the hope of getting a wheelchair for a local charity; thanks to his initiative that inspired recyclers, he was able to collect 830kgs!
Ofentse Pitse, the young conductor inspiring a generation of female, black conductors
Ofentse Pitse led some of the best pieces from Netflix’s Queen Charlotte as conductor. Thanks to her, so many more young black women are inspired to follow classical dreams.
Jess Robus, the budding author and mental health advocate who wrote a thoughtful children’s book about identity at 16 years old
Robus wrote a thoughtful book about belonging, written to inspire kindness and acceptance in a mental health-positive and dyslexic-friendly fashion.
Saman Akhtar, the new doctor that inspired South Africa through her determination
At 24 years old, Saman earned her medical degree and shared her inspiring story of never giving up despite fighting cancer throughout her studies.
Zandi the Mermaid who made the ‘global power list’ for women in travel
Zandile Ndhlovu, AKA the black mermaid, is a young ocean activist and freediver who represented South Africa proudly by making the ‘global power list’ for women in travel.
Chaeli Mycroft, the disability activist on a mission to change lives
Chaeli is a huge voice within the disabled community; challenging narratives around disability and empowering people in the process.
The 11-year-old entrepreneur who set aside his profits to help the Hennops Revival
An 11-year-old entrepreneur in Irene learnt early on about the importance of giving back as a business and chose to donate parts of his profits to support the Hennops Revival cause.
The young South Africans taking city planning into their own hands
Young South Africans bent on a brighter future for our cities are taking matters into their own hands thanks to a unique active citizen community—Young Urbanists.
The Mzansi Youth Choir and the voices that made South Africa proud
The Mzansi Youth Choir made history during America’s Got Talent auditions, earning the first-ever Golden Buzzer chosen by the audience.
Singhita the singer and activist who, at 15-years-old represented South Africa at a Leading Women Summit
This powerhouse teen was invited to speak at one of the most influential summits for women and was one of the youngest women to attend!
Ross Garret, the committed sports charity founder
Ross has been dedicated to giving underprivileged children sporting goods to make their dreams come true since he was in primary school!
Keira King, the ocean’s friend paddling for the penguins
Following last year’s effort to rally funds for turtle rehabilitation, Keira is back at it again, set to paddle 40km to help African Penguins, their conservation and repopulation.
The Tygerberg Children’s Choir who returned to the international stage, sparkling
We were all rooting for The Tygerberg Children’s Choir, who understood the assignment and brought the choral crown back to SA.
Tiffany Ogbonnaya, Zanele Khwela and Thulile Zikali who are changing the possibilities for fuel
The KZN learners turned Marula nuts into fuel, won a prestigious green entrepreneurship competition and are running a business to help save the environment.
Kimberly Taylor, the young woman taking the tech world by storm
Kimberly invented a new kind of software and is putting South African women on the tech map in the process.
Joseph Gibbon and Matthew Redfern who are innovating plastic problem solutions
These two students won international gold for their work on an innovative plastic pollution mitigation study; a nod to the next generation of eco-innovators.
The Hermanus student heroes who wasted no time in coming up with a rescue plan
Quick-thinking students in Hermanus came running to the rescue after a paragliding adventure went wrong.
Luvania Govender, the young lawyer who spends her free time making animals’ lives better
Luvania made Johannesburg smile and feel inspired thanks to her ‘side hustle’: reading and singing to orphaned SPCA animals.
The classmate who wanted to see his fellow student shine
A young man made sure his classmate would get through his speech with a little support; because the little moments make big impacts.
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