Message from Scout Board Chairperson Sandile Tshabalala
Sandile Tshabalala, Scout Board Chair
Today we commemorate Africa Day, the African Union has themed this day “Revisiting Our History, Shaping Our Future”.
For SCOUTS South Africa, this is an important day to also remember Africa’s developmental trajectory and Scouting’s role in facilitating cultural and social cohesion across various communities. Scouting is about discipline, punctuality and dignity; these are values that have created leaders across the continent, some visible and some invisible in their impact but they exist. As a value-based organization, Scouting is more relevant in Africa than ever before. When Robert Baden-Powell arrived in Mafikeng, he came with a vision to shape a future of prepared and result-driven individuals that care about their society and its betterment.
Scouting in Africa is about service. With insurmountable socio-economic challenge that persist, it is urgent that Scouts continue to serve their communities, build their leadership qualities, and never forget to enjoy the cultural diversity in which we find ourselves.
When I attended the Jamboree in 2007 in the United Kingdom, the brightness of our presence there gave us so much pride to be Africans and to share our unique diversity with fellow Scouts from across the globe. I will never forget sharing badges and scarves with other Scouts. That exchange was beyond the items but reminded me of celebrating what as Scouts from Africa we brought to the richness of a global gathering.
As we think about what it means to be African today, why it matters to be a Scout in Africa and reflect on what shapes a prosperous future, let us remember that in Scouting we learn, relearn and unlearn perspectives about ourselves and our communities in order to lean into what makes us more true to our discipled nature as individuals sharing our environment with nature’s flow.
The 2nd Africa Scout Moot in 2026 will be held in South Africa. This will give us a chance to showcase our preparedness to show other fellow Africans that we are together and care for each other’s development. We must share more stories with others about how Scouting impacts us day to day, for me, Scouting has always and continues to make me sensitive to the importance of connecting to my past in order to create a pathway for a sustainable future for myself and others, through respect and attention to details.
Celebrate this Africa Day by writing down five things you like about being an African, a proud Scout in Africa and a future leader for Africa in your community!