The SA Champions Network & G20

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When the world’s most powerful leaders gather in Johannesburg for the G20 Summit, they will come to a country that has always defied easy definitions. 

South Africa is complex, contradictory, and courageous — a nation of contradictions and creativity, of struggle and strength.

But at its heart, it is a nation of champions: people who refuse to give up on the promise of a better tomorrow.

That spirit is what the SA Champions Network exists to celebrate.

As South Africa leads the G20 under the theme “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability,” the Network will serve to amplify the human face of our presidency — a living movement of South Africans who embody those very values in how they lead, build and serve.

Every nation tells a story. Ours is one of resilience. Of communities that rebuild after crisis. Of entrepreneurs who innovate despite odds. Of teachers, artists, nurses, engineers and activists who keep faith in the South African dream.

The SA Champions Network exists to find South Africa's hidden champions — to give them voice, visibility and connection. To create a living tapestry of national pride that transcends sectors and silos.

If South Africa’s G20 presidency is to leave a legacy, it must be one rooted in Ubuntu — the belief that “I am because we are.”

Ubuntu is our country’s moral export to the world. It reminds us that leadership is not about status, but service. It is about collaboration, humility and shared humanity — values the global system urgently needs.

Through the SA Champions Network, Ubuntu becomes tangible. Over the coming year, 100 champions will be profiled and connected — drawn from every province, sector and community. 

They will meet, learn and collaborate in a series of Champions Dialogues aligned with the G20 agenda, exploring how South Africans are advancing the same goals the G20 seeks: sustainable growth, inclusive leadership, and a future where no one is left behind.

The world does not need more leaders in title — it needs more leaders in action. The SA Champions Network redefines what it means to lead. A champion is not someone with power, but someone who empowers. A champion does not compete for attention — they create connection.

By highlighting these stories, the Network seeks to restore faith in the idea of leadership itself — especially at a time when cynicism, fatigue and disillusionment too often define our public life.

In doing so, it positions South Africa as a nation not just of potential, but of purpose.

Each G20 host nation leaves a mark. Germany was remembered for innovation. India for inclusion. South Africa’s legacy should be solidarity through humanity.

The SA Champions Network will help tell that story — through campaigns, dialogues, and events that showcase our people’s ingenuity, resilience and empathy. It will connect local narratives to global debates, demonstrating that the principles the G20 champions are already alive in South African communities.

When the G20 motorcades drive through our cities, we want the world to see more than infrastructure and diplomacy. We want them to see Ubuntu in motion.

When the summit ends, the cameras will leave. But the SA Champions Network will continue — as a permanent platform for values-driven leadership.

Its purpose is not to celebrate celebrity, but to cultivate example. To inspire future generations to believe that leadership is not reserved for the few, but expected of the many.

This is how we build not just a G20 legacy, but a generational one.

South Africa’s story is unfinished — and that is its beauty. We are a work in progress, still learning, still striving, still believing.

So as the G20 spotlight turns toward us, let us step forward not with arrogance, but with authenticity. Let us show the world that our greatest export is our humanity — our ability to lead with heart, to collaborate with courage, and to dream together despite it all.

Because this is South Africa’s moment to shine — and it belongs not just to the delegates, but to our people.

We are, and have always been, a nation of champions.