Message from Chief Scout Khonzaphi Mdaka
Chief Scout at WSC 2024
Scouting embodies the different cultures and heritage of our country. Today is a day to unite #HeritageDay, and to focus on how our diversity strengthens us as a nation and as a Scout Movement! As citizens and Scouting members, we all have our own unique heritage that we bring to our families, communities, Scout Groups, Districts and Regions.
As we join our country in celebrating our cultures, our beliefs, our traditions, and our diversity, it’s the perfect time to reach out to our peers in Scouting and embrace our diverse customs, cultural values, and ways of life. I believe, this is one of our strengths as an organisation that empowers and inspires youth leadership in South Africa.
To take inspiration out of Springbok Rugby Captain Siya Kolisi’s leadership style, he once said “I liked to spend as much time as possible with each individual…It is important to understand what is important to other people. The more I got to know people, the more I knew what to say as a captain.” I feel the same as well, by giving time and talking to our members I learn more about Scouting and the different cultures we have as people. As a brother to every other Scout, and as a South African, I would like to encourage you all to make the time to get to know your Scouting peers, the children you serve, your community members and colleagues. The more you see them for who they are, what their lives are like, and what they care about, the better people and leaders we can become.
By embracing our diversity and purposefully learning from each other, we can give young people the opportunity to learn, to listen, to see, and to understand. They can be inspired to be leaders that embrace our rainbow nation’s heritage whilst building a legacy of acceptance, inclusivity, mutual respect and understanding. As Scouts, we can then truly create a better world that aligns to the Scouting values we hold so dear.
As you come together around a braai, umgido, ingoma, sibhaca, xibhelani and break out in maskandi song and dance, take a moment to reflect on the fact that the future belongs to our youth, so what better legacy to create as SCOUTS South Africa than one where we embrace our differences and harness the power of unity in diversity to inspire our youth. Let us be proud of who we are and celebrate that we are South Africans.
Your Chief Scout, Khonzaphi