Hello Youth Month! We often speak about how the youth are the future and that we should nurture, upskill, and guide the youth but as I’ve pondered on the importance of celebrating this month, I have come to realisation of how the future is now. The time has come to hand over the baton and allow our youth to lead and guide us to the next best thing. We often say that the youth is disruptive, they don’t listen and that they have no work ethic but on the contrary, if we sit back, listen to understand we will find that we mistake their innovation for disruption, their passion for a supposed lack of listening and their desire for change as a no work ethic. In the month of May, I have engaged myself in efforts of listening more as we have been looking for solutions to situations that seemed to have us in an uncomfortable situation, and that is particularly in the area in which the youth entrepreneurs thrive, in adverse situations. So, as we start the month looking forward to celebrating the throngs of young entrepreneurs who have started and closed shop but kept persisting until they made it. For the young entrepreneurs who have spoken and have not been heard, we say its only a matter of time before your light shines bright enough for all to see.

In the spirit of celebration let’s look at what the Proudly SA team got up to in the month of May. It would be remiss of us to not acknowledge Workers Day, as we know that any economy is lost without the workforce which wakes up and goes to work every single day of the year. Your efforts and strides are appreciated. May is also an important month for the mothers, as the nation takes some time to celebrate the maternal figures in our lives. The marketing team hosted a Mother’s Day luncheon for working mom’s and it was a pretty in pink kind of day, where the mompreneurs shared their experiences of balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship.

The Proudly SA team and some of the members of the campaign had the honour of sharing entrepreneurial insights with the students at VUT, which sparked conversations that will hopefully shape tomorrow’s leaders. We also took the buy local message all the way to Thembisa for the EmpowaYouth, a movement aimed at developing robust solutions towards solving unemployment in South Africa. I shared a masterclass on localisation and access to market. Bringing to attention the power of buying local and creating real opportunities for youth businesses.

Sugar, spice, and all things local were the main ingredients of the day at the Winter Warmer media cook-off hosted by Proudly South African in partnership with The Breadbox Bakery and Studio, a long-standing member of the campaign.

In celebration of South Africa’s rich and diverse culinary heritage, Proudly SA invited a few members of the media to an interactive winter cook-off that boasted a flavourful fusion of local cooking and SME support.

As we enter the winter season, let it be country duty to think of our fellow citizens who are local entrepreneurs and show them ubuntu as we put our money where our pride is. Buy local to create jobs isn’t just a slogan, it’s a lifestyle, a hope in the hearts of many and the rising sun on the horizon as we look forward to the future.

A quick fun fact, that I would like to leave us all to ponder on is that the Proudly South African organisation was founded by Madiba and as we head towards his birth month and Mandela Day, let us all dig deep and think of what makes us Proudly South African. It's important to reflect, so that we can move forward and build, for a better future and a lasting legacy for our children. And as we look ahead, July promises to be a month packed with even more exciting moments. We’ll be heading to the Local Wine Expo 2025 to toast to local excellence, bringing the buy local message to life at the Durban July, and officially launching our e-commerce platform, opening new doors for our members and local consumers alike.

Mzansi, the time is now…let’s build our economy, one local purchase at a time.

For information on South African products to look forward to, please contact our team at [email protected]. We will gladly share insights from our trusted member stakeholders.
Remember to check out Proudly SA’s latest CI document to see the various ways in which you as a member of Proudly SA can use our logo on all your qualifying products, websites, and other marketing material.

Should you have any questions or suggestions, or would like to collaborate on future initiatives, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Should you wish to share with the newsletter team any milestones, events, awards, or sales, please send your email to [email protected]. We value your feedback and involvement in shaping the course of our movement.