Ubuntu – South Africa’s
Social Operating System
It is visible in the stokvel that mobilises billions. In the feeding scheme that has endured for nearly 80 years. In the clinic where no child faces HIV alone. In the classroom where children with disabilities are embraced.
UBUNTU NATION
I am because we are
Ubuntu is the collective muscle that carries South Africa forward — disciplined in finance, systemic in care, and compassionate in everyday acts of altruism.
UBUNTU IN FINANCE
Discipline & Trust
Across South Africa, 11 million people belong to stokvels – community savings and investment clubs built on trust. Together, they mobilise tens of billions of rand each year.
Jan Riches Savings Club
Located in Harrismith at mid-point of crucial Durban-Johannesburg logistics route. Intermodal road and rail capabilities with access to Port of Durban and central distribution advantages.
Ntuthuko Investment Club
Extends Ubuntu outward by channeling members’ savings into community projects, proving collective wealth can uplift entire neighbourhoods.
Friends in Hand Club
Goes beyond groceries and funerals, experimenting with investment products — showing that Ubuntu adapts to create structured, sustainable wealth.
Digital Practice
Today, many stokvels operate through digital platforms. Billions flow through bank-audited accounts, proving Ubuntu’s resilience: the model endures whether in notebooks or on smartphones.
Ubuntu is disciplined – Collective trust that builds measurable enduring wealth
Ubuntu is systemic — Not handouts, but systems of care, tested by decades of transparent, measurable impact
UBUNTU IN CHARITY
Compassion in Action
Ubuntu is also compassion in daily life. When systems falter, communities step in.
SA Harvest
Founded in 2019, already delivered 94 million meals by rescuing surplus food, preventing waste, and publishing detailed impact reports
Rise Against Hunger Africa
Goes beyond meal-packs. At the “Place of Hope” ECD centre in Gauteng, established gardens and poultry to feed children and neighbouring centres sustainably.
Ubuntu Inclusive Centre
For 15 years, ensured no child is left behind. More than 2,000 children with disabilities supported, 500+ practitioners trained in inclusive ECD.(Springs, Gauteng)
Community Archetypes
Ubuntu is the teacher who cooks for hungry pupils, the youth who patrol streets during power cuts, and the volunteers who run feeding schemes in Khayelitsha and Alexandra. These stories may not appear in annual reports, but they live in South Africa’s everyday heartbeat
Ubuntu is compassion — meals shared,
children protected, dignity defended
Ubuntu Lives in how South Africans Care, Build, and Belong. It Also Lives in how They Feel — in Pride Rebuilt, Trust Renewed, and Hope Sustained
SPIRIT BECOMES SIGNAL
Ubuntu, Measured
Every year, Brand South Africa takes the pulse of the nation — capturing what South Africans feel about themselves, each other, and their future. The 2025 Nation Brand Perceptions Study reveals citizens prouder, more united, cautiously hopeful. Explore how pride, cohesion, and trust give Ubuntu its measurable form.
01
National pride
Composite index of national pride (0-100 scale)
South Africa is not a single voice but a chorus of nine distinct citizen segments, from resilient realists to activist supporters. Each cluster has different priorities and outlooks, but together they shape the nation’s character.
This segmentation illustrates the complexity and diversity of the society investors must understand when considering long-term engagement.
02
Faces of the Nation
Share of population in cluster (%)
South Africa is not a single voice but a chorus of nine distinct citizen segments, from resilient realists to activist supporters. Each cluster has different priorities and outlooks, but together they shape the nation’s character.
This segmentation illustrates the complexity and diversity of the society investors must understand when considering long-term engagement.
03
Social cohesion
The Cohesion Index illustrates the strength of Ubuntu—the idea that identity is shared rather than individual.
Citizens report stronger belonging and trust in one another compared to previous years, even amidst inequality and social divides.
This growing sense of cohesion provides a foundation for stability, collaboration, and collective resilience.
04
Active citizenship
The Active Citizenship Index demonstrates how South Africans engage in building their democracy beyond voting—through volunteering, community organising, and direct civic participation.
The 2024 survey shows rising engagement, especially in clusters where citizens feel empowered to act locally.
This is a powerful indicator of civic agency and the health of democratic culture, and is central to understanding South Africa’s reform momentum.
05
Trust in institutions
% of respondents expressing confidence
Trust in institutions has rebounded after years of erosion.
Confidence in government has improved modestly, while the private sector maintains strong trust levels. Media and civil society are seen as essential anchors of accountability.
When citizens place greater trust in institutions, it strengthens legitimacy and improves the climate for investment and reform implementation.
06
Hope Rising
Percentage who believe SA is on the right track
Hope is on an upward trajectory, with 55% of citizens optimistic about the future in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
This optimism is tempered but resilient, showing that despite economic and social pressures, citizens still believe tomorrow can be better.
This sentiment underpins social stability and long-term confidence.
07
Across Provinces
Score by province (0-100)
Provincial differences highlight South Africa’s mosaic.
Optimism is highest in Limpopo, trust in institutions leads in the Western Cape, and pride is strongest in KwaZulu-Natal.
These variations reveal local realities that matter for investors—different provinces offer different dynamics and opportunities.
08
Strengths & Struggles
Positive/Negative aspect mentioned by citizens (%)
Citizens are proud of democracy, freedom, education, and Ubuntu as national strengths, while acknowledging crime, unemployment, and service delivery as major struggles.
This balanced honesty shows maturity: South Africans celebrate progress while holding institutions accountable.
For investors, this mix signals both risk and resilience.
09
Government of National Unity Awareness & Optimism
Percentage of respondents
Awareness of the new Government of National Unity is high, and a majority of citizens are cautiously optimistic about its prospects.
This optimism does not reflect blind faith but pragmatic hope—a recognition that compromise and coalition are essential to governance.
It reflects a willingness to give reform a chance, which supports stability and investor confidence.
10
Generational voices
Youth are more impatient and eager for change, while older generations report steadier trust and resilience.
Together, these generational dynamics create balance: youthful energy drives reform, while elder steadiness sustains continuity.
For investors, this duality signals both pressure for innovation and assurance of stability.
11
Values at the Core
Importance score of value (0-100)
South Africans consistently rank Ubuntu as their central value, alongside resilience, democracy, freedom, and diversity.
These values are not abstract—they shape daily practices and aspirations, from how communities organise to how businesses operate.
This grounding in shared values offers investors clarity about the ethical and social fabric of the market.
12
Provincial concerns
Importance score of value (0-100)
Concerns vary significantly across provinces.
Unemployment is dominant in some, crime is most urgent in others, and service delivery challenges define others still. This granular view is essential for understanding regional risk and opportunity.
It shows that while challenges are widespread, their character differs by locality.
13
Resilient mood
% Positive/Negative mood
Across five years of tracking, positive sentiment has risen while negatives have declined.
This shows resilience is structural, not episodic—citizens acknowledge hardship but remain anchored in pragmatic optimism.
This long-term stability is an asset for investors looking beyond short-term turbulence.
Template credits
Basic slide by Flourish Radar chart by Flourish team
The Data Echoes the Stories
Pride Rising. Cohesion Strengthening. Optimism Returning.
Ubuntu Remains the Architecture of Belonging — Human, Measurable, and Uniquely South African.
UBUNTU IN SOCIAL SYSTEMS
Care & Inclusion
Ubuntu is systemic. It creates structures of care that endure, measured in decades and millions served.
Ubuntu Pathways
Since 1999, this Gqeberha based cradle-to-career model for vulnerable children: health care, schooling, family support. Independent Oxford and Stanford evaluations confirm its success: 95% HIV+ youth retention, 91% matric graduation, with audited reports annually.
African Children’s Feeding Scheme
Founded in 1945 in. Today, 22,000 children eat every day across 13 nutrition centres in Johannesburg. A peanut butter sandwich has symbolised dignity shared for nearly 80 years.
FoodForward SA
Since 2009, rescues surplus food and redistributes it through 2,750 organisations. In 2023, delivered 62 million meals at R1.95 per meal. Transparent, audited, UN-aligned.
Nkosi’s Haven
Since 1999, has housed HIV+ mothers and their children, providing care, schooling, and psychosocial support. Over 1,000 beneficiaries supported, honouring Nkosi Johnson’s legacy.