Dr Dion George: Announces winners of G20 Schools Competition held in Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga

18 July 2025, Kruger National Park

Honourable Delegates

Distinguished Guests

Learners

Educators

Partner Organisations,

Good afternoon.

It is a great honour to stand before you today in the heart of the Kruger National Park, one of South Africa’s most iconic landscapes, to announce the winners of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s G20 Schools Competition.

That we gather here on Mandela Day gives this moment even greater meaning. Across South Africa and around the world, people dedicate 67 minutes of their time to serving others, one minute for every year Nelson Mandela spent in service to humanity.

Madiba once said, “Children are our greatest treasure. They are our future.”

Today, we honour that truth. Because today, we celebrate the power of young people — not only to learn and grow, but to lead.

This competition invited Grade 6 and 7 learners from 20 schools in the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality to answer one powerful question: If you could tell the G20 one thing about the state of the environment in South Africa, what would it be? The answers they gave were thoughtful, urgent and filled with hope.

They wrote essays and poems about pollution, drought, deforestation and climate change. But they did not write from textbooks alone. They wrote from experience. From the streets they walk each day, the rivers they depend on, the trees they see disappearing, and the seasons they see changing.

This afternoon, the learners from the top three schools have presented their messages to you — some of the world’s leading environmental experts. That is not only impressive. It is inspiring. It is proof that young voices matter, and that real leadership can come from the back of a classroom just as much as from the floor of this plenary.

Over the past week, we have gathered here for the second meeting of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group. South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 comes at a defining moment — a time when the decisions we take today will shape our shared environmental future.Throughout this week, we have worked together on global priorities, including climate action, biodiversity loss, sustainable resource use and environmental resilience. These discussions are vital. But we also know that change begins at home. And it begins with education and awareness.

That is why we partnered with SANParks, the Department of Basic Education, the Mpumalanga Department of Education, the Department of Education (national and provincial), Provincial Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land & Environmental Affairs, Ehlanzeni District Municipality and Bushbuckridge Local Municipality and local stakeholders to launch this initiative in schools across Bohlabela District. Our goals were simple. To raise awareness about the G20 and its focus on sustainability. To encourage children to think critically and creatively about the environment. And to give them a platform to share their views and be heard.

Today, I am proud to announce the winners of this competition.

In third place, with R20,000 awarded to their school, we recognise the team from Mtembeni Primary School: Reconciliate Mafumo, Intenity Minenhle Mlambo, Scelo Machavi and Ntsakelo Casley Mabunda. Their entry showed a deep understanding of how South Africa’s partnerships with other G20 countries can help us respond to environmental threats through shared knowledge and cooperation.

In second place, winning R35,000 for their school, we congratulate the learners from Homuzeya Primary School: Wandile Katekani Khoza, Tsakelani Primrose Risenga, Theron Bruno Khoza and Nhonipho Ipraise Mbowana. Their report presented a clear, well-researched view of South Africa’s environmental pressures, including pollution and land degradation. Their work combined strong visual presentation with thoughtful writing.

And in first place, winning R45,000 for their school, we are proud to recognise Gladrose Ndlovu from Welverdiend Primary School. Gladrose wrote a powerful poem on water scarcity. It spoke with urgency, but also with hope. It reminded us of how deeply young people understand the importance of our natural resources and the need to protect them.

Well done to all the winners. Your work has made us proud. The prize money will be transferred directly to the winning schools and will be used to support environmental projects that benefit the whole school community. These are not just awards. They are a commitment to long-term impact, made possible by the care and creativity of our young writers. Your voices matter just as much. Every essay and poem contributed to a national conversation that continues to grow. I encourage you to keep asking questions, keep learning and keep speaking up. You are already part of the solution.

To the teachers and educators who supported these learners — thank you. Your role in shaping the minds and values of the next generation cannot be overstated. This afternoon’s presentations, delivered by the three winning schools to the G20 delegation, are not symbolic. They are a powerful demonstration of intergenerational dialogue. They remind us to listen to those who will live longest with the decisions we make. Their voices remind us why this work matters.

Before I close, I want to share an exciting new initiative that builds on this energy. It is called The Pangolin Pact.

At the centre of the campaign is a small but brave figure: Paballo the Pangolin. In Sesotho, Paballo means “to care” or “to protect”. He is more than a mascot. He is a storyteller, a teacher and a friend. Paballo will soon visit 20 schools in the City of Cape Town, where we will host our next G20 working group meeting in October. He will help children understand the dangers facing pangolins, rhinos and lions. Through storytelling, games and activity packs, he will help young learners see that even small voices can speak out for nature.

This outreach work supports South Africa’s National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking, which was approved by Cabinet in 2023. It brings together law enforcement, government departments, SANParks and civil society to take action against wildlife crime — from poaching to prosecution.

SANParks and civil society to take action against wildlife crime — from poaching to prosecution. Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world. That is why we chose them to lead this campaign — not only to highlight the threat they face, but to show what we still have a chance to save. The Pangolin Pact unites our national outreach efforts, school programmes and international advocacy. It reminds us that awareness and education go hand in hand with enforcement and cooperation.

It is also a call to our G20 partners. We ask you to join us. Support national efforts like the Pangolin Pact. Strengthen cross-border cooperation on enforcement. And remember that wildlife crime is not a local issue — it is a global one that requires a global response.

On this Mandela Day, we reflect on our past, but we look forward to the future. When we invest in young minds, when we protect our wildlife, and when we stand together in action, we build a world that is more just, more resilient and more sustainable. Let us carry the voices we hear today into policy, into classrooms and into every space where decisions are made.

Together, we are shaping a new generation of environmental ambassadors. And through them, we are shaping a better tomorrow.

I thank you.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Thobile Zulu-Molobi
Mobile: +27 82 513 7154 
E-mail: tmolobi@dffe.gov.za  

Chelsey Wilken
Mobile: +27 74 470 5996 
E-mail: cwilken@dffe.gov.za

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