Announcement of winners – G20 Schools Competition (Pangolin Pact Campaign), Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Cape Town, 15 October 2025
Honourable Delegates,
Distinguished Guests,
Learners and Educators,
Partners and Friends,
Good afternoon.
It gives me great pleasure to stand before you today to celebrate the winners of the G20 Schools Competition, young South Africans whose ideas, creativity, and compassion are helping to shape a new generation of environmental leaders.
This competition forms part of the Pangolin Pact, an outreach campaign of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. The Pact stands for Protect, Act, Care, and Teach, four words that capture the spirit of environmental responsibility and collective action.
At the heart of this campaign is our ambassador, Paballo the Pangolin, whose name means “to care” or “to protect” in Sesotho. Over the past few months, Paballo has travelled to schools across Cape Town, helping learners understand the threats facing pangolins, rhinos, abalone, and lions. Through storytelling, games, and activities, he has inspired children to see that small actions can have a big impact — and that even the youngest among us can speak up for nature.
This is not just about awareness. Education is prevention. When we reach young people early, we build understanding, pride, and action into our collective future. The fight against wildlife crime begins in classrooms, where curiosity becomes compassion and knowledge becomes courage.
Wildlife crime is a national crisis. It affects our environment, our economy, and our identity. It robs communities of natural wealth and weakens ecosystems that sustain life and livelihoods. But through the Pangolin Pact, we are showing that awareness, education, and collaboration can turn the tide.
Earlier this year, when we launched this campaign in the Kruger National Park, we said that the most powerful voices in environmental protection are often the youngest.
Today, those voices have spoken again — clearly, courageously, and with purpose.
Through their words and ideas, these learners have reminded us that the future we discuss in meeting rooms is the one they will inherit. They have shown us that protecting nature is not only a matter of policy, but a matter of heart.
Their creativity is on display not only through today’s winners, but also in the poster exhibition here at CTICC. Each design tells its own story of hope and responsibility from pangolins to rhinos, abalone, and lions all calling on us to Protect, Act, Care, and Teach.
If you have not yet done so, I warmly invite all our delegates and guests to visit the exhibition area after this session. Take a few moments to see these remarkable posters for yourself. They capture the imagination and urgency that have driven the Pangolin Pact and they remind us why education remains our most powerful tool for change.
It is now my great pleasure to announce the winners of the 2025 G20 Schools Competition:
In third place, from Goodwood Park Primary School, Naa’-ilah Mahomet, winning R20 000 for her school.
In second place, from Renish Primary School, Jeevan Malherbe, winning R35 000 for his school.
And in first place, from John Graham Primary School, Ethan Elman, whose school will receive R50 000 to support its environmental projects.
Congratulations to each of you and to your schools for your creativity, commitment, and passion.
All prize money will go directly to the winning schools to support environmental projects that benefit their entire communities. These are not just awards; they are investments in lasting impact.
To the educators who guided and encouraged these learners, thank you for inspiring curiosity, care, and courage. You are nurturing the values that will sustain our planet for generations to come.
And to our partners and sponsors, thank you for walking this journey with us. Your continued support shows that when government, civil society, and the private sector unite behind a shared purpose, we can make lasting change.
Learners, you have proven that kids are powerful changemakers. You have spoken up for the voiceless, and you have shown that every person, no matter their age, can make a difference.
May Paballo the Pangolin continue to remind us all to Protect, Act, Care, and Teach.
Congratulations once again to our winners and to every learner who took part in this campaign. You have made South Africa proud and you have given hope to the world.
Thank you.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Thobile Zulu-Molobi
Cell: 082 513 7154
E-mail: tmolobi@dffe.gov.za
Chelsey Wilken
Cell: 074 470 5996
E-mail: cwilken@dffe.gov.za
