Speech by Minister Siviwe Gwarube, The Pyramid of Leadership: From Classroom to the World
Your Worship, Honourable Junior Mayor
Your Excellency, President of the Gauteng RCL
Leaders of the Johannesburg Junior Council
Delegates from across our provinces and our continent
Partners from the City of Johannesburg, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, and Constitution Hill
Young changemakers, future leaders, and friends
Good morning.
It’s such a joy to be here with all of you — young people who are not just learners, but leaders in your schools, your communities, and across our country. The energy in this room is contagious! You give me real hope. When I look at you, I know the future of South Africa is in good hands.
We’re gathered here under the banner of the G20. But even more powerful than the G20 are the values our country is promoting during its presidency: solidarity, equality, and sustainability.
Today, I don’t speak to you only as learners. I speak to you as leaders. As young people with a voice. As active citizens of our country and the world. The Junior G20 Summit is a strong message to the world — South Africa’s youth are here, you have something to say, and you are ready to lead.
Let me share my message with you in the shape of a pyramid — a strong structure that begins at the ground level of school life, rises through the community, and reaches all the way to the global stage. Because leadership is not something that appears overnight — it’s built, step by step, from the ground up.
The Base of the Pyramid: Leadership in Schools
Leadership starts right where you are — in your schools.
And it doesn’t begin with a fancy speech or a big title. It begins with the small but powerful decisions you make every day.
Decisions that help influence and shape others. Decisions that can help make schools safer places of learning.
We can all agree that you can’t learn or grow if you don’t feel safe. That’s why, just three days ago, I signed a Safe Schools Protocol with the Minister of Police. Together, we’re working to make sure that schools are safe places — free from bullying, drugs, gangsterism, and violence.
But we can’t do it alone. You have a role to play too.
That’s why we say: “If you see something, say something.”
Stand up for one another. Speak out. Be the reason someone feels safe coming to school.
As learner leaders, you help shape your school’s culture. You set the tone. You show others what respect looks like. You build a school where everyone feels they belong.
That means standing up against discrimination, gender-based violence, and bullying.
It means creating an environment where every learner is valued — no matter their language, background, or ability.
The values of the G20 — solidarity, equality, and sustainability — must start in your classroom. These aren’t just big words. They are actions:
- Solidarity means we don’t leave anyone behind.
- Equality means giving everyone a fair chance to succeed.
- Sustainability means making choices today that protect the future.
The Representative Councils of Learners (RCLs) are not just about badges and speeches. They are the training ground for the leaders South Africa needs. You are the voice of learners. Use that voice. Set an example. Stand for what’s right.
The Middle of the Pyramid: Leadership in Communities
But your leadership doesn’t stop at the school gate.
You are also members of your communities.
Whether you serve on the Junior Council, the RCL, or lead projects in your area — you are already showing that young people aren’t waiting to lead tomorrow.
You’re leading right now.
Our communities face big challenges:
- Climate change, poverty, hunger
- Drug abuse, gangsterism, unemployment
- Gender inequality and gender-based violence
But all over South Africa, I see young people rising to the challenge.
You’re tutoring your peers, cleaning riverbanks, planting food gardens, and organising events. You’re proving that leadership is not about age — it’s about action.
I want to encourage you: keep using your voice to connect what happens at school to what’s needed in your communities. Local government doesn’t belong only to adults — it belongs to you too.
Democracy doesn’t happen just once every five years when we vote. It happens every day — when you speak up, get involved, and shape the world around you.
Municipalities are required by law to consult the public when they put together their Integrated Development Plans. That’s your opportunity to contribute. Share your ideas. Let your perspective shape how services are delivered. Don’t sit on the sidelines — step into the arena and lead.
Through Junior Councils and similar programmes, you are learning about public service, responsibility, and accountability. These are the very same qualities we need in future ministers, mayors — even presidents.
And who knows? One day, I may return to an event like this and watch one of you walk up to this podium as the Minister of Basic Education.
The Top of the Pyramid: Leadership in the World
At the very top of this leadership pyramid is the world stage.
And that’s exactly where you are today.
This Junior G20 Summit sends a powerful message — that young people in South Africa are ready to engage with global issues.
You already understand what words like climate action, education equity, digital inclusion, and public health mean — not just in theory, but in real life.
By taking part in this summit, you’re learning how the world works — and how to change it.
But let’s be clear: youth should not be included as an afterthought. You deserve a seat at the table — from the start.
This is Africa’s century. Ours is the youngest continent in the world. That’s a strength — if we prepare, include, and empower young people.
We cannot afford for our youth to be underrepresented, underprepared, or underestimated.
You are here to challenge, to dream, to influence, and to build a future that works — not just for the wealthy and powerful, but for all.
In Conclusion
Leadership is like a pyramid — strong, steady, and built from the ground up.
- It starts in schools, with daily choices
- It grows in communities, through active citizenship
- And it reaches the world, where young voices help shape global change
You are leaders because you care.
Because you act.
Because you do not wait for permission to make a difference.
And as your Minister of Basic Education, I am proud — not just of what you do, but of who you are becoming.
Keep rising.
Stand tall, grounded in solidarity, uplifted by equality, and guided by the light of sustainability.
The future belongs to you.
Lead it.
Thank you.
