Beyond the Fairway: When the Boy Child Was Told, “You Matter”

Boys from Lehae were among 40 young men from shelter homes across Gauteng brought together in Johannesburg for two days of golf, mentorship and a national conversation about the boy child.

JOHANNESBURG | 1–2 October 2026 — Boys from Lehae joined 40 other young men from shelter homes across Gauteng at Dainfern Golf Course on 1 and 2 October 2026 for the Take a Boy Child to Golf 2026 programme.

The two-day initiative brought together 40 vulnerable young men aged 13 to 18, using golf as a gateway to mentorship, personal development, positive masculinity and practical life skills.

Hosted by Business Pledge Collaborators (BPC) and the James Kamte Foundation, the programme was about far more than introducing young people to the sport. It created a space where boys could engage with mentors, business leaders and development specialists while confronting some of the issues that will shape their transition into adulthood.

The programme’s strongest national dimension came on Thursday, 1 October, when Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, addressed the boys during the “Boy Child, You Matter” Presidential Keynote Discussion.

For the Lehae participants, the significance was not simply being taken to a golf course they may never otherwise have entered. It was being placed in a room where their development, identity, rights, wellbeing and future were treated as matters worthy of serious investment.

On Friday, 2 October, that investment continued through sessions on mindset development, self-defence, financial literacy, self-mastery, mental wellness, substance-abuse management, career pathways and entrepreneurship.

The result was a programme in which golf became the doorway—but the real subject was the young men themselves.

Appreciation Where It Is Due

An initiative of this nature is only possible when organisations are willing to put action behind their belief in young people.

Special appreciation goes to Business Pledge Collaborators and the James Kamte Foundation for conceiving, organising and driving the programme; Centenary Diamond NPC, Mercedes-Benz and SABC for their support; and Dainfern Golf Course/Dainfern Golf Estate for hosting the event.

Recognition is also due to Printing SA, Travel Narine, Brand South Africa, South Africans for Constitutional Reform, Womandla Foundation, IBM SkillsBuild, 100% Foundation, Sanlam, Skisa Shotokan Karate-Do and ZZ Foundation, together with the participating children’s homes and the many people who gave their time and expertise.

Special thanks go to Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities of South Africa, Jacki Mpondo-Hendricks, James Kamte, Toni Gumede, Princy Mthombeni, Abisha Katerere, Sam Gcomo, Jabu Zwane, Desmond Pillay, Tayushri Pillay, Carina Shaw, Tebogo Mafole Katsaitis, Mmabatho Skosana, Mam Zodwa Zwane and Winnie Mandela PA, as well as the organisers, mentors, trainers, golf, hospitality and support teams who helped make the two days possible.

The Call Must Continue Beyond the Golf Course

The real test of a programme like this is what happens after the boys leave Dainfern.

A two-day experience can inspire. But sustained mentorship, skills development, education, career opportunities and positive role models can change the direction of a young life.

That is why Take a Boy Child to Golf should not end with the final putt, the certificates or the closing photographs.

It should be a call to businesses, government, community organisations, schools, foundations and individuals to ask a simple question:

What are we doing to invest in the boy child before he becomes a man?

The boys from Lehae and the other young men who participated do not need pity. They need access, guidance, opportunity, accountability and people willing to walk with them.

The golf course may have been the starting point.

The real journey begins when they leave it.

And if there is one message worth carrying forward from 1 and 2 October 2026, it is this:

The boy child matters.

Invest in him. Mentor him. Challenge him. Open doors for him. Give him a future worth believing in.**

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