Ramaphosa And First Lady Attend 2026 Bana Pele Leadership Summit
President Cyril Ramaphosa and First Lady Dr Tshepo Motsepe attended the 2026 Bana Pele Leadership Summit at the Galleria Arena and Conference Centre in Sandton today, Monday.
The two-day summit, led by the Department of Basic Education under the theme “From Blueprint to Movement,” brings together government, business, civil society and early childhood development (ECD) practitioners to expand access to quality early learning for all children by 2030. “Bana Pele” means “children first” in Sesotho.
In his keynote address, Ramaphosa stressed that early childhood development is crucial to preparing children for a future shaped by technology and artificial intelligence.
He said South Africa has more than 39,000 registered early learning programmes serving over 1.6 million children, but approximately one million children aged three to five remain outside formal programmes, often because their families cannot afford the fees.
The President highlighted progress, including an increase in the daily ECD subsidy from R17 to R24, additional funding for the ECD conditional grant, the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive and the decision to make Grade R compulsory. Cabinet has also approved the Children’s Amendment Bill, which aims to simplify registration requirements while protecting children’s safety.
Ramaphosa urged businesses and communities to invest in early learning, describing it as essential to the country’s future workforce and economic prosperity.
The summit features discussions on partnerships, community hubs, digital infrastructure and support networks for children. It is expected to conclude with the signing of a Bana Pele Charter to reaffirm commitments to expanding early learning.
Ramaphosa called on municipalities, traditional and faith leaders, businesses and civil society to work together to ensure every child gets a strong start.
“Let us give every child a strong start. Let us make sure that no child falls behind before they even reach school. Let us truly put our children first, Bana Pele,” he said.
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