The Goalkeepers South Africa community gathered online on 1 December for its ninth session in the ongoing community series, hosted by the Policy Innovation Lab at Stellenbosch University. The series aims to strengthen the network and upskill Goalkeepers in their efforts to localise the SDGs in their own sectors and communities. Led by leadership scholar and corporate practitioner Dr Ofentse Theledi, the webinar drew on his recent PhD research from the Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute at the University of Pretoria. The research explores how Ubuntu can move from being an abstract value to a practical guide for how leaders show up at work every day.

Dr Theledi framed Ubuntu as a relational philosophy rooted in African contexts but relevant to organisations everywhere. Instead of centring the heroic individual leader, Ubuntu emphasises community, shared responsibility and dignity. “Ubuntu reminds us that you cannot lead people if you do not recognise their humanity first,” he explained, noting that values such as empathy, accountability, care and solidarity are not “soft extras” but essential conditions for trust and performance.

Throughout the session, he shared concrete practices that distinguish Ubuntu-informed leadership. These include greeting and acknowledging staff at all levels, listening actively during times of personal difficulty, and creating space for followers to lead where they have expertise. At the same time, he was clear that Ubuntu does not mean tolerating poor performance. “Being an Ubuntu-oriented leader does not mean you avoid hard conversations,” he said. “It means you have them in a way that preserves dignity.”

Goalkeepers discussed how these principles play out in workplaces often shaped by highly individualistic, profit-focused norms. Dr Theledi highlighted both the opportunities and the tensions. On the one hand, organisations that embed Ubuntu into their values, performance systems and leadership behaviours report higher levels of trust, engagement and retention. On the other hand, leaders who practice Ubuntu can be misread as “too soft” if accountability is not communicated clearly.

For many Goalkeepers, the conversation offered a language and framework for the values-based leadership they are already trying to model in government, civil society, business, and academia, and provided a strong foundation for the continuation of the series in 2026.