1 Million Scouts

SCOUTS SA was established in South Africa in 1908 and has remained a non-political organisation since its inception.

It was one of the first organisations in South Africa to have members of all races participate in integrated activities in 1977, and opened its doors to girls in 2000. SCOUTS SA is a recognised National Scout Organisation affiliated to the World Organisation of Scout Movements (WOSM) and is registered as a non-profit organisation (019-215-NPO). SCOUTS SA has operating Scout Groups in all nine Provinces.

For over 111 years, SCOUTS SA's programmes have shaped the lives and unleashed the potential of hundreds of thousands of South Africans by following a learning-by-doing programme. Central in the Scouting programmes in the continuous transference of values such as honesty, loyalty, responsibility and respect; all aimed at empowering the youth to govern their own individual behaviours and to develop strong leadership skills that will equip them to be of service to others and to their communities.

All youth (girls and boys) aged five to thirty participate within the following branches; Meerkats (5-6), Cubs (7-10), Scouts (11-17), and Rovers (18-30). All of our Adult Leaders are volunteers.

90% of SCOUTS SA's 190,000 members come from townships and rural areas.