Father Figures in Focus: Highlights from the 2025 BaBonise Campaign

The referee’s final whistle at Nkomazi’s Kamhlushwa Stadium on Saturday 7th June signalled the end of both the 2025 Selati Soccer Cup and the BaBonise (“Show Them!”) campaign. The fans erupted in cheers for the Bees, this year’s winning team; while the 19 BaBonise Ambassadors (staff volunteers from RCL FOODS Sugar & Milling and local community organisations), the DO MORE FOUNDATION and Lima staff celebrated another year advocating for Nkomazi’s men to be active fathers and father figures in the lives of their young children.

Launched in 2023, the BaBonise campaign is built on research about early childhood development (ECD), which shows that a child’s growth and development starts from as early as pregnancy through a child’s first five years. At its core, BaBonise works to shift mindsets and social norms, calling on men to show up in positive ways for their children from the start of their lives.

Reaching Men with the Right Message

This year, the campaign focused on the ‘3 P’s’ of playing a positive male role model to young children - being protective, playful, and present. The activations underscored BaBonise’s core message: that fathers and male caregivers can nurture children’s development simply by showing up, engaging, and playing with them, whether at a sports event or at home.

An eight-week programme on Nkomazi FM took BaBonise beyond the stadiums to the airwaves, connecting speakers from our advocacy partner organisations to the broader community, who were encouraged to call in with their questions. It touched people beyond Nkomazi through the weekly Selati Cup Newsletter, the DO MORE FOUNDATION’s social media platforms, and with staff on RCL FOODS internal platforms.

Selati Cup: More Than Just Soccer

On Friday 21st March (Human Rights Day), the BaBonise campaign kicked off at the opening games of the 2025 Selati Cup, with the Ambassadors putting on their signature blue and white BaBonise t-shirts and caps, handing out resource pamphlets (printed in siSwati and English), and explaining the campaign to fans one-on-one and over the microphone between games. Men were also encouraged to sign a giant pledge board, committing to be present and actively involved.

Their confidence and competence to talk to their fellow community members about the messages came from training workshops with our two key fatherhood advocacy partners, Sikunye and Heartlines (Fathers Matter). They joined us for a second year, building on last year’s campaign and providing the latest knowledge and insights based on research and practical experiences, as well as feedback from local structures in Nkomazi - and other Mpumalanga towns - like churches, soccer clubs, and community-based organisations.

After the training workshop, one Ambassador reflected, "I have learnt that as a father, irrespective of biology or not, I need to play a role in any child of this world." The key highlight of the training workshop for another Ambassador was being part of a campaign "providing a platform for fathers." Several Ambassadors commented that this was the first time learning about the importance of a father's active and positive involvement in the first 1000 days of a child’s life.

More Play: BaBonise at the Selati Marathon

This year, as part of the BaBonise campaign, the Do More Foundation teamed up with local partner organisation, Penreach, to host a ‘Play Date’ at the Selati 2‑in‑1 Marathon. Families from the 2km and 5km fun walks were encouraged to play, explore and learn together through each activity, having fun and learning about the importance of play in their child's physical, cognitive, and emotional growth.

The event transformed the marathon grounds into a high-energy playground for children. Inspired by Penreach’s hallmark Play Day model, the space featured games like bean bag target throwing, egg and spoon race, building with Lego, as well as areas for art and reading. These showcase the power of play in helping fathers and role models connect with the children in their care.

A Heartfelt Thank You

The success of BaBonise was only possible because of the many hearts and hands behind it. Thank you to our incredible partners:

Selati Cup organisers, management, and the LOC

RCL FOODS

Selati Sugar and Milling staff volunteers (BaBonise Ambassadors)

Local community organisations and church pastors

Nkomazi Municipality

Heartlines (Fathers Matter)

Sikunye (Common Good)

Nkomazi FM

Penreach

Takalani Workshop

To everyone who took a pledge, shared a memory with their child, or simply listened: thank you.