South Africa’s schools step up and deliver: KIWI crowns its ‘Step Up to Step In’ schools competition winners

KIWI, South Africa’s most trusted shoe care brand with a legacy spanning over 119 years, today announces the winners of the Step Up to Step In Schools Tin Collection Competition. 

Rooted in KIWI’s commitment to reigniting pride, purpose and relevance among South Africa’s youth, the competition invited schools across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng to collect as many empty KIWI tins as possible, with cash prizes earmarked for school facility refurbishments up for grabs.

The response from learners, teachers and communities was nothing short of remarkable. From township schools in Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal’s Eastern coastline, South Africa’s youth proved exactly what KIWI has always believed: when you give young people a reason to step up, they show up fully, proudly and with purpose.

Congratulations to the winning schools:

Gauteng 

1st Place: Langaville Primary School | Prize: R50 000

2nd Place: Itemogele Primary School | Prize: R25 000

3rd Place: Tsakane ext.22 Mega Primary School | Prize: R10 000

KwaZulu-Natal

1st Place: Mandlakazulu Primary School | Prize: R50 000

2nd Place: Sandasonke Primary School | Prize: R25 000

3rd Place: Phumelela Senior Primary School | Prize: R10 000

The Schools Tin Collection Competition is rooted in a truth that KIWI has long set out to change, that for too long, polishing shoes has been a chore something learners do to avoid punishment, not something they do with pride. KIWI believes it should be so much more than that.

By turning the humble, empty KIWI tin into a token of community action and school pride, the competition asked learners to see value in the everyday and to channel that into something tangible for their schools.

The prize money won by each school is for facility refurbishment and improvement, ensuring that every tin collected translates into real, lasting impact for the communities and children these schools serve.