A year of rigorous community service and pioneering projects has paid off for 1st Rosebank Scouts member Harry Musuku (18), who recently earned his Springbok accolade.

Allan Seccombe, a troop scouter at 1st Rosebank who spoke to the publication, said Harry has been a dedicated cub and scout with a real passion for scouting.

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“He put an enormous effort into achieving his Springbok, the highest award a scout can get, and we are very proud of him for doing so under challenging circumstances. He is an inspiration to our other scouts who are now very keen to get their Springbok awards.”

Scouts is a global organisation of more than 60 million people, with 10 million members in Africa alone. Scouting teaches through doing, with a strong emphasis on leadership, teamwork, skills development, fun and using initiative to tackle challenges. It gives youngsters adventures and practical skills in the outdoors, in their communities and in life.

Harry told us that he joined 1st Rosebank in 2018. “Mainly because I didn’t have much to do, so my mom thought scouts was a good way for me to interact with other people. There are different sections for different age groups, and when I joined, I was in the cub section, which is where I received my green badge.”

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The different sections are made up of the following age groups: seven to 11 years, 11 to 18 years, and then the adult section. Harry noted that he became a scout during the pandemic, which was not easy given the restrictions that people had to adhere to.

“I had to work my way through the advancement system, which has four levels: traveller, discoverer, first-class and Springbok, which is what I currently have and is the highest.”

He added that, with every level he passed, he was working towards the Springbok accolade.

“It was in my first-class that I decided that I wanted to work towards my Springbok, so I worked towards it and then began the journey when I turned 16. It took an entire year to complete because it entails a lot of work, from the registration process, being interviewed, and then completing the goals I set for myself to achieve the accolade.”

The scout had to complete four projects, which included a hike, a community service project that is not manual labour but makes a positive impact, a troop camp that you have to lead while teaching skills to younger scouts, and a pioneering project, which includes things like building something.

Harry said being a scout has shown him anything is possible if he puts his mind to it. “If I hadn’t joined scouts, I might not have developed all the skills that I now have or wouldn’t have had the drive that I have when tackling things, especially my final exams.”

1st Rosebank has produced at least 70 Springbok Scouts as well as Queen and King Scouts since the early 1900s. Parents and children, girls and boys, who want to visit 1st Rosebank can become a cub from ages seven to 11 or a scout from ages 11 to 18.

Interested people are encouraged to visit on Friday nights at 5 Selby Road from 17:30 to 19:00 for cubs or 19:00 to 21:00 for scouts.

Alternatively, email SGL@rosebankscoutgroup.co.za.

Harry Musuku is the youngest of 21 Gauteng scouts to earn the Springbok accolade in 2026.

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