Dear Wikimedia South Africa Community,

Happy New Year! As we step into 2026, the chapter wanted to welcome everyone back to what promises to be an incredible year for free knowledge in South Africa.

Whether you are a long-time editor, a photographer capturing our heritage, or a new member joining us for the first time, your contributions are what make this movement thrive. Last year, we saw amazing growth in our local language projects and community outreach and this year, we have even more room to expand. What to Look Forward to in 2026:

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Community Meetups: We will continue to meet in-person and will host more virtual gatherings to share skills and collaborate. -

Edit-a-thons: Targeted sessions to improve the representation of South African history and culture on Wikipedia. -

Language Growth: Continuing our push to empower all South African languages across all Wikimedia platforms.

If you have a project idea, a specific topic you want to see covered, or if you would like to host a local event, please make use of the project engagement form to propose your idea. The deadline is the 31st January 2026 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtP-XAMOxbr7b0O3WsXxVE5nCes4cYdJGT... This community is built on your energy and passion.

Thank you for everything you do to ensure that the sum of all human knowledge is available to every South African. Let’s make 2026 our most impactful year yet!

Warm regards,

Wikimedia South Africa

Nomfundo Zungu

Communications intern

+2768 0745221

nomfundo.zungu@wikimedia.org.za herschal.jackson@wikimedia.org.za