IMPORTANT – Safety 2026 now takes place from 1–4 September 2026.  Opening Ceremony, Opening Plenary & Welcome Reception Hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies commence on Tuesday 1 September.

Global village
programme

Main Conference Themes

  • The Structural Determinants of Safety
  • Mapping the Global Burden: Epidemiology and Prevention Across the Life Course
  • Multisector Collaboration for Safer Societies

Global Village Themes

Digital & Emerging Risks Falls Burns Workplace Safety Climate Change & Disasters
DAY 1

Wednesday, 02 September 2026

09:00
Ubuntu Live

Marimba Band

Edgemead Primary School

09:35
Ubuntu in Action

When Fire Takes Hold

What You Have 60 Seconds to Do

Fire awareness and rapid-response demonstration.

09:50
Ubuntu Live

Solo Tenor Performance

Slovo Magida (Tenor)

09:55
Ubuntu Live

Dance Performance

10:10
Ubuntu Story

I Am Not My Scars

A Burn Survivor Tells Their Story

Lived experience from a burn survivor.

10:25
Ubuntu Talks

Meet the Expert

What Would Make Your Community Safer?

Public input into the Ubuntu Cape Town Declaration. Audience members will have an opportunity to engage with an official from the City of Cape Town.

10:40
Ubuntu Talks

Meet the Expert

What Would Make Children and Young People Safer?

Declaration consultation.

10:50
Ubuntu Talks

Meet the Expert: Fire, Burns and Emergencies

What Should Every Household Know?

Practical takeaways that can assist in fire and burn emergencies.

St John's Ambulance

11:05
Ubuntu Talks

Meet the Expert: Safety in Schools

Do We Feel Safe at School?

Children have the opportunity to question the adults responsible for school safety.

SADTU NAPTOSA SAOU
11:10
Ubuntu Live

Theatre / Spoken-Word Performance

Performance on risk, resilience and recovery through role-play and poetry.

11:25
Ubuntu Talk

How Safe a Driver Are You Really?

Motor vehicle simulation competition.

11:30
Ubuntu in Action

Using Technology to Get Assistance in an Emergency Situation

GRIT App demonstration.

11:35
Ubuntu in Action

Safety Through the Lens of Children

Children briefly explain what safety means to them through their paintings.

11:45
Ubuntu Talks

Meet the Policy Maker

Who Is Responsible for Getting Us Home Alive?

A transport and road-safety policymaker takes questions from the public.

11:55
Ubuntu Live

Speed Pitching Session

Three Minutes to Make Us Safer

Innovators pitch their ideas without PowerPoint.

12:10
Ubuntu Live

Dance Performance

12:20
Ubuntu Live

Short Music / Performance Interlude

12:25
Ubuntu Remembrance

Paying Tribute

Paying tribute to the ones we have lost due to crime, violence and accidents.

Writing messages of love and remembrance.

12:35
Ubuntu Talks

The Big Question

Is AI Making You Safer — or Making You Easier to Scam, Track and Harm?

Let's talk deepfakes, fraud, cyber abuse, surveillance and practical ways ordinary people can protect themselves.

Contrasting voices and public questions.

12:55
Ubuntu Celebrates

Safe Driving / Simulation Recognition

13:05
Ubuntu Conversations

What Must Government and Communities Do Together?

Public input into the Cape Town Consensus Plan.

13:15
Ubuntu Story

I Am Enough

I Found My Voice, My Strength and My Freedom

A GBVF survivor shares her story.

13:25
Ubuntu Conversations

Ask the Expert

What Happens to Your Body and Mind After Serious Injury or Violence?

Unpacking post-traumatic stress and its impact on your mind and body.

13:30
Ubuntu Live

Performance Art

13:35
Ubuntu Live

Cape Minstrels / Kaapse Klopse

13:45
Ubuntu in Action

Could You Save a Life?

Hands-on CPR, falls, burns and basic emergency response.

Practical ways to respond in an emergency.

St John's Ambulance

13:55
Ubuntu in Action

Protecting Yourself in Emergency Situations

What Would You Do?

Practical personal safety: awareness, de-escalation, getting away and getting help.

14:00
Programme Close

It's a Wrap

Final Ubuntu Stage message and public Global Village programme closes.

14:10
Ubuntu Talks

Meet the Policy Maker: Disaster Readiness

Are We Ready for the Next Fire, Flood or Disaster?

A senior policymaker takes questions directly from the public.

14:15
Ubuntu Live

Dance Performance

14:30
Ubuntu Conversations

The Big Question

Who Is Responsible for Keeping Your Neighbourhood Safe?

Engagement with the City of Cape Town, SAPS, EMS and Civil Society.

14:35
Ubuntu Conversation

OHS Supported by Technology

Can Technology Stop the Next Workplace Death?

Mining, construction, manufacturing and electrical safety.

15:00
Ubuntu Conversations

Declaration & Consensus Plan Open Forum

Rotating Networking Zone host. Specific consultation question to be agreed.

15:25
Ubuntu Open Slot

Open Slot

15:45
Ubuntu Talks

Meet the Expert: Workplace Safety

What Would You Ask the People Who Set the Rules?

15:50
Ubuntu Open Slot

Open Slot

16:10
Ubuntu Live

Musical Performance

Main Conference Themes

  • Understanding the Systems that Sustain Violence and Injury
  • Technology, Data and the Future of Safety: Opportunities and Risks

Global Village Themes

Drowning & Water Safety Gender-Based Violence & Femicide Violence Against Children Youth Violence & Safety Safer Schools Community Safety
DAY 2

Thursday, 03 September 2026

09:00
Ubuntu Live

School Choir

Joe Slovo Secondary School

09:35
Ubuntu Talk

Be Water Smart

Five Things Every Parent and Child Should Know

Key water safety takeaways.

09:50
Ubuntu Live

Dance Performance

10:10
Ubuntu Talk

Could You Save Someone from Drowning?

Live water-rescue demonstration and practical water safety.

Key takeaways on how to respond in a drowning emergency.

10:25
Ubuntu Story

The Day I Nearly Drowned

A near-drowning survivor shares their story.

10:50
Ubuntu Live

Theatrical Performance

Rondebosch East Primary School

11:10
Ubuntu in Action

The Importance of Wearing the Right Safety Gear

A Helmet Can Be the Difference Between Injury and Survival

Practical demonstration.

11:55
Ubuntu Talks

Meet the Expert: What Must Change?

Final public stage input into the Ubuntu Cape Town Declaration.

12:20
Ubuntu Live

School Choir / Youth Dance Performance

12:35
Ubuntu Talks

Safer Communities

What Can We Change in Our Streets and Neighbourhoods Now to Make Them Safer?

Rapid, practical changes to lighting, streets, transport stops, public spaces and buildings that can reduce violence and injury.

Contrasting voices and public questions.

13:05
Ubuntu Celebrates

Safety Through the Lens of Children Recognition

13:30
Ubuntu Conversations

Ask the Expert

If You or Someone You Know Is Unsafe, What Can You Actually Do?

Practical help, reporting, support and responding to someone in need.

14:10
Programme Close

The End

15:00
Ubuntu in Action

Meet the K9 Team

SAPS K9 demonstration.

15:25
Ubuntu Soapbox

Safer Communities

One Thing I Would Change to Make My Community Safer

Rapid three-minute public and community contributions.

16:10
Ubuntu Talks

Ask the Expert

Can Violence Actually Be Prevented?

16:30
Ubuntu Live

Musical Performance

Main Conference Themes

  • Creating Safety Through Systems Design
  • Calculating the True Economic Burden of Interpersonal Violence in Different Settings
  • From Evidence to Action: Building Collective Accountability for a Safer Future

Global Village Themes

Mental Health & Trauma Suicide & Firearm Harm Road Safety Transport & Mobility Helmets & Motorcycle Safety Innovation for Safer Roads
DAY 3

Friday, 04 September 2026

09:00
Ubuntu Live

Musical Performance

09:35
Ubuntu Talk

Firearm Control

Firearms in the Home: Five Things Every Family Should Know About Safety

Key firearm safety takeaways.

10:10
Ubuntu Conversation

Voices Behind the Statistics

What Gun Violence Does to Lives, Families and Communities

10:25
Ubuntu Talks

Meet the Expert

What Would Make Children and Young People Safer?

Declaration consultation.

13:05
Ubuntu Talks

Expert Safety Tips

Road Crashes, Helmets and What Actually Saves Lives

Trauma, EMS and road-safety expert discussion.