Seen Here: Contemporary visual artist Simhle Plaaitjies explores African heritage, identity and intentional living through an original artwork created for Castle Milk Stout’s Reclaiming African Time campaign.Photo Credit: Supplied
JOHANNESBURG, 16 September 2026 — As South Africa marks Heritage Month, Castle Milk Stout is turning attention to an everyday phrase often associated with lateness and asking the public to consider a broader interpretation of what “African Time” can mean.
Through its Reclaiming African Time campaign, the brand is positioning time not only as something measured by the clock, but also as a reflection of presence, connection, community and the moments shared between generations.
The campaign makes a distinction between celebrating these cultural understandings of time and excusing lateness, emphasising that punctuality and responsibility remain important.
Instead, Castle Milk Stout is inviting South Africans to consider the value attached to making time for family, sharing stories, preserving knowledge and creating meaningful moments.
Seen Here: Actor and content creator Nhlanhla Kunene reflects on the deeper meaning of “African Time” as part of Castle Milk Stout’s Reclaiming African Time campaign, highlighting the value of slowing down, connecting with family and preserving the stories shared between generations.Photo Credit: Supplied
For actor and content creator Nhlanhla Kunene, the idea is particularly evident in the time spent with older generations.
“African Time isn’t really about being late. It’s about the moments you make for the people you love,” says Kunene.
Kunene recalls spending time with his grandparents and listening to stories about their lives and experiences — moments he describes as accessing a personal “library” of knowledge and memory.
His perspective forms part of a wider conversation around how African heritage is experienced and transmitted beyond formal traditions and celebrations.
Seen Here: Gogo Dineo Ndlanzi, traditional healer and cultural voice, brings an indigenous perspective to Castle Milk Stout’s Reclaiming African Time campaign, encouraging a broader understanding of time rooted in connection, gathering, listening and being present.Photo Credit: Supplied
Traditional healer and cultural voice Gogo Dineo Ndlanzi, a longstanding Castle Milk Stout partner, brings an indigenous perspective to the campaign, challenging the idea that time can be understood solely through the clock.
“For me, African Time is about understanding that time has never existed only in the clock. As Africans, we have always had ways of understanding when it is time to gather, when it is time to listen, when it is time to work and when it is time to simply be present,” says Ndlanzi.
She says reclaiming the concept is about recognising the meaning contained in these moments and allowing people to experience them more intentionally.
Seen Here: Anele Siswana explores the meaning of African Time beyond the clock, reflecting on the importance of presence, connection and creating meaningful moments as part of Castle Milk Stout’s Reclaiming African Time campaign this Heritage Month.Photo Credit: Supplied
The campaign also brings contemporary art into the conversation through an original work by visual artist Simhle Plaaitjies, whose contribution explores heritage, identity and intentional living.
Plaaitjies says young Africans have an opportunity to develop new ways of expressing their stories while remaining connected to the knowledge and experiences of previous generations.
“As young Africans, we have the power to create a visual language that tells our own stories, in our own way and on our own terms, while still honouring the wisdom and lived experiences of the people who came before us,” she says.
Together, the contributors offer different interpretations of African Time — from intergenerational storytelling and indigenous knowledge to contemporary creativity and the importance of being present with others.
The campaign comes as Heritage Month provides an opportunity to reflect not only on traditions inherited from previous generations, but also on how those traditions continue to evolve in contemporary South Africa.
For Castle Milk Stout, that conversation forms part of its broader positioning around African culture, creativity and storytelling.
The brand says Reclaiming African Time is intended to move the phrase beyond its familiar stereotype and towards a conversation about cultural identity and the value of shared experiences.
At its centre is a relatively simple proposition: while being on time remains important, some of life’s most significant moments cannot be measured by minutes and hours.
They are found in the time taken to listen to an elder, gather with family, exchange stories, create, remember and simply be present.
As South Africans celebrate their heritage this month, Castle Milk Stout is encouraging audiences to consider what it means to make time for the people, stories and cultural connections that shape who they are.
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