Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr Nomalungelo Gina on Saturday launched South Africa’s inaugural National Science Month, calling for science, technology and innovation to be placed at the centre of the country’s development agenda.

Gina, who delivered the keynote address at the Vaal University of Technology, said the new initiative marked a shift from National Science Week to a broader, month-long programme aimed at deepening public engagement with science.

“We must significantly raise public awareness of the value of science in everyday life, while elevating science, technology and innovation as key drivers of South Africa’s socio-economic development,” she said.

The department has run National Science Week since 2000, but Gina said science, technology and innovation had become increasingly central to addressing complex global and domestic challenges.

She said South Africa needed a more sustained public engagement programme to help build awareness of science’s role in economic transformation, industrialisation and national competitiveness.

Gina said South Africa’s investment in research and development remained low, at about 0.61% of gross domestic product, well below the National Development Plan target of 1.5%. She said this lagged far behind leading innovation economies, with South Korea investing more than 4.5% of GDP, Israel more than 5%, and the OECD average sitting at about 2.7%.

The launch was held under the theme: “Science, Technology and Innovation Are for Everyone.”

Gina said the theme was intended to show that science and innovation belonged to all people, regardless of ethnicity, class, gender, belief or location, and must serve society as a whole.

The launch included a science exhibition made up of 132 stands and more than 100 exhibitors, including universities, science councils and entities of the department such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the National Research Foundation, the Technology Innovation Agency and the South African National Space Agency.

“Create and harness new technologies to resolve societal challenges such as social inequality, social justice and ecological sustainability; promote informed decision-making and public access to scientific knowledge; and instill a culture of deliberate knowledge exchange between scientists and the public,” Gina said.

She said National Science Month would also be used to tell South Africa’s science story, including work in space science and astronomy through major projects such as the Square Kilometre Array and the Southern African Large Telescope.

“We must also tell the public about the contributions of some of our country’s most advanced scientific infrastructure platforms, including iThemba LABS in the Western Cape, which is the largest particle accelerator-based science facility in the Southern Hemisphere, generating radioactive isotopes for medicine and conducting materials research,” she said.

Gina also highlighted the SANSA Space Weather Centre in Hermanus, describing it as Africa’s only 24/7 operational regional space weather warning centre.

She said National Science Month should be used to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, technology and innovation.

“Drawing from these breathtaking examples of South Africa’s science, technology and innovation capabilities, my message to the learners here today is simple: your dreams are valid, and you must never allow anyone to tell you that you cannot become a scientist,” she said.

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Sixteen South African medical doctors graduated in the Eastern Cape on Friday through the Nelson Mandela/Fidel Castro Medical Programme, as government marked 30 years of a scheme aimed at strengthening healthcare in rural and underserved communities.

The graduation ceremony was held at the East London International Convention Centre and hosted by the National Department of Health in partnership with Walter Sisulu University and Cuban medical universities.

Eastern Cape Department of Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa said during her address that 3,277 South African doctors had completed their training through the programme since it was launched in 1996.

The programme was established by former South African President Nelson Mandela and former Cuban President Fidel Castro to address the country’s shortage of medical doctors, particularly in rural, underserved and previously disadvantaged communities.

The programme provides medical training opportunities to students from disadvantaged communities, with students undergoing medical studies in Cuba before returning to South Africa for clinical integration at local universities. Graduates are expected to serve in South Africa’s public health system after completing their training.

Capa said the graduates were already making a significant contribution to South Africa’s public healthcare system.

“Today, as we speak, 3,277 medical doctors have completed this programme and they are serving in our clinics, hospitals and rural health districts because we need to address past healthcare imbalances, improve the allocation of health resources and ensure access to care for vulnerable populations,” she said.

She congratulated the new graduates, describing them as doctors trained with a strong foundation in primary healthcare, disease prevention and community-based care.

“We celebrate the remarkable academic achievement of this new cohort of medical doctors who are now ready to serve the people of South Africa with compassion as part of strengthening the health system, especially in underserved and previously disadvantaged areas,” she said.

Capa said South Africa needed a proactive healthcare system focused on preventing disease rather than only treating illness, adding that the graduates would play an important role in responding to both communicable and non-communicable diseases.

She also urged the graduates to support the implementation of the National Health Insurance, saying they would form part of the backbone of South Africa’s public healthcare system and help the country move towards universal health coverage.

“You have been trained with a purpose to close the gap of inequality, to bring care where there is none, and to serve with humility, excellence and empathy,” she said.

She encouraged the graduates to take up placements in rural communities, township health facilities, district hospitals and under-resourced primary healthcare clinics.

“The greatest need for doctors in South Africa is in rural areas, township facilities, district hospitals and under-resourced primary healthcare facilities. You must consider your deployment as a calling, not a punishment.”

She thanked the people of Cuba, the Cuban government and Cuban medical faculties for teaching and mentoring South African students, saying the partnership had strengthened South Africa’s health system.

“The relationship between SA and Cuba is rooted in diplomacy and solidarity. Cuba was there for our people during the difficult days of the struggle for freedom, and we are glad that it continues to stand with us in building human capacity, particularly in the health sector. We remain grateful for that.”

She urged the newly qualified doctors to remain open to growth and continuous learning.

“Learning is an ongoing process, and the discipline of medicine will continue to evolve, just as it does in other fields, such as technology,” she said.

“Congratulations, Class of 2026! South Africa is proud of you, the health sector cannot wait to welcome you,” Capa said.

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South Africa needs more agricultural economists to help tackle food security, rural development, trade, climate change and job creation, the Department of Agriculture said at a student symposium in Pretoria on Friday.

The department, in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council and the University of Limpopo, hosted the symposium for third-year BSc Agricultural Economics students at the ARC VIMP Campus in Roodeplaat.

The event brought together students, academics, policymakers and industry professionals to discuss agricultural economic issues, policy debates, innovation trends and emerging opportunities in the sector.

Acting Chief Director of Sector Capacity Development Mmaserame Macucwa said agricultural economists had a critical role to play in addressing some of South Africa’s most pressing development challenges, including employment creation, rural development, trade, climate change and inclusive economic growth.

“Agricultural economics remains one of South Africa’s critical and scarce skills, with growing demand for professionals capable of informing policy, analysing markets, managing risk, and driving innovation across agricultural value chains,” Macucwa said.

“Students must actively engage with experts to build professional networks and prepare themselves to lead the sector through emerging challenges and opportunities.”

The department said the symposium was aimed at connecting students with industry experts and exposing them to the knowledge and networks needed to support innovation, strengthen food security and help shape the future of South African agriculture.

University of Limpopo academic Dr Mmaphuti Nkoana said the engagement gave students an opportunity to better understand the workplace and the expectations of potential employers in the agricultural sector.

Nkoana said the university offered modules that complemented one another, including those recommended by stakeholders who could employ students in future. Practical exposure through experiential learning and engagement with industry was important in preparing students for work, Nkoana said.

“We saw it befitting to say that we engage with the stakeholders to host our students in these kinds of podiums or symposiums, so that our students can get more information about what is happening in the working environment,” Nkoana said.

“These students here, they are willing to gather more information from different stakeholders, just to capacitate or build their future from now.”

Nkoana said students could also contribute to research projects and seminars by using such platforms to raise and discuss challenges facing South Africa.

Macucwa said the Department of Agriculture remained committed to strengthening partnerships with higher education institutions to develop the next generation of agricultural professionals.

She said she was confident that young economists could contribute meaningfully to the future of South African agriculture.

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Africa Skills Training and Management Services has bought Telkom’s former learning campus in Olifantsfontein, Gauteng, with plans to redevelop the site into one of the country’s largest artisan training hubs.

The 24.7-hectare property, which includes more than 23,500 m² of purpose-built education and training facilities, was acquired by the vocational training company as part of a corporate disposal transaction handled by Broll Auctions and Sales.

Africa Skills Chief Business Development Manager Phillip Harmse said the company had been eyeing the property for some time because its other Gauteng campuses were smaller and full.

“We have had our eye on this property for some time. Our other campuses in Gauteng are smaller and full, so we were struggling with capacity, and this location is perfect. It offers easy access and will serve a significant need in the country,” Harmse said.

“We are happy with the deal we secured for premises of this size, and our intention is to stay true to the building’s origins and history, redeveloping the campus into a work-integrated vocational education and innovation hub for the manufacturing, mining and agricultural sectors.”

Programmes at the campus will include training for millwrights, boilermakers, welders, electricians and plumbers, alongside a new agricultural offering covering plant production, fruit, grains and a poultry-focused livestock component.

“Our qualifications combine theory, practical training and workplace experience over three years, with students spending half their time on campus and half placed with companies so that they add value to employers from day one,” Harmse said.

Existing lecture halls, classrooms and accommodation facilities will be supplemented by modern hybrid learning environments, artisan workshops, agricultural training infrastructure and sustainable campus improvements, developed in collaboration with industry and education partners.

The first intake is targeted for February 2027, with around 2,000 students expected at the campus once enrolment plans are finalised.

“The expansion of Africa Skills into a new, larger premises is in response to a need for additional vocational capacity,” Harmse said.

“South Africa’s labour market requires roughly 30 000 artisans a year, while the country currently produces only 15 000 to 20 000.”

Broll Auctions and Sales Director Jayson-lee Collins said the property was sold through a competitive auction process, with five registered bidders bidding on the day.

“The education sector, from a property perspective, is seeing a strong uptick in transactions. We have concluded some of the country’s biggest property transactions in the educational sector in the past two years including the sale of Johannesburg’s FNB Conference Centre on Grayston Drive and Mayfair Convent.”

The disposal of the Olifantsfontein campus formed part of Telkom’s strategy of unlocking value from non-core assets while enabling new investment and economic development.

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The Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA) has extended the closing date for its 2026/2027 Discretionary Grant Funding Window by two weeks, giving stakeholders more time to submit applications after amendments to grant guidelines were approved.

merSETA said the funding window, which was originally scheduled to close on June 29, 2026, will now close on July 13, 2026.

“The extension takes effect immediately and applies to all applicable discretionary grant funding windows.”

It said the decision followed updates to the Discretionary Grant Guidelines and Funding Window Guidelines, which were approved to align with the Department of Higher Education and Training Directive on transitional arrangements.

As part of the amendments, merSETA has adopted a revised policy position on legacy, or pre-2009, qualifications.

“These qualifications may continue to be funded on a controlled transitional basis, provided that funding remains aligned to South African Qualifications Authority-approved extension periods and that enrolments and learner achievements are completed within the prescribed timelines,” it said.

The revised position was aimed at ensuring continued compliance with national regulatory requirements while giving certainty to employers and training providers involved in skills development initiatives.

Organisations and institutions that have already submitted applications may ask for their submissions to be reopened so they can incorporate amendments arising from the revised guidelines.

Applicants who need to amend submitted applications must contact the relevant Management Information Systems Support team. External stakeholders should email missupport@merseta.org.za, while internal stakeholders should email MISTechnical@merseta.org.za.

“Each request will be assessed and facilitated on a case-by-case basis. No manual or informal amendments outside the online application system will be permitted,” merSETA said.

Applicants have been encouraged to visit the merSETA website to access the updated Discretionary Grant Funding Window Guidelines and application information.

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The High Court in Bloemfontein, sitting in Botshabelo, has sentenced four people, including the wife and brother-in-law of slain teacher Fezile Mnyobisi, for his brutal and premeditated murder.

Vusimuzi Daniel Nqele, 43, and Moeketsi Innocent Manko, 35, were each sentenced to life imprisonment. Abdool Rahman Thamando, 35, the brother-in-law of the deceased, was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, while Halimmah Thamando Mnyobisi, 38, the wife of the deceased, was sentenced to life imprisonment.

All four accused were convicted of murder, read with the provisions of Section 51(1) Part I Schedule 2 of Act 105 of 1997, relating to premeditated murder.

The case stemmed from events on Friday, 15 September 2023, when Botshabelo police received an alert from a local hospital regarding a suspected murder. A patrol vehicle was immediately dispatched.

Upon arrival, police were told that 35-year-old Fezile Mnyobisi, a teacher at Refihlile Primary School in C-Section, had been brought to the hospital by his wife in a private vehicle. He was declared dead on arrival.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Mnyobisi had sustained more than 30 stab wounds to his torso. Botshabelo police initially registered a case of murder and robbery at the Botshabelo Police Station.

Police said an intense and multi-disciplinary investigation by the Provincial Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management, alongside the Investigative Psychology Section, led to warrants of arrest being issued.

Hitmen Nqele and Manko were intercepted and arrested in November 2024 for murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Further investigation led to the arrest of Mnyobisi’s brother-in-law, Abdool Rahman Thamando.

Police said the final arrest was made on 26 November 2024 at about 16:00, after intelligence-led leads helped the tracking team trace Halimmah Thamando Mnyobisi, who had been on the run.

She was found hiding at a luxury residential complex in Sandton, Gauteng, where she was staying with her alleged boyfriend. She was arrested and brought to face justice alongside her co-conspirators.

Police said the conviction followed work by Detective Warrant Officer Lehlohonolo Tloanyane and Detective Sergeant Lebohang Nkopane, under the leadership of Captain Sandile Dladla, in close consultation with State Advocate Mpemvane from the National Prosecuting Authority.

During sentencing, the presiding officer said: “Most brutal Gender-Based Violence cases are perpetrated by males, but this time around, it is a female who stands accused. This sentence should serve as a lesson to those who still think that because women are generally regarded as vulnerable, they are not capable of such brutal and heinous acts.”

Free State Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thabang Solly Lesia lauded the investigating team and the prosecution for securing what he described as a watertight case.

“This sentence sends an unequivocal message that the law will not hesitate to strike down heavily on anyone who orchestrates the destruction of human life, regardless of their gender,” Lesia said.

“It is deeply disturbing when a spouse, who is meant to be a protector, becomes the architect of such a gruesome betrayal and violent crime. We hope this life sentence brings a sense of closure to the family and colleagues of Mr. Mnyobisi. I highly commend our detectives and the NPA for closing every loophole and ensuring that these perpetrators face the full might of the law.”

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KwaZulu-Natal led the 2026 ABC Motsepe South African Schools Choral Eisteddfod after the first two days of national competition, with 11 trophies as choirs from across the country headed into the final stretch of the four-day championships.

The championships run from June 30 to July 3 at Moreleta Kerk in Pretoria. They are delivered by the departments of Basic Education and Sport, Arts and Culture, in partnership with the Motsepe Foundation, and bring together top-performing school choirs from all nine provinces after district and provincial rounds.

The KZN Department of Education said the province was leading after Day Two with 11 trophies, making it the early frontrunner in the national standings.

In the secondary schools section, the Eastern Cape’s Nolitha won the Special Schools SID Own Song Choice category, followed by North West’s Temogo and Gauteng’s Adelaide Tambo.

KZN’s Newtown won the Special Schools MID, PD, Deaf and Blind category for Ngothando, ahead of North West’s Christiana and Limpopo’s Setotolwane.

KZN also scored strongly in the choir categories, with Aquadene taking first place in Mixed Choirs Western, ahead of Limpopo’s Klaas Mothapo and Gauteng’s Curtis Nkondo.

Klaas Mothapo then won the Mixed Choirs African category for Thuto by P Mamabolo, with Mpumalanga’s D.M. Motsaosele Secondary School second and Aquadene third.

The Mpumalanga Department of Education congratulated D.M. Motsaosele on Thursday, saying the choir had delivered “a performance that resonated with grace, passion and musical excellence”.

“This remarkable achievement is a testament to the visionary leadership and musical excellence of Mr G. Zunguza, whose dedication, discipline and inspiring direction guided the choir to this national milestone,” the department said.

Mpumalanga’s Shongwe won the Mixed Double Quartet for Farm and Small Schools with Silent Worship by GF Handel. KwaZulu-Natal’s Einsiedeln placed second, while Gauteng’s Kudung finished third.

In the primary section, the Eastern Cape’s Lingomsolethu Primary School won the Special Schools SID Own Choice category, followed by KZN’s Thuthukani Primary School and Free State’s Leboneng Primary School.

Mandela Park Primary School from the Eastern Cape also stood out after securing first place in both the Boys’ Choir and Mixed Choirs African categories.

KZN’s Grantham Park Primary School picked up the Best Conductor award, with Ms ZZ Luhlolongwane named as conductor.

The final results are expected after the closing day of competition on Friday.

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Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Lydia Chikunga has called for stronger public-private partnerships to tackle South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis and food insecurity, saying government cannot solve either challenge on its own.

Chikunga was speaking on Wednesday at the launch of KFC Africa’s Impact Report in Bryanston, Johannesburg, under the theme: “Private Sector as a Partner in Youth Economic Inclusion and Food Security.”

“I also wish to commend KFC Africa for being one of the key corporate partners of the Youth Employment Service (YES) — the substantive public-private partnership that has transitioned more than 200,000 young South Africans from being labelled as “unemployed” to being registered as “employed” through a twelve-month work experience placement in the private sector,” Chikunga said.

“KFC’s participation in the YES architecture demonstrates, first-hand, how the transition from learning to earning can be operationalised at scale.”

Chikunga placed KFC Africa’s work within the broader Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), which she said was government’s national response to youth unemployment and required a strong coalition between government, business and civil society.

She said the PYEI’s performance since its launch was now publicly documented, with interventions reaching millions of young South Africans across different employment and earning pathways.

“The SA Youth platform, which is the digital gateway of the PYEI, currently holds active registrations of more than 2.36 million young people, who are matched to opportunities in the labour market on an ongoing basis,” she said.

“The Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) system has placed more than 402,515 young people into work experience, learnerships, and formal employment through PYEI-aligned partnerships.”

However, the latest PYEI fourth-quarter update places current SA Youth registrations at more than 5.9 million and ESSA registrations at more than 5.36 million. Since its launch in 2020, the PYEI has facilitated access to more than 2.5 million temporary earning opportunities through SA Youth and a further 422,667 opportunities through ESSA.

The call for deeper partnerships comes as South Africa continues to battle high levels of youth unemployment. According to Statistics South Africa’s first-quarter 2026 labour data, 4.7 million young people aged 15 to 34 were unemployed, while the unemployment rate stood at 60.9% for those aged 15 to 24 and 40.6% for those aged 25 to 34.

Chikunga said partnerships had to be backed by strong knowledge management and must be able to answer the critical questions of any strategic mission, allowing government and its partners to anticipate, respond to and navigate uncertainty.

She said the launch showed how private-sector partnerships could be implemented at scale.

“What we are launching today is indicative of what a partnership can look like when it is executed at scale,” she said.

“I therefore want to make a substantive call to KFC and its associated stakeholders. Our young people must be trained, integrated, and transitioned into viable businesses across the food, agricultural value chains, and related industries — from primary production, to logistics, and distribution to the food services, hospitality sector, and into the digital platforms that increasingly mediate all of these.”

Chikunga said every young South African involved in agriculture, food services or hospitality should have a clear pathway into sustainable economic activity.

She said youth economic inclusion could not be reduced to short-term participation, but had to mean the meaningful integration of young people into productive enterprises on terms that promoted ownership, agency and real prospects of wealth accumulation.

Turning to food security, Chikunga said South Africa’s challenge was not only the availability of food, but whether households could access it consistently and affordably.

“Too often, food security is viewed through a narrow and limited lens. Food security is not about the mere availability of food,” she said.

“Food is abundantly available — yet the marginalised remain food-insecure. The gap between availability and access is the substantive analytical question.”

She said food security also had to be understood through the lens of reparative justice, including the restoration of the rights of historically marginalised communities and their sovereignty over food systems.

Chikunga said South Africa could only be considered food-secure when all people had access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that met their dietary and cultural needs, while also addressing the historical injustices that shaped current food inequities.

She identified several areas where the private sector could support youth economic participation and food security at scale.

These included supporting young South Africans to work the land, with specific attention to young women and persons with disabilities; helping emerging farmers transition into sustainable agribusinesses; investing in extension services, technical mentoring, market access, off-take agreements, supply-chain integration and patient capital.

She also said young South Africans and African entrepreneurs needed better access to local, continental and international markets, including opportunities created through the African Continental Free Trade Area, which brings together a market of about 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of approximately US$3.4 trillion.

Chikunga said government and business also had to scale up youth employment in food, hospitality and distribution through targeted skills programmes, franchise expansion, enterprise development and the integration of youth-owned SMEs into supply chains.

She said the private sector could further support young people by helping expand affordable, high-speed data access in townships, rural areas and informal settlements, where many young people live and where digital platforms increasingly shape access to opportunity.

Chikunga said partnerships such as those with KFC Africa showed what was possible when social impact initiatives were linked to broader national priorities.

“You can count on our partnership and we very much look forward to working with you well into the future,” she said.

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By 2026, the initial panic that greeted the launch of generative AI in higher education has transitioned into a complex, high-stakes standoff. 

At the heart of this conflict are AI checkers – software designed to catch students using tools like ChatGPT. 

However, a growing number of institutions, including major South African universities, are now switching these detectors off, sparking a fundamental rethink of what it means to learn and be assessed in a digital age.

The primary reason for the retreat from AI detection is a lack of accuracy.

AI detectors do not know if a machine wrote a text; instead, they measure statistical signatures like “perplexity” (how predictable the language is) and “burstiness” (variation in sentence rhythm). 

But as generative models have evolved to mimic human style more effectively, these signatures have become blurred. 

Independent evaluations show that while some tools claim 99% accuracy, their effectiveness drops to between 60% and 80% as soon as a student manually edits or adds “humanise” when prompting the AI. 

Furthermore, newer models like Claude 3 generate natural-sounding prose that frequently evades mainstream checkers.

For many administrators, using such probabilistic tools to make life-altering disciplinary decisions is becoming an unacceptable risk to due process.

The crisis of fairness and bias 

For South African institutions, the most damaging aspect of AI detection is documented bias against non-native English speakers. 

Research has shown that detectors disproportionately flag ESL (English as a Second Language) students because their writing often uses more formal, standardised structures that the software mistakes for machine-generated patterns.

One landmark study found a 61.3% false positive rate for TOEFL essays written by Chinese students, compared to just 5.1% for native speakers. In a multilingual country like South Africa, where English is often a second or third language, relying on these tools creates a systemic equity crisis that risks unfairly penalising students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The devil’s bargain of efficiency 

The complexity is deepened by what scholars call a “devil’s bargain” in modern academia.

AI can automate lesson planning for lecturers and generate plausible essays for students, creating an appearance of productivity while hollowing out actual learning. This leads to the rise of “shallow knowledge workers” –  graduates who are proficient in prompt manipulation but deficient in critical analysis and independent reflection.

By switching off AI checkers, universities are forced to confront this erosion of cognitive capacity. Rather than attempting to detect the machine, they are redesigning the work to make human thinking visible.

The way forward 

The emerging way forward in South African higher education is a shift from “policing” to “stewardship”. The focus is moving toward:

• Authentic Assessment: Moving away from take-home essays toward oral defences (viva voce), in-class writing benchmarks, and practical demonstrations.
• AI-integrated Assessment frameworks: Implementing clear frameworks that define acceptable AI use across different assessment contexts. This may include a tiered approach where AI use is prohibited, permitted for specific parts of an assessment, or fully integrated into the assessment process without penalty, provided its use is transparent and aligned with the learning outcomes.
• Process-Based Grading: Grading the “learning journey” by requiring students to submit research logs, drafts, and “Epistemic Meta-Reflections” where they justify their interaction with AI.
• Human-in-the-Loop Frameworks: Implementing automated grading only when it includes mandatory human review to ensure factual accuracy and fairness.
• Transparency and Disclosure: Replacing bans with disclosure requirements, where students must cite which tools they used and for what purpose.

As South Africa finalises its Draft National AI Policy – which ironically ran into an early roadblock after it was found the first iteration was drafted by AI – the higher education sector has an opportunity to ground AI governance in the philosophy of Ubuntu, with its emphasis on interdependence, human dignity, and collective responsibility. 

The goal should not be to win an unwinnable technological race, but to establish a renewed contract of trust: one in which AI is used as a scaffold for thought, not a substitute for it.

Mario Landman is Executive: Educational Technology and Innovation at The IIE and ADvTECH’s Academic Centre of Excellence. 

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Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube has launched new national guidelines aimed at keeping school toilets safe, clean and dignified, shifting the focus from the eradication of pit toilets to the daily maintenance of water, sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health services in schools.

The National Guidelines for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (WINS), launched at Welizibuko Primary School on Thursday, are intended to give schools practical, step-by-step guidance on strengthening sanitation and hygiene services while promoting accountability and sustainability across the basic education sector.

Speaking at the launch, Gwarube said poor sanitation continued to affect learners’ health, attendance and academic performance, with girls particularly affected during menstruation.

“Access to safe sanitation is fundamentally a matter of dignity, safety and educational success,” she said.

The guidelines are expected to help schools improve the responsible use and maintenance of facilities, strengthen hygiene practices and support menstrual health management as part of broader efforts to create safer and healthier learning environments.

Gwarube said the department had made significant progress through the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) Initiative, with 99.9% of identified pit toilets eradicated. The programme has benefited more than three million learners and over 50,000 teachers by providing safer and more dignified sanitation facilities.

However, she cautioned that removing pit toilets was not the end of the work.

“Eliminating pit toilets is not the end of the journey, but maintaining school infrastructure, promoting responsible use of facilities and strengthening hygiene practices are critical to ensuring that schools remain safe, healthy and conducive to learning,” she said.

The Minister called on schools, provincial education departments, communities and learners to work together to protect and maintain sanitation infrastructure, saying the success of the WINS programme would depend on long-term behavioural change and the promotion of a culture of hygiene in schools.

The guidelines draw on lessons from the implementation of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Three-Star Approach in schools across Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.

According to the department, the WINS Guidelines are expected to strengthen service delivery in schools while helping create healthier learning environments that support learner development and academic achievement.

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As South Africa marks 50 years since the 1976 Soweto Uprising, the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) says the challenge facing the country today is ensuring that young people are equipped with the skills needed to succeed in a rapidly changing economy.

This was one of the key messages during a Youth Month webinar hosted by EWSETA in partnership with Inside Education on Thursday, where government, industry and youth development leaders reflected on the legacy of the youth of 1976 and the opportunities available to the youth of 2026.

Opening the discussion, EWSETA Board Chairperson Morwesi Ramonyai said Youth Month should also be used to reflect on whether South Africa is creating enough opportunities for young people to participate meaningfully in the economy.

“Are we creating enough opportunities for young people to participate meaningfully and gainfully in our economy and society?” she asked.

Ramonyai said the energy and water sectors remain central to economic development, infrastructure expansion and national resilience.

“The sectors are critical for our own economic growth, for Africa’s growth, for infrastructure development, for energy security, for water resilience. It’s really at the centre of that engine that keeps this economy going,” she said.

EWSETA Acting Chief Executive Officer Robyn Vilakazi said the sector is undergoing major structural change driven by the energy transition, water security challenges and rapid technological advancement.

“We’ve got the energy transition in the energy sector, the just energy transition in the water sector. In the water sector, we are facing significant water security challenges,” she said.

Vilakazi said these shifts require a workforce that is not only technically skilled, but also adaptable and future-focused as industries evolve.

“We are looking at not building a workforce that is only technically capable, but a workforce that is adaptable, that is future focused and future ready,” she said.

The webinar highlighted ongoing concerns about the gap between education outcomes and workplace readiness, with panellists stressing the need for stronger coordination between training systems and employers to improve youth employability.

Sherrie Donaldson of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator said young people continue to face barriers in accessing work opportunities, even when they are qualified.

“The transition from education to work is fragmented. It’s still hard to find a job even if you have education,” she said.

She added that employers increasingly expect not only technical competence, but also workplace readiness and practical experience.

“Employers want young people that are not just technically skilled. They want young people that are ready to work,” she said.

Donaldson also pointed to structural barriers affecting youth access to the labour market, including transport costs, data costs, lack of connectivity in some areas and limited access to professional networks.

“Most of us got first jobs because someone introduced us to someone who helped us get a job. Young people in the demographics of South Africa don’t have those social networks,” she said.

From an employer perspective, Rand Water Senior Manager for Talent Management Maureen Miles said technical skills remain essential in ensuring the effective functioning of water infrastructure systems.

“The TVETs offer excellent opportunities for young people, and in fact, that skill is much more marketable than a university degree,” she said.

Miles added that operational roles in the water sector require consistency and long-term commitment due to the nature of service delivery.

“We need that person to come to their plant. We need them to do the work that they do. We need them to operate the plant in a particular way on a continuous basis,” she said.

A key focus of the webinar was showcasing how skills development can translate into entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly in addressing South Africa’s energy and water challenges.

Founder of Electrical Technologies, Mfanelo Ndlela, said access to structured skills development support played an important role in shaping his business journey.

“The skills that we actually realised were important when we started our company was focusing on utilities,” he said.

Ndlela said his company now develops technology solutions aimed at improving water and energy systems through real-time monitoring and data-driven innovation.

“What we do with this device, we can in real time monitor water quality, track volumetrics, track water flow, immediately report on leaks,” he said.

He added that entrepreneurship requires resilience and continuous learning, especially in technology-driven sectors.

“It’s been a journey of resilience, skills, articulation and making sure that we fail fast,” he said.

The webinar also explored broader international opportunities, including the role of BRICS in youth development, trade and skills exchange.

South African BRICS Youth Association CEO Raymond Matlala said young people must be better exposed to global opportunities in education, innovation and trade cooperation.

“There is a lot of opportunities, both educational and economic,” he said.

He pointed to potential collaboration in sectors such as energy, artificial intelligence, manufacturing and agriculture across BRICS member states, which could expand opportunities for South African youth.

As the webinar concluded, panellists agreed that stronger partnerships between government, industry, training institutions and youth organisations are essential to improving employment outcomes and strengthening skills pipelines.

The discussion reinforced EWSETA’s message that youth development in the energy and water sectors must focus not only on training, but on building clear and practical pathways into work, entrepreneurship and long-term economic participation.

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Electoral Commission chairperson Mosotho Moepya has called on learner leaders to become active participants in South Africa’s democracy, urging young people to register, vote and use their voices to shape the future of their communities.

Addressing delegates at the 2026 National Learner Leadership Summit in Benoni, Moepya said voting remained one of the most powerful tools available to young South Africans as the country prepares for the Local Government Elections on 4 November.

Speaking under the summit theme, Born of Resistance, Driven by Purpose: Leading the Future of Learning, Moepya reflected on the legacy of the 1976 Soweto Uprising and challenged today’s youth to honour that history through active citizenship.

“Fifty years ago, young people confronted an oppressive regime using the only tools they had left – their voices, their bodies and their resistance. Today, the battlefield has shifted, but the responsibility remains just as weighty,” he said.

He said voting was a constitutional right and civic responsibility.

“Our constitutional democracy is built on a simple, profound premise: the government must be based on the will of the people. If you choose not to vote, the government is not based on your will; it is based exclusively on the will of those who choose to show up,” he said.

Moepya encouraged learners to begin engaging with civic issues long before they become eligible to vote, urging them to debate, discuss and influence the future they want for themselves and their communities.

He also highlighted concerns about declining political efficacy among young people, citing findings from the IEC’s 2026 Voter Participation Survey, conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council.

According to the survey, many young South Africans feel that their votes do not bring immediate structural changes. They point to high youth unemployment, service delivery backlogs and economic exclusion, asking: “Why should we bother?”

Moepya said that political disengagement weakens democracy and reduces accountability.

“The remedy to an underperforming democracy is never less democracy; it is more active citizenship. Voting is your structural mechanism for true accountability” he said.

While welcoming the high number of youth registrations recorded during the IEC’s June voter registration weekend, Moepya stressed that millions of eligible young people remained unregistered.

“The encouraging news is that the vast majority of new registrations came directly from the youth. However, our overall youth participation could benefit immensely from increased registration volumes,” he said.

He reminded delegates that young people aged 16 and older can register on the national voters’ roll, although they may only vote once they turn 18. Voter registration is open to South African citizens with a valid identity document, smart ID card or temporary identity certificate.

He urged young people not to wait for an official registration weekend, saying they could use the IEC’s online voter registration platform to register or update their details.

Addressing members of the Representative Councils of Learners, Moepya said the leadership experience they gain at school mirrors the principles required for democratic governance.

“You understand how to represent your peers, negotiate with school management, and advocate for better learning facilities. The jump from school governance to local, municipal governance is smaller than you think,” Moepya said.

“The practice of accountability, transparency and representation you are sharpening here are the exact competences required to transform our municipal councils.”

Moepya further challenged learner leaders to become ambassadors for information integrity, warning that misinformation and online hate can discourage civic participation and undermine democracy.

He challenged the learner leaders to leave the summit with three priorities, saying: “register to vote immediately when eligible, be ambassadors for information integrity, and mobilise your classroom and communities.”

He encouraged young people to make their voices count at the ballot box.

“If you move as a collective, you move the nation. Let us honour the legacy of the past by seizing the democratic power of the present. Exercise your right to vote. Register, show up on November 4, and let the true voice of South African youth be heard,” Moepya said.

The summit is scheduled to conclude on Friday after sessions focused on learner leadership, democratic participation, and social development.

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Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has told learner leaders to reject hatred and division amid tensions over foreign nationals, saying the youth must have the courage to protect people from violence.

“In our country at the moment, we are facing unprecedented levels of violence towards undocumented immigrants. And in rejecting cynicism and rejecting some of the divisions, we need young people who are ready and have the courage to say, let us protect people at all costs. Let us not allow ourselves to be consumed by hate, by division,” she said.

“Let us commit to a different country that says, I may not share your background, but here you are safe, at least safe from violence, where you will not be treated less than human. Because that’s not who we are as a country.”

She was speaking at the 2026 National Representative Council of Learners (RCL) Leadership Summit in Benoni, Gauteng, on Wednesday.

Gwarube said learner leaders had a responsibility to help build safer and more inclusive schools and communities.

The three-day summit, held under the theme Born of Resilience, driven by purpose: leading the future of learning, brought together learner representatives from across the country to engage with policymakers, education officials and youth leaders on issues affecting young people.

Reflecting on the Legacy of 1976 and the Role of today’s youth, Gwarube said every generation faces its own challenges and has a responsibility to respond to them.

“Your generation faces levels of bullying in schools, faces violence in communities. You face the dangers of substance abuse, gangsterism and gender-based violence. You face the pressures of social media, cyberbullying and online hate, misinformation and division. These challenges may look significantly different from those faced by youth of 1976, but they are no less important,” Gwarube said.

She said these challenges require young people who are prepared to lead. Emphasising that representative council of learners is so important.

She stressed that the RCL position is not just a badge, or a title, but saving others.

The minister said learner leadership was not about status or popularity, but about serving others and standing up for vulnerable learners.

“The true test of leadership is not how many followers you have on TikTok. The true test of leadership is how you use your influence to improve the lives of others,” she said.

Gwarube expressed concern about bullying and violence in schools, describing them as serious issues that negatively affect learners’ wellbeing and academic success.

“Bullying is not harmless. Its not a joke, It destroys confidence, damages mental health and robs learners of their sense of belonging,” she said.

She urged RCL members to take practical steps when they return to their schools, including identifying learners who may be isolated, strengthening reporting mechanisms and working with teachers and school management teams to promote learner safety.

“Every learner deserves to walk through the school gates feeling safe, feeling valued, and every learner deserves dignity. As learner leaders, you have a unique responsibility in this regard because you often see what teachers cannot see, you know who is being neglected, and you know who is struggling in silence, so leadership means refusing to look away, it means speaking up when others remain silent,” Gwarube said.

She said the Department of Basic Education continues to prioritise school safety through partnerships with the South African Police Service and the implementation of the Safe Schools Protocol.

“We are strengthening school safety, improving collaboration with local police stations, tackling bullying, violence, gangsterism, and substance abuse. We are making sure that our schools are places of learning and hope.”

However, she stressed that policies alone cannot create safe learning environments.

“The safest schools are not those with fences and security guards. The safest schools are those where learners choose to care for one another,” she said.

Gwarube encouraged young people to reject corruption, violence, prejudice and discrimination, saying democracy requires every generation to actively protect and strengthen it.

Gwarube concluded by encouraging learner leaders to lead with courage, compassion and integrity, reminding them that South Africa’s future rests in the hands of its youth.

“The future of South Africa is not waiting somewhere in the distance, the future of South Africa is already here, it is sitting in this room and ready to lead and i have faith in each and every one of you that you are going to answer the call of leadership, of service, of building a better country because South Africa is certainly worth fighting for,” she said.

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Some Gauteng schools will issue Term 2 report cards late after a technical failure disrupted access to SA-SAMS, the national school administration system used to capture and finalise learner records.

The disruption comes as schools prepare to close for the end of the second term on Friday, with learners expected to return on 21 July.

“On behalf of the Gauteng Department of Education, I extend my sincere apology to learners, parents and school staff affected by this delay. We understand the importance of report cards in tracking learner progress and planning for the academic term ahead,” said Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile.

He said system administrators and technicians were working to restore full functionality and normalise access.

Maile urged affected schools and parents to allow the technical process to be concluded so that report cards could be issued without compromising the integrity and accuracy of learner records.

“We are confident that the technical teams handling the matter will restore the system soon. We appreciate the patience shown by schools, learners and parents as this process is being resolved,” he said.

The provincial education department said it would continue to keep schools informed as progress is made.

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The Youth Sector within the National Dialogue will launch pilot community action dialogues in six provinces as part of efforts to turn young people’s demands for economic inclusion into practical local plans.

The dialogues will be rolled out in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Limpopo and the Northern Cape, the Youth Sector said in a statement on Wednesday, as South Africa marked Youth Month and 50 years since the June 16, 1976 uprising.

Dates were not supplied for the dialogues.

“These pilot dialogues represent an important step towards building an inclusive and participatory National Dialogue process that is rooted in the lived realities of young people and communities,” the Youth Sector said.

“While the generation of 1976 fought against legislated exclusion and political oppression, today the struggle confronting young people has evolved into a battle against economic exclusion.”

The Youth Sector said the country’s young population should be a driver of development, but instead reflected “a painful contradiction” in which young people were “educated but unemployed, ambitious but unsupported, innovative but denied access to capital, markets and economic opportunities”.

The Youth Sector Engagement identified four priority areas: economic transformation, employment and entrepreneurship; policy, governance and youth participation; health and social development; and education and skills.

The sector called on government, business, labour, civil society, development partners and other stakeholders to move beyond speeches and commit to practical action on youth economic inclusion, entrepreneurship, skills development, job creation and access to finance.

It said young people remained underrepresented in decision-making despite South Africa having one of the youngest populations on the continent, and warned that policy commitments had to translate into “meaningful inclusion and economic outcomes”.

On education, the statement said too many young people were qualified but unemployed, and called for education, skills development and entrepreneurship support to be better aligned with economic opportunities.

“As we commemorate the legacy of June 16, we reaffirm that the struggle of this generation is for economic justice, dignity and opportunity,” the Youth Sector said.

“The spirit of 1976 demands that we move from dialogue to action, from promises to implementation, and from fragmentation to collective action.”

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Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has urged young South Africans to take their place in the country’s energy transition, saying new generation, transmission, electrification and critical-minerals value chains could create businesses, jobs and wider electricity access.

Ramokgopa was speaking at the Youth in Energy Conference and Awards, hosted in partnership with the African Youths in Energy Network at Focus Rooms in Modderfontein, Johannesburg.

The conference focused on connecting young talent with opportunities in the energy sector, including renewable energy, transmission infrastructure, electrification, nuclear, critical minerals and regional electricity markets.

“We need to achieve energy sovereignty in the country, so that we have to draw from various energy sources. There is a multiplicity of energy sources,” Ramokgopa said.

“There’s an opportunity for us to participate in what you call the nuclear fuel cycle, on mining, the enrichment, the fabrication, and so forth.”

Ramokgopa said young entrepreneurs should look for opportunities in renewable energy, particularly innovations that could help lower the cost of electricity and expand access to underserved communities.

He said funding would be critical to turning promising ideas into scalable projects that could be introduced into the market.

Through its funding houses, he said, such ideas must create opportunities for scalability to enable market introduction.

“One of the opportunities that we share with you is on the transmission side. You can generate this electricity using solar, using wind, but you must transport the electrons,” he said.

“They must get to a point where they are needed, where they are going to be consumed, and for that to happen, we need to build a transmission infrastructure.”

Ramokgopa said young people should see South Africa’s remaining electricity-access gaps not only as a crisis, but also as an opportunity to develop technologies and business models that can power rural and poor communities.

He said about 1.6 million households still lacked access to electricity, while millions more people across Africa remained without reliable power.

“I just shared with you that 600 million people on the continent don’t have access to electricity,” he said.

“It’s only us, South Africa, where we are at about 92% of penetration. Sub-Saharan Africa outside the Sahara desert, people don’t have access to electricity. In the region, outside, people don’t have access to electricity.”

Ramokgopa said new electricity demand, including demand linked to data centres, was creating further opportunities for young people to develop energy projects and participate in the wider electricity market.

He said South Africa’s energy plans envisaged about 105GW of new generation capacity by 2039, alongside a major expansion of the transmission network.

He outlined the scale of the investment opportunity, citing about 14,500km of new transmission lines worth R440 billion, and new generation capacity worth about R2.23 trillion, in the context of South Africa’s GDP of about R7.63 trillion.

“So what we are doing in the energy sector, in the next 12 years, constitutes 30% of the total size of the South African economy,” he said.

“This presents an opportunity that will be available for the next 12 to 18 years, and young people are urged to position themselves to participate in this space.”

Ramokgopa also said South Africa needed to do more to benefit from the critical minerals required for the global decarbonisation agenda.

He said the country should build local ownership and participation across the value chain, from production and beneficiation to technology applications, electricity generation and infrastructure maintenance.

“So you, as young people, must choose your place in the entire value chain. We must use our endowments to benefit and transform the lives of our people,” he said.

Ramokgopa said the opportunities were not limited to South Africa, as the department was also working on electricity corridors to support regional energy security.

He encouraged young entrepreneurs to develop scalable energy projects that could be expanded beyond South Africa and into the rest of the continent, saying the department was willing to support viable ideas and innovations through policy interventions.

“We are going to support you and ensure that we are able to succeed in this agenda. I say to the team that the best measure of our success is not that the lights are on,” he said.

“It’s how many jobs we create in keeping the lights on, how many new skills we develop and bring on board, and how many entrepreneurs participate in maintaining this infrastructure.”

Ramokgopa said young people’s participation would be vital to building an inclusive energy industry, even though the transition would not automatically end localised electricity interruptions such as load reduction.

He said electricity should be used as a tool to fight poverty, exclusion and ignorance, and to help children remain in school, learn productively and prepare for future participation in the economy.

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The Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) has called on women using digital technologies and sustainable materials in construction to enter its 2026 Empowerment and Recognition of Women in Construction Awards.

The cidb said on Tuesday that South Africa’s construction industry remained behind global leaders in the adoption of drones, artificial intelligence and other Construction 4.0 tools, with uptake still limited and uneven across the sector.

However, it said there was growing evidence of increased participation and influence by women in the industry, including in technical and leadership roles, contributing to efforts to accelerate digital transformation and close the technology gap.

The board said a recent University of Pretoria study, BIM Adoption and Implementation Trends in the South African AEC Industry, found that while 73% of industry participants were aware of these technologies, practical implementation was still being held back by cost barriers, skills gaps and resistance to change.

“As cidb, we know there are women who are adopting these technologies more and more in their businesses. Through recent engagements at events such as Big 5 Construct South Africa and our own roadshows, we’ve seen real enthusiasm across the industry to start implementing technologies that will improve how we build,” cidb CEO Bongani Dladla said.

Dladla said the cidb wanted this year’s awards to highlight women who were already adopting and implementing new technologies in the sector.

“We are calling on women who are pioneering the integration of digital technologies and sustainable construction materials into traditional building practices, to enter our Innovative Entity of the Year category.”

He said adopting new technology was not only about staying current, but could lead to safer construction sites, reduce costly rework, improve coordination across trades, and boost profitability and sustainability across the built environment.

The ERWIC Awards also include Interior Design and Build Project of the Year, which recognises women-owned projects demonstrating excellence in delivery and meeting client requirements, and Professional Team of the Year, which honours collaborative teams where women hold central leadership roles.

The awards also include Manufacturing Entity of the Year, which spotlights women leading in construction materials production and prefabrication, an area often overlooked in industry awards, as well as Mentoring Entity of the Year, which recognises organisations with effective mentoring programmes supporting women’s career development.

Other categories include Woman Mentor of the Year, honouring individuals dedicated to guiding the next generation of women in construction, and Transformation Entity of the Year, celebrating organisations making measurable progress on gender diversity and inclusion.

The Women with Disability Contractor of the Year category recognises a disabled woman or women-owned entity within the construction industry who is making a difference and contributing to the upliftment and support of other disabled women within the industry.

The cidb said it was particularly urging women to enter because they remained significantly underrepresented in the construction sector.

“The ERWIC Awards aim to encourage excellence among women and motivate women in construction by promoting visible role models, especially in lower-grade construction categories where representation is even more critical. Entry provides recognition of excellence, validates transformation efforts, creates industry visibility for groundbreaking work, and opens networking opportunities with industry leaders,” Dladla said.

Entries close on July 1, 2026 and can be submitted at www.erwicawards-cidb.co.za.

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Isuzu Motors South Africa and READ Educational Trust are moving their three-year Rally to Read literacy programme into a sustainability phase after reporting improved literacy results at three Gqeberha primary schools.

The programme, implemented at Khulile Primary School, St Albans Primary and Kayser Ngxwana Primary School, has focused on teacher development, learner support, reading materials, community engagement and tools to track learner progress.

At Khulile Primary School in Motherwell, Grade 3 English First Additional Language marks improved from an average of 58.74% in 2023 to 68.70% in 2025, while Grade 4 results rose from 57.28% to 60.93% over the same period, according to the statement.

“Through Rally to Read, our focus has been on building a strong literacy foundation while equipping schools with practical tools to sustain progress beyond the programme,” said Nandi Matomela, Department Executive: Corporate Affairs at Isuzu Motors South Africa.

The programme has included teacher training, age-appropriate books, Early Grade Reading Assessment tools, home-reading initiatives and digital literacy support.

“The improvements achieved over this period reflects the impact of structured, sustained collaboration, highlighting the importance of consistent support, capacity-building, and strong partnerships in driving meaningful change, and we remain committed to ensuring that schools are equipped to sustain and build on this progress over the long term,” Matomela said.

As the schools enter an independence phase, the focus will shift to consolidating gains and strengthening each school’s ability to continue improving literacy outcomes without direct programme support.

Isuzu said it would continue supporting the initiative while identifying a new group of beneficiary schools in Nelson Mandela Bay for the next phase.

To support the sustainability phase, Isuzu and READ Educational Trust are providing READ boxes containing books by South African authors, including Refiloe Moahloli’s We Are One and Sihle Nontshokweni’s Wanda series.

“Literacy programmes like Rally to Read do more than improve reading outcomes; they open up worlds, strengthen critical thinking, and empower children to shape their future. By investing in reading, we nurture a confident and capable generation,” said Nontshokweni.

Moahloli said representation in children’s books was important for building confidence.

“When children see themselves and their lives reflected in the stories they read, they experience them as a celebration of who they are. Reading books that enable this therefore becomes an exciting and enlightening journey, building self-esteem and self-awareness, affirming their importance and inherent value in society,” she said.

Linda Miranda Nonxuba, principal of Khulile Primary School, said the programme had made a meaningful difference.

“We have seen improved learner confidence, stronger reading outcomes, and inspired learners. The support provided has strengthened our teaching approach, and the school is now better positioned to sustain and build on this progress.”

Isuzu said its broader support for schools had also included the refurbishment of St Albans Primary School and the donation of 320 pairs of school shoes to learners at Kayser Ngxwana Primary School through its Adopt-a-School initiative.

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The University of Cape Town (UCT) has retained its position as Africa’s leading university in the QS World University Rankings 2027, despite dropping 34 places globally.

UCT was ranked 184th in the latest rankings, published on 18 June, making it the highest-ranked university on the continent.

The institution said that although it had fallen from 150th position in the 2026 rankings, it had maintained its place among the world’s top 200 universities for a fourth consecutive year.

“This achievement places UCT among the world’s top 2%, out of 8 808 universities evaluated, and reflects the dedication, excellence and resilience of our staff and students,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela.

“Our continued leadership in Africa demonstrates the enduring strength of UCT’s academic project and our contribution to scholarship, research, innovation and societal impact.”

The university improved its academic reputation ranking to 179th globally, rising four places from the previous year. UCT said this reflected growing recognition from academics around the world for the quality and impact of its teaching and research.

UCT also said it improved in employment outcomes, rising to 40th globally from 49th in the previous rankings.

Among its other achievements, UCT said it was ranked in the global top 50 for international research networks and in the top 100 for sustainability.

The university placed 31st globally for international research collaboration and joint 59th for sustainability performance.

“While rankings do not define who we are, they do provide useful external benchmarks of our performance,” Moshabela said.

“UCT’s continued position as Africa’s leading university reflects the collective efforts of our community and our unwavering commitment to excellence in teaching, research, innovation and social responsiveness.”

He added that the university remained focused on strengthening academic excellence, expanding research impact, enhancing graduate success and deepening international partnerships.

“We should take pride in this achievement while recognising that there is always room to do better,” Moshabela said.

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Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has welcomed the launch of the Charlotte Maxeke Educational Fund, saying it should help keep young women in higher education, particularly those pursuing science-related studies.

The fund was launched during the 125th Graduation Anniversary Memorial Lecture of Charlotte Makgomo Mannya-Maxeke.

“Tonight, in this very programme, the Charlotte Maxeke Educational Fund is launched: private generosity reaching out a hand to a young woman whose studies are at risk, with a special care for those pursuing the sciences. The same degree Maxeke earned,” Manamela said.

“I want to say to the founders of that Fund, and to the philanthropists and institutions in this room: this is how it should be. The public purse and the private hand, pulling the same young person through the same open door. The education she earned in exile is, at last, working for our democracy at home.”

Manamela used the lecture to link the fund to Maxeke’s own journey from singer to scholar, activist and organiser. He said Maxeke travelled abroad with an African choir in the late 19th century before enrolling at Wilberforce University in Ohio.

“One hundred and twenty-five years ago today on the 20th of June 1901, a young woman from this country walked across a stage in Ohio and was handed a degree. A Bachelor of Science. She was the first Black woman in this part of the world ever to hold one. Her name was Charlotte Makgomo Mannya-Maxeke,” he said.

Manamela said Maxeke’s legacy was not only about academic achievement, but about using education to serve others.

“She could have stayed where her degree was worth something. She returned instead to a land where her qualification was an insult to the order of things — and she put every page of it to work. The education she earned abroad, she spent at home, on her people, for her people,” he said.

He said South Africa had made major progress since Maxeke’s time, with women now making up the majority of university students.

“The country that refused Charlotte Maxeke a university has become a country in which the majority of our university students are women. Read that sentence slowly. The doors that were bolted against her are the doors through which her granddaughters now pour,” Manamela said.

“That is not an accident of history. It is the work of a democracy that decided education would no longer be a privilege rationed by birth.”

However, he said the work of expanding access was not complete, particularly in student funding.

“We have built a national financial aid system that has carried millions of young people — most of them young women, many of them the first in their families to see the inside of a lecture hall — from the township and the village to the graduation stage,” he said.

“We are not finished, and I will not pretend to you that we are. We are reforming how we fund our students so that the promise is not only generous but durable — so that the child who qualifies in 2040 finds the door as open as the child who qualifies today.”

Manamela said the central lesson of Maxeke’s life was that education should not only benefit the individual.

“That is the whole of it. That is the difference between an education that liberates a people and a qualification that merely rescues an individual,” he said.

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