By Thapelo Molefe

With the world of work continuously changing, civic education and soft skills are increasingly becoming important to ensure that young people are ready for the workplace and are engaged citizens.

A total of 225 students were awarded their Civic and Soft Skills NQF Level 5 qualifications during a Youth Month celebration at Ekurhuleni East TVET College’s Kwa-Thema campus.

“This is no ordinary skills programme. It is the first of its kind in Africa – a visionary initiative, born from our country’s urgent need to equip all young people in education, in training and those not yet in either – with critical soft skills, workplace readiness, civic values and emotional intelligence,” Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane told those attending the event, which forms part of Youth Month celebrations.

The programme is implemented by the department’s agency, Higher Health, in partnership with Unesco. It is closely aligned with the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

“To date, this programme has already graduated over 5000 young people, and we aim to reach a further 250,000 in the next two years. This is how we build resilience, leadership and economic empowerment – one graduate at a time,” the minister said.

Nkabane reiterated that young people faced a daunting reality in the country, with youth unemployment one of the highest in the world. Black women and people in under-resourced communities carried the heaviest burden.

“But we are not without solutions. Research tells us that 85% of job success is attributed to soft skills – not just academic qualifications or technical ability, but the power to lead, communicate, collaborate and persevere. These are the skills for living and these are exactly the skills we are embedding across our institutions through this very programme.”

Led by Nkabane, Higher Health CEO Prof. Ramneek Ahluwalia and National Skills Fund acting CEO Melissa Erra, the ceremony celebrated 108 graduates from Ekurhuleni East TVET College, 62 from Gauteng Community Education and Training colleges, 30 from Tshwane University of Technology and 25 from North-West University.

A total of 76% of the graduates were women, which Nkabane celebrated as a sign that “the future is female”.

Graduates received certificates and a copy of a book titled “Before Varsity. Minding the Gap: Transitions Towards a Skills Revolution in South African Colleges and Universities”, by Mukovhe Masutha and Muimeleli Mutangwa.

Nkabane highlighted Chapter 6 on soft skills as especially relevant to the programme’s vision.

“You are not just students. You are not just participants. You are pioneers. You are change makers,” she told the graduates.

Mental health was a recurring theme throughout the day. The minister cited a World Health Organisation report indicating that one in four students in post-school education in South Africa suffered from mental health challenges.

She said mental health must be treated “not as a taboo, but as a public health imperative”.

Through its national network of counsellors and peer educators, Higher Health has reached over 421,000 young people via dialogues on gender-based violence (GBV) and provided 19,000 students with psychosocial support.

A peer education model now trains 10,000 students annually, many of whom are survivors of violence and leaders in their communities.

“The fight against GBV is not the responsibility of women alone. Men must be part of the solution,” Nkabane declared.

Ekurhuleni energy MMC Mzayifani Ngwenya, who represented the metro’s mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, rooted the day’s proceedings in the legacy of the 1976 student uprising. He emphasised the importance of Ekurhuleni as both a symbolic and strategic location for youth empowerment.

“It is fitting we gather here in Kwa-Thema, in the heart of Ekurhuleni, where the blood, voices and dreams of many young warriors are engraved in our soil,” Ngwenya said.

He also issued a pointed reminder to national leaders that Ekurhuleni remained the only metro in South Africa without a university, despite being home to over three million residents. 

Ngwenya called on Nkabane to prioritise the long-promised University of Science and Innovation for the metro.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Johnathan Paoli

Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane has issued a public statement addressing widespread concerns over her conduct during a recent parliamentary meeting, following strong reactions from MPs and a formal response from President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In her statement, Nkabane acknowledged the backlash and accepted that the situation could have been handled better.

“Upon reflection, and having considered the feedback received from various stakeholders, I acknowledge that the situation could have been handled differently. I take this opportunity to express my commitment to strengthening the relationship between the ministry, the department and the portfolio committee,” she said.

The controversy stems from the minister’s appearance before the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training on 30 May, where her responses and manner of engagement reportedly drew criticism from MPs and civil society observers.

The session, which was broadcast live and widely circulated on social media, focused on issues surrounding the appointment of board members to Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), key institutions in the country’s skills development and vocational training framework.

The minister reaffirmed her commitment to parliamentary oversight and cooperative governance.

“I intend to inculcate and maintain a constructive, respectful and professional working relationship with all Members of Parliament. It was never my intention to evade accountability or undermine the decorum of Parliament,” Nkabane said.

She pledged to continue leading with humility, aligned with the principles of the Constitution and parliamentary protocols.

In a separate statement issued by the Presidency, Ramaphosa acknowledged the public attention the matter has received, noting that the viral nature of the committee proceedings and subsequent commentary demanded greater sensitivity from public officials.

While not passing judgement, Ramaphosa emphasised that all ministers and senior public sector leaders must maintain professionalism and transparency in all engagements with Parliament and other oversight institutions.

“The president appreciates that what he has seen may not constitute the full scope or context of the engagement, and therefore, he has requested that the minister provides him with a detailed report,” the statement read.

The president specifically called for clarity on the process followed in appointing SETA board members, which was at the centre of the committee’s inquiries.

He stressed the importance of using portfolio committees as “a welcome platform on which to update the nation on the progress the government is making in all its portfolios.”

The presidency concluded by reiterating its expectation that Nkabane build a constructive relationship with the committee, while continuing to lead the department in line with principles of accountability and good governance.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thapelo Molefe

The Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) has concluded its inuagrural Forwarding and Clearing Skills Summit with a strong call for the transport and logistics industry to take the lead in identifying and driving the skills it needs. 

The two-day summit held in Kempton Park in Ekurhuleni brought together hundreds of participants from across the sector to discuss transformation, inclusivity and modern skills development.

TETA company secretary Ishmael Malale said the summit was part of a wider effort by the Seta to ensure that the transport industry took full ownership of the country’s transport skills strategy. 

“Our responsibility as a Seta is to galvanise all industry players to come forward and say these are our needs in relation to enhancing business, reducing costs and creating employment,” Malale said in an interview with Inside Education.

He explained that this summit, along with previous ones such as the Ocean Economy Summit, was part of a long-term engagement process aimed at placing industry at the centre of the skills planning process. 

“This exercise is to ensure that the industry takes charge of determining its needs,” Malale said. “They should be the ones that drive the kinds of training programmes that must be funded by the Transport Education and Training Authority.”

Malale said the overwhelming response to the event was a clear sign that the sector was eager to engage. 

Reflecting on the outcomes of the summit, Malale said the next step would be to consolidate input from stakeholders and work closely with industry associations. 

“The sector actually says that we should allow them to take the centre stage for skills development,” he said. 

“We believe that after this, we should be able to come together with the associations and develop a minimum programme to say these are the skills we need and these are the qualifications we must develop.”

TETA has committed to providing the funding and institutional support needed to carry out the skills plans that emerge from the summit. 

Malale said the authority’s role was not to dictate what training should happen, but to enable what the industry demanded. 

“Our responsibility is to avail the necessary resources to achieve the goals set by the forwarding and clearing community,” he said.

With the summit now concluded, the transport sector is expected to begin the next phase of turning dialogue into action and building a future-focused, inclusive and competitive workforce.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Johnathan Paoli

Five students from the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) have been granted bail as the Mthatha campus continues to reel from the fallout of violent protests triggered by the bail decision involving university staff member Manelisi Mampane.

The residence manager stands accused of fatally shooting student Sisonke Mbolekwa and injuring two others during campus unrest in April.

Economic Freedom Fighters Youth Command (EFFYC) Student Representative Council member Sakhumzi Khambula welcomed the release of the students, but made it clear that their fight for justice was far from over.

“From the first place they were not supposed to be appearing in front of court… these people are practicing their own right to protest. But regardless of anything that has happened before, finally we are happy that our brothers were able to be free again,” Khambula said.

He vowed that protests would continue in pursuit of what he described as “true justice”.

“We will continue demonstrating until the state sees how we feel… We are not happy. We have appealed that this court judgment be reviewed,” Khambula added.

The students appeared in the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court on charges of public violence, arson, malicious damage to property and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

They were R50 bail each under the condition that they may not participate in further acts of violence, may not barricade the N2 highway or burn tires, and may not interfere with witnesses.

Despite the temporary calm on campus, student leaders have made it clear that their fight is far from over.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana confirmed that public order policing units would remain deployed at the university’s Nelson Mandela Drive campus.

“We are still stationed here to ensure that we maintain law and order and that the students do not go onto the N2,” she said.

She also confirmed that the four police officers injured during the protests were recovering at home after being treated and discharged.

The protests erupted after the court granted Mampane R10,000 bail on Tuesday, a decision that sparked outrage from students and local traditional leadership, including AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, who publicly condemned the ruling.

“We are sick and tired of judges that are bribed and taking abnormal, corrupt decisions. This time around, we will not respect that stupid court of law. It’s not a violent protest, it’s a violent judgment,” he said while addressing students.

The king has vowed to intervene by taking the matter to the Judge President, signalling the seriousness with which traditional leaders view the court’s ruling and the wider implications for student safety and justice.

EFFYC provincial convenor Piaba Madokwe echoed these sentiments, expressing fear and frustration over Mampane’s release.

“He will have access to our details. He is a residence manager. He will know where we live. As we are sitting here right now, the investigating officer does not know where this person is. That sets a dangerous precedent,” she said.

Madokwe alleged that the university was offering institutional protection to Mampane, pointing to a letter from the Vice-Chancellor supporting the accused, as well as the provision of a safe house with an undisclosed address.

Meanwhile, academic activities at WSU remain suspended, with disruptions now impacting preparations for upcoming examinations.

Students from other provinces and rural areas have expressed deep concern over the loss of teaching time, with some regretting their decision to study at the institution.

Despite efforts to restore calm the situation remains volatile.

Government has strongly condemned the violence, with the chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Tebogo Letsie, warning that emotional frustration must not override respect for the rule of law.

“Resorting to violent protests and damaging property is not the answer. We are hopeful that justice will be served, but we must channel our emotions constructively,” Letsie said in a statement.

He called on WSU’s SRC to provide leadership, de-escalate tensions and help protect university infrastructure.

The case against the students has been postponed to 26 August for further investigation, which will include witness testimonies and medical reports related to the injuries sustained by the police officers.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thapelo Molefe

While many black professionals in the freight forwarding and customs clearing subsector are skilled, they lack the support and opportunities to start and grow businesses, according to the CEO of Kwasisonke Logistics, Gino Del Fava.

Speaking at the Inaugural Forwarding and Clearing Summit in Ekurhuleni this week, Del Fava said black players in the subsector needed help.

“We need transformation. We need inclusivity. We cannot have 35 years of the same old status,” he said during a panel discussion on skills, access and transformation in the logistics industry, which formed part of the broader agenda of the summit hosted by the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA). 

Del Fava, who has spent five decades in the freight industry, was frank about the lack of meaningful economic inclusion in the subsector.

He pointed out that many black-owned logistics companies remained on the sidelines, while multinational firms dominated contracts with state-owned enterprises such as Eskom and Transnet.

“Unless we as black businesses get our act together, we are not going to get the Telkom, the Eskom, or the Transnet contract. Those are multi-billion-rand contracts, and we need to bag that,” Del Fava said.

He also took aim at the absence of multinational company executives at the summit, accusing them of profiting off the South African market without investing in local transformation.

“Their CEOs are not in the room. They get the contracts, all those gantry train imports in Durban and Cape Town and no black players even touch that business,” he said.

Del Fava said real change would only happen through deliberate action, not endless conversations. 

“No more talk shops. It’s all about action,” he said. “We need to have set-asides for those half a dozen or dozen black players who are sitting in the room.”

Florence Musundwa, moderator of the panel and convenor of the 2023 Road Freight SME Summit, supported Del Fava’s message, stressing the need for partnerships that lead to concrete business development support for smaller businesses.

“We need practical, implementable models that give real access to the market for SMEs,” she said.

The CEO of Shosholoza Operations at MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Innocentia Motau, also called for inclusive growth. 

She urged the industry to ensure that transformation included women, youth and persons living with disabilities. 

“Let’s unlock all the potential of SMMEs, women, youth and people living with disabilities so we can create a brighter future for all,” she said.

Del Fava highlighted his personal efforts to promote inclusive economic development in maritime services. 

He said that without any government funding, he had established several maritime clusters across the country such as in Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and Richards Bay, focusing on shipbuilding, repairs, fishing and other related services. 

“I have expertise to transform the sector, but I can’t do it alone,” he said.

He ended with a challenge to both public and private sector players.

“Reflect the national demographics. Let’s not leave anyone behind.” 

The event brought together logistics professionals, training providers and government stakeholders to explore challenges and solutions in the subsector.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thapelo Molefe

The government has strongly condemned violent protests that have erupted at Walter Sisulu University’s (WSU) Nelson Mandela Drive campus in Mthatha.

This follows the release of WSU residence manager Manelisi Mampane, who is accused of shooting dead WSU student Sisonke Mbolekwa and injuring others during a protest at the campus in April.

On Tuesday, the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court granted Mampane bail of R10,000, prompting outrage and protest action by students.

“Government strongly condemns the violent scenes unfolding at the Walter Sisulu University Nelson Mandela Drive campus in Mthatha, Eastern Cape,” a statement read on Wednesday.

“While government recognises the right of students to protest and express their dissatisfaction, the acts of violence and destruction of property, including the barricading of the N2 highway with burning tyres, are strongly condemned.”

According to reports, three students were arrested for public violence and damaging university property on Wednesday. Protesters disrupted traffic and set alight tyres on the N2 highway as part of their demonstration.

The government urged calm and encouraged dialogue between students, university management and law enforcement to defuse tensions.

“Student leaders and university management must work with law enforcement to restore calm and ensure that justice takes its course. The rule of law must be respected, and due legal processes must be allowed to unfold without interference or intimidation.”

The protest has drawn attention nationwide, with political organisations including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Student Command expressing anger over the court’s decision. 

The EFF said that the justice system has failed the university community by releasing Mampane, while the circumstances around the killing of Mbolekwa was still under investigation.

Government reiterated its commitment to maintaining the safety and integrity of institutions of higher learning.

“We must all work together to uphold peace, the rule of law, and the rights of every individual.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thapelo Molefe

Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises dominate South Africa’s transport forwarding and clearing subsector, accounting for over 98% of the 674 registered companies.

However, despite this overwhelming presence, these businesses face critical barriers to growth due to skills shortages, infrastructure inefficiencies and a rapidly evolving technological landscape, according to Kgatile Nkala, who is the executive manager for corporate services at the Transport Education Training Authority.

Nkala was speaking at the Inaugural Forwarding and Clearing Summit in Ekurhuleni on Wednesday.

“These businesses form the backbone of our trade logistics sector, yet many lack access to the training and development resources required to keep pace with global standards,” she said.

“We must ensure that SMMEs and informal operators are not left behind in the skills revolution.”

Nkala said that the subsector was responsible for facilitating 90% of South Africa’s international trade, making it a critical component of the national economy.

However, inefficiencies such as port congestion, delays at border posts and deteriorating infrastructure were hampering the sector’s ability to operate efficiently.

She added that rising cybersecurity threats and the push toward digital transformation were reshaping the nature of logistics work.

“There is an urgent need for professionals with skills in data analysis, AI and cybersecurity,” Nkala noted. 

“The rise of e-commerce and just-in-time delivery models demands a digitally savvy and adaptable workforce.”

TETA data presented at the summit painted a broader picture of a transport sector in transition. 

South Africa’s transport industry currently employs more than 1.13 million people. However, 80% of those workers are men, with only 19.7% being women. 

Nkala said that promoting gender equity in transport was both a moral and strategic imperative.

“Women bring unique leadership styles and perspectives that can drive innovation and improve decision making,” she said. 

“It’s time to actively support mentorship, skills development and inclusive hiring practices.”

In addition to calling for gender inclusion, Nkala warned of the sector’s hard-to-fill vacancies and misaligned qualifications. 

She urged academic institutions and training authorities to redesign curricula that were relevant and responsive to the changing needs of the logistics industry.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution has disrupted traditional models of operation,” she said. “If we do not act now to reskill and upskill, we risk becoming globally uncompetitive.”

The summit also shed light on the provincial distribution of forwarding and clearing firms, with over 50% based in Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. 

Despite their economic importance, many of these firms are not contributing to levy-based training systems or submitting Workplace Skills Plans, further complicating the effort to design targeted interventions.

“TETA cannot transform this industry alone. We need business to co-invest in training, government to streamline infrastructure delivery and academia to reform qualification standards,” Nkala said.

“We must co-create a logistics sector that is inclusive, future-ready and globally competitive.”

The freight forwarding and customs clearing subsector involves the movement of goods on behalf of importers and exporters. It ensures compliance with import/export regulations and facilitates international trade.

Video by: Katlego Tshekoesele

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Buti Manamela

When the United States government announced its decision to cut academic and research aid to institutions like Harvard University, the ripple effects were felt far beyond the US borders.

For South Africa, the move has been more than symbolic—it has threatened the continuity of key public health, climate and innovation-driven research initiatives across several of our leading universities.

The abrupt freeze of donor funding, primarily from USAID, NIH and other philanthropic bodies, has exposed a fragile but undeniable truth: we are bearing the brunt of shifting geopolitical tides that we neither caused nor control.

But this is not just a crisis; it is also a turning point. A wake-up call to reimagine how we fund, sustain and grow a research and development (R&D) ecosystem that is resilient, transformative and sovereign.

Over the past decade, international partnerships have played a critical role in enabling South African research excellence. From HIV/AIDS breakthroughs to climate adaptation studies and energy innovation, much of our cutting-edge research has been co-financed by foreign institutions. But as the ground shifts—politically and financially—we are compelled to look inward. We must now ask: how do we secure our intellectual future without being at the mercy of volatile donor cycles?

The answer lies in building on what already exists. Through the National Research Foundation (NRF), we have developed a strong base for funding postgraduate studies, research chairs and early-career academics. The Presidential Stimulus for Research and Innovation—an R1 billion initiative—is a bold step forward. The nGAP programme has begun to transform our academic pipeline by placing young black and women scholars in tenure-track positions. And our growing engagements with BRICS, the African Union, and G20 academic partnerships open new horizons for funding, collaboration, and exchange.

But even this is not enough.

This moment also calls for a hard look at our domestic funding priorities. In a constrained fiscal environment, do we continue to disproportionately fund academic access alone, or do we recalibrate to strengthen the entire knowledge value chain—from undergraduate education to innovation and commercialisation? We must interrogate how bursary allocations can be balanced to also support R&D, critical postgraduate work and long-term innovation missions.

This is where the private sector must step up. Despite being a central stakeholder in the country’s long-term development, private investment in R&D in South Africa remains dismal—well below the 1.5% of GDP target set in the National Development Plan (NDP). In fact, our combined public and private R&D spend has hovered around 0.75% of GDP—far below other middle-income peers. The impact? Fewer research breakthroughs, weakened competitiveness, limited localisation, and slow progress toward industrial modernisation.

If anything, this crisis must serve as a renewed call for public–private R&D compacts.

The financial sector, manufacturing, mining, agriculture, and digital industries all benefit from a robust knowledge economy. It is time they invested back into it—not just through CSR or scholarships, but through long-term research partnerships, endowed chairs, innovation hubs, and venture incubation.

The National Development Plan outlines several critical targets directly tied to a functioning research and innovation system:

 • Increasing PhD graduates to 100 per million population by 2030

 • Raising R&D expenditure to at least 1.5% of GDP

 • Establishing a critical mass of postgraduate researchers in key sectors

 • Enhancing public-private collaboration in R&D

 • Strengthening innovation to support industrial policy and inclusive growth

Failure to meet these targets will not just set us back academically, it will erode our capacity to compete, solve national problems and claim our rightful place in the global knowledge economy.

We must also embrace this moment as an opportunity to build new international solidarities, especially across the Global South. We must not allow North–South aid asymmetries to dictate the future of African science. Our own scholars, like former UJ Vice-Chancellor Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, who now heads the United Nations University in Japan—are proof that African intellectuals belong on global stages. We have the talent. We need the infrastructure, the funding and the will.

Let us turn this crisis into an opening. Let us use this moment not to close ranks or play victim—but to assert a bold agenda of African-led, globally connected research and innovation. The time to act is now.

Buti Manamela is the Deputy Minister for Higher Education and Training.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thebe Mabanga

The National Empowerment Fund (NEF), an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry and Competition that funds black-owned businesses to help transform and grow the South African economy, has had to adapt and be innovative to survive and now aims to bolster youth and women-owned businesses

Its new CEO, Mzi Dayimani, believes that to win over sceptics, detractors and critics of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and transformation, the government must keep delivering positive results with the support of institutions like the NEF.

“The best way to silence critics is to deliver economic growth and jobs,” he says.

One of the latest sceptics is the World Bank, which in a recent report declared that South Africa needs to “ease up on BEE” and labour laws, suggesting these impose an added regulatory cost to doing business.

Dayimani merely sees this as a communication challenge.

“The World Bank is not against transformation,” he says, “But what is required is for us as a country to communicate what we are trying to achieve and deliver results.”

Over the past few years, South Africa has drifted towards BEE fatigue, with transformation seemingly taking a back seat as the country grappled with challenges ranging from the Covid-19 pandemic to poor economic growth, the cost-of-living crisis sparked by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and, perhaps unfairly, BEE taking some of the blame for the state capture revelations at the Zondo Commission.

Dayimani says that to counter this narrative, the government must remove uncertainty around BEE or any other regulation that is aimed at improving the transformation of South Africa’s economy.

“We must also remove perceptions of corruption and use transformation as a tool for development,” he says.

Through all of this, the NEF has had to look for ways to thrive and continue its programme of transformation. Ever since it was set up in 2005, the NEF has not been capitalised beyond its seed funding.

The lack of capitalisation has been a significant challenge, as it limits the NEF’s ability to fund more businesses and entrepreneurial initiatives.

The fund’s business model mainly involves issuing loans and grants to black-owned businesses and collecting repayments to keep itself afloat. This means it must bet on companies that are likely to succeed in repaying the loans. The NEF also offers non-funding support.

Striking a balance

However, the NEF must be brave and fund businesses that may otherwise not receive funding from traditional financing institutions.

Dayimani notes that this balance has not always been easy to strike.

“There is no lack of funding, but rather a lack of solutions,” says Dayimani. One of the NEF’s solutions was the R200 million Covid-19 relief fund, implemented after the pandemic to support distressed businesses.

Following the registration process, the NEF is also responsible for administering the R500 million Spaza Support Fund, which formalises the township retail sector for the benefit of locals.

Its latest concept is the potentially game-changing R100 billion Transformation Fund. This aggregates a combination of existing funds under Enterprise and Supplier Development and raises new funding to fund empowerment initiatives for R20 billion a year over five years.

“The aim is to increase impact and change the economic trajectory,” says Dayimani.

The NEF has also significantly improved its loan collection track record and now distributes R1.5 billion in a financial year.

It strives to spread its funding beyond urban areas to township businesses and rural regions, with a specific aim to fund 40% women-owned businesses and 50% women and youth-owned businesses.

Dayimani emphasises that the NEF’s goals now include helping the country increase its manufacturing capacity to create jobs.

The aim is to stimulate economically depressed areas, including townships, partly through concession funding.

Dayimani notes that some of the challenges facing township businesses include water and electricity supply, and business zoning. But this focus on job creation instils hope for the future of the economy, he says.

Beyond supporting manufacturing, Dayimani says the NEF focuses on tourism, mining, agriculture and agro-processing. It is also looking to the automotive and renewable energy sectors as job-creating sectors to invest in, partly guided, of course, by applicant demand.

Dayimani was born in the Eastern Cape and later moved to Cape Town with his domestic worker mother. On completing matric, he was oblivious to the doors his good marks could open and was ready to look for work. That’s when a benefactor offered him a financial kickstart to go to Stellenbosch University, where he studied law and never looked back.

He served articles and then worked at the law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, where he worked his way up to the senior ranks. The firm had the NEF as a client, and they poached him when he was approaching partner level.

In the 15 years he has been at the NEF, he has taken on various roles that have seen him evolve beyond his legal scope.

“I have become more of an economic activist than a legal person,” he says, focusing on entrepreneurship solutions. “I was given roles that have allowed me to grow in the organisation.”

From his initial role as legal counsel, he expanded to areas of governance and strategy. He was also responsible for setting up provincial offices and has been involved in negotiations for the various initiatives the NEF has driven over the past few years, including the Transformation Fund.

Dayimani serves on the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University council and several DTIC appeals committees for trade.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thapelo Molefe

Young South Africans are increasingly becoming more educated, but that education is not translating into employment, warns National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) chairperson Asanda Luwaca.

“The skills gained through our basic education system are not aligned with the needs of industry or the demands of the future,” Luwaca said, highlighting the crisis that continues to undermine the country’s democratic gains. 

She was speaking at the Youth Month launch at the Hector Pieterson Memorial in Soweto.

Despite South Africa’s growing number of graduates, she noted that 58% of the 4.8 million unemployed youth have never had formal work experience, an indicator of a system failing to convert education into opportunity.

Referencing Italian thinker Antonio Gramsci, Luwaca described the current moment as an interregnum, where “the old is dying and the new cannot be born”. 

For the country’s youth, that meant being suspended between the promises of democracy and the harsh realities of economic exclusion, inequality and stagnation.

Luwaca pointed to gender gaps in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, persistent apartheid-era spatial divisions and underrepresentation of youth and women in decision-making roles.

“Youth make up 34% of the population, but less than a quarter of lawmakers are under 39,” she said. “A nation cannot rise if its future is not seated at the table.”

As part of efforts to close the gap between education and work readiness, Luwaca announced the launch of Phase 4 of the revitalised National Youth Service (NYS). 

This phase would expand the programme to 40,000 participants, offering monthly stipends, skills training and post-service employment support.

In partnership with the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s Labour Activation Programme, an additional 4000 job opportunities have been created to help NYS graduates gain crucial entry-level experience, with 1000 positions allocated to Gauteng.

“This programme is a call to build, to uplift and to reimagine our future. It offers a path to earn, learn and serve while restoring dignity and purpose,” Luwaca said.

Echoing Luwaca’s sentiments, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, warned that South Africa risked producing a generation of “idle graduates” if learning was not linked directly to economic outcomes.

The minister stressed that the sacrifices of 1976 were made for more than just access to classrooms, but were made for full and equitable participation in society. 

“We cannot allow a new form of exclusion where youth have skills on paper but remain locked out of the economy… They didn’t die for degrees that lead to nowhere,” she said.

Chikunga outlined a number of government interventions designed to connect education with economic participation. These included the training of ,000 young people as artificial intelligence, coding and robotics instructors, who would support schools in under-resourced communities. 

Another project would train 5000 unemployed TVET graduates to become smallholder goat and sheep farmers, supported with land, livestock and market access.

A cybersecurity training programme has also been launched. It is designed to equip young people with skills in digital forensics, cloud security and AI-driven threat detection, which are areas where South Africa faces a significant talent shortage. 

In addition, the government is introducing a drone piloting and technician programme that will focus on the industrial applications of unmanned aerial vehicles in sectors such as logistics, agriculture and emergency response.

To advance gender inclusion, a programme for young women in mining and energy will provide training in mineral beneficiation, renewable energy technology and advanced manufacturing processes aligned with the national Critical Minerals Strategy.

“These aren’t just training exercises. They are about building a new economy led by young people with sharp, relevant skills,” Chikunga said.

Both Luwaca and Chikunga emphasised that Youth Month must not be treated as symbolic, but as a moment to confront structural youth exclusion with urgency

Luwaca invoked Nelson Mandela’s words saying: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

She reminded those attending the launch that education was still the most powerful tool for change, but only when sharpened with skills and matched with real opportunities.

“In 2025, skills are the sharpened edge of that weapon. Let us wield them with courage.”

INSIDE EDUCATION