By Thapelo Molefe

Walter Sisulu University (WSU) has sparked fury among its student body after claiming that the person killed in a shooting on its Mthatha campus is not a registered student — a statement that student leaders have condemned as an attempt to erase the victim’s identity and deflect accountability.

The university released a statement saying that protests had erupted “without prior notice” and escalated into a violent home invasion at a staff residence on campus on Tuesday. 

During the incident, WSU said two students were injured and later discharged from hospital, while one individual was fatally shot.

The university said the individual who died was “not a registered student nor a staff member”, a declaration that student leadership have slammed as a “disrespectful and dishonest” attempt to distance the institution from taking account.

Both the Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC) and the Mthatha campus SRC have rejected that version of events, identifying the deceased as Sisonke Mbolekwa, a student and activist on campus. 

They accuse the university of using deregistration tactics to strip the slain student of his dignity and to protect the alleged perpetrator, who is a residence manager.

“The university’s attempt to dehumanise Sisonke by denying his student status is not only inhumane but a direct assault on the student body,” said the Mthatha Campus SRC in a strongly worded statement. 

“He was one of us. A brother. A comrade. A student.”

According to the ISRC, four students were shot, not two, in the early hours of Tuesday morning while protesting against poor residence conditions and alleged misconduct by the residence manager. 

The students say that university officials had long been warned about the manager’s “mafia tendencies” and dismissive attitude toward student welfare.

“This was not an isolated incident,” the ISRC declared. “We raised concerns repeatedly about (the residence manager), but they were ignored. Now a student is dead.”

The university’s statement focused on the violence of the incident, noting that the residence manager’s wife was seriously injured during the confrontation and had to be hospitalised while the staff member and children were rescued by police. 

WSU also condemned the unrest and urged students to use “established internal channels” for resolving grievances.

“We urge the university community to rely only on official statements,” said WSU spokesperson Yonela Tukwayo.

But student leaders argue that peaceful efforts have failed, and that systemic issues with security, residence management and university responsiveness have pushed them to the brink. 

They also demanded the immediate removal of KaMyaluza Security, a company they accuse of multiple past incidents of violence, including firing at students and physically assaulting female students.

“This is the third confrontation with KaMyaluza, and in every case, they have instigated violence. Yet the university remains silent,” the ISRC stated. 

“We call for their immediate removal from campus.”

In honour of the deceased, students gathered on Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil outside the administration block, all dressed in black. 

Meanwhile, the Mthatha Campus SRC has declared a complete shutdown of the campus and the town until their demands are met and justice is served.

“We will not be silenced. This is not just about Sisonke — it is about the soul of this university,” read the SRC’s rallying call. 

“No lectures, no administration, no compromise. We want justice.”

WSU said investigations were underway and urged the community to await verified information from official sources. 

However, trust between students and management appears to be at a breaking point.

Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane has confirmed that she urgently engaged WSU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rushiella Nolundi Songca for a full briefing and has requested a comprehensive report on the incident.

The minister also announced plans to visit the university in the coming days to meet with stakeholders and ensure that appropriate measures are taken to protect the academic community. 

“No student should ever be harmed while accessing their right to education,” Nkabane stated. 

“This must be the last time we are forced to respond to such a tragedy at our institutions.”

As tensions rise and protests intensify, the university faces mounting pressure to account for its actions and inactions in the events leading up to the fatal shooting and how it has responded to a grieving and outraged student body.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Lungile Ntimba 

The Economic Freedom Fighters is going to mobilise students across campuses following a fatal shooting at the Walter Sisulu University’s Mthatha campus on Tuesday.

A student was shot dead and two others injured during a protest over residence-related issues, including maintenance. It is alleged that a residence manager used live ammunition to disperse the students.

Police say the administrator was attacked at his house by protesting students.

“The EFF will be mobilising together with the Youth Command structures across all campuses to ensure that justice is not only demanded, but delivered,” the EFF in the Eastern Cape said in a statement.

“Should our calls be ignored, the EFF will not hesitate to engage in further action in defence of our students and the right to safe, fair and humane learning environments.”

It has been a rocky start to the academic year, with students protesting at higher education institutions across the country over various issues.

Political parties have condemned the latest incident and called calm at the university.

DA MPL Yusuf Cassim said the incident should not be viewed in isolation, but rather as the most recent outcome in long-standing pattern of instability, poor oversight and unchecked escalation at the institution.

“This tragic shooting comes less than a month after the university shut down all campuses due to violent protests and raises serious questions about what steps, if any, were taken in the interim to address the causes of unrest and restore safety,” he said in a statement.

“In March, those protests escalated into violent actions, including the intimidation of non-striking students, the forced evacuation of staff and security personnel, vandalism of university property and the suspension of academic operations across campuses.”

Operations at the campus have been suspended.

“Clearly, there is a breakdown in communication, and university management appears incapable of managing the situation,” Cassim said.

The DA and the GOOD Party want a full investigation into the shooting.

“I will call on the premier to immediately deploy an interdisciplinary team to the campus, including SAPS, community safety, Social Development and other role players to stabilise the situation and support students on the ground,” Cassim added.

Student Representative Council (SRC) president Themba Zikhali has demanded that the university addresses grievances and justice for the dead student.

He said students have been protesting since the beginning of this academic year about the issue regarding residences, residence appliances, the visitors’ policy, water, curtains and WI-FI.

The GOOD Party said that tensions have been escalating at universities in recent years, and it was deeply alarming that pursuing education had come at a cost.

“The university experience should be one of intellectual growth, cultural exchange and empowerment – not fear and trauma,” it said in a statement.

“Instead, the south African reality for many students is marred by financial exclusion, accommodation crises and administrative inefficiency. These issues must not be normalised.”

Cassim has urged provincial leaders to get in contact with Higher Education and training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane to facilitate a coordinated response. 

This should include ensuring that the university’s management is held accountable and that systemic issues are addressed at the highest level, he said.

Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane has engaged with the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rushiella Nolundi Songca, to get a full briefing and offer the department’s support.

The minister has also requested that the university furnishes her with a comprehensive report on the incident as a matter of urgency.

She will visit the university in the coming days to engage with stakeholders, assess the situation on the ground and ensure that appropriate measures are taken to protect the university community.

“Dr Nkabane is resolute that no student should ever be harmed while accessing their right to education. This must be the last time we are forced to respond to such a tragedy at our institutions of higher learning,” her department said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Johannah Malogadihlare

A total of 362 learners recently graduated from the Telkom Foundation’s information and communications technology learnership programme, bringing the total number of certified learners to 1077 in Mpumalanga and the Free State.

The foundation has partnered with Afrika Kids Code to drive digital skills education among young people.

“We believe that technology is a great equaliser. This is all about giving every South African child a fighting chance to compete, create, and contribute to a better future,” said the head of the Telkom Foundation, Judy Vilakazi.

Learners from Qhubulwazi and Methula high schools in Mpumalanga, as well as Tiisetsang and Kgolathuto high schools in the Free State were equipped with a wide range of coding and robotics skills.

“It has been humbling to watch these students grow, not just academically but personally too. They enter the programme shy and uncertain, but they leave confident, curious and innovative,” said Afrika Kids Code founder Mangaliso Mokoape.

Mpho Majola from Tiisetsang High School said: “Technology skills will be the key to success in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. I now have a head start in life. The sky is the limit.”

The programme is certified by IBM and IC3. It offers certain areas of specialisation including technical support, systems development and business analysis.

Each participant completed four months training that was followed by work placement at host employers for experiential learning.

“What a touching experience this was watching learners being exposed to the world of technology; a world they otherwise would never have seen. The programme helped them improve academically as well,” Vilakazi said in a statement.

The programme also offered entrepreneurship development, financial literacy, design thinking, 4IR awareness, personal branding and work readiness.

The ICT learnership is an accredited programme by the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Edwin Naidu

Education and credible journalism are necessary to stamp out disinformation, but a continent-wide effort should strengthen one’s resolve in the fight against the rise of fake news.

This could involve bringing together media and academic brains to ensure a united front against large social media platforms, such as Google and X, which are used to spread fake news.

Elon Musk, the South African-born owner of X, was described as a “super-spreader” during the University of Johannesburg discussion “Speaking the Truth by Understanding the Untruth: Addressing Fake News and Disinformation in South Africa and the African Continent”.

X has been used to cause mayhem in South Africa and worldwide.

The high-powered roundtable at the University of Johannesburg on Monday was organised by the UJ Library Services in association with Higher Education Media Services.

The seminar series looked at the growing debate around fake news and the narrative of how individuals are portrayed in the media.

Panellists included Anton Harber, who is a free speech activist and executive director of the Henry Nxumalo Foundation, Phathiswa Magopeni, who is the executive director of the Press Council of SA and SA National Editors’ Forum executive director Reggy Moalusi.

Underscoring the importance of this dialogue, UJ Vice-Chancellor Prof. Letlhokwa Mpedi said that during the past weekend, it was widely reported that Olena Zelensaka, the first lady of Ukraine, had attempted to flee the country.

He said this began with a video that had the BBC logo on X and Telegram earlier in the week and then was amplified on TikTok and Facebook.

The voiceover claimed that her plan to escape for six months was foiled and she was being held by Ukraine’s security services. In response to the traction the clip had, a journalist for the BBC’s fact-checking service said in a statement on X that “BBC never published this video clip”.

As it turns out, Mpedi said this was the work of a disinformation operation that often-used clips bearing logos of major outlets.

“As this example shows, we are in an era of disinformation. More now than ever, it is difficult to discern between what is real and what is not and the implications of this are profound. As the former US congressman Will Hurd explains: ‘Disinformation is more than just lying. It’s the denial and twisting of reality in order to present some desired image to the rest of the world’.”

According to Mpedi, the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies found last year that disinformation was rapidly spreading across the continent and posing a serious threat to stability, democracy and civil liberties.

These campaigns have fuelled violence, supported coups and even undermined elections, leaving conflict-affected and authoritarian-leaning nations most at risk. The surge coincides with declining press freedom, as laws meant to combat disinformation suppress journalists, further weakening defences against these harmful narratives.

Winston Churchill once said: “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” Let this be a moment where we help truth catch up.

While the academic and media experts provided practical evidence of the current situation, Mpedi challenged media consumers to heed the words of Stimela’s late frontman, Ray Phiri, who urged people to look, listen and decide, although he conceded the song was about couples entangled in a love relationship.

While the discussion provided plenty of food for thought, which was appreciated by the audience and through online questions, the next planned focus of the series will consider how South African universities should release themselves from the shackles of dependence it has developed with international funders.

This is particularly crucial given the shifts in the global economy. Undoubtedly, the effects on South African universities will be enormous. The question remains: How do we deal with it?

Two words spring to mind: Let’s Talk! While it may not have all the answers, a room of people committed to finding solutions rather than adding to the noise on social media seems to handle some of the challenges.

Edwin Naidu is the Editor of Inside Education.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thebe Mabanga

South Africa’s post schooling education must cater for everyone, irrespective of their age, skills level, profile, or even the quality of their matric pass if they even attain the National Senior Certificate.

This was the view expressed by Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, in an interview with Inside Education, in which he reflected the strides made in higher education and the challenges that lie ahead.

“In the period since we have been a democracy, we have transformed higher education,” said Manamela, who noted that South Africa has expanded access and built a single system that responded to various skills development needs.

Manamela pointed to the improvement in the number of students who had enrolled in higher education institutions. In universities there had been jump from 400,000 students 1,1 million, 500,000 were now enrolled in Technical Vocational and Education Training (TVET) colleges and 200,000 in Community and Education Training (CET) centres.  

He warned that these numbers, while impressive, fell short of the National Development Plan targets, which envisaged 1,3 million learners in universities, 2,5 million in TVET colleges and 1 million in CET colleges.

Manamela noted that the post schooling education sector must cater for an adult in their mid-40s, who, for whatever reason, could not complete matric but now required basic skills, like baking, plumbing or dress making, to earn a living, to someone who needed more intense technical training, to those seeking an elite, globally focused specialised education up to doctoral studies.

Manamela emphasised the importance of CET centres, which were the old Adult Basic Education and Training centres. They cater for matric rewrites and short courses of about six weeks for a wide range of basic skills.

The deputy minister is particularly passionate about community colleges, which have been in formal existence for 10 years, because they cater for those who are not in employment, not in education and not in training – the so-called NEETs, who are often overlooked.

Manamela said the challenge with community colleges was that infrastructure was uneven as you could find a state-of-the-art facility in Soweto and a dilapidated structure in a peri urban town or rural area.

The government was now regulating the ownership of buildings by these colleges, as most were housed in schools, and investing R1 billion in improving infrastructure.

On TVET colleges, Manamela said the government was worried about the throughput, or completion rate, for those who enrolled either at Grade 10 for the Further Education and Training (FET) starting at N1, or after matric starting at N3 to N6. 

He said the government must invest in bridging the gap between schooling and TVET colleges to increase their capacity and the quality of teaching and also use technology platforms to improve access through online teaching.

He said they had seen improvement through Centres of Specialisation.

Universities faced a different set of challenges.

“South Africa has a very university centric culture, and we need to change that,” Manamela said, pointing out universities that are more than 100 years old.

He said universities must be focused on research and knowledge production and the supply side of labour, while skills like an auxiliary nurse could be left to specialist training centres and TVET colleges.

South African universities must undergo a “global reset” to maintain their credibility while helping South Africa as a society to transition with its developmental goals, the deputy minister said.

He said society has a task to help students and guide their career choices, offer them support with funds and other resources, and create an environment where they could look for work or become entrepreneurs.

Ultimately, Manamela believes, everyone should find room in the system.

Having been in his current role since October 2017, the deputy minister says it is the students that motivate him to keep doing what he does because “they have hope”.

And, youngsters and adults can count on his support.

Video by Kgalalelo Setlhare Mogapi and Katlego Tshekoesele.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Lungile Ntimba

Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane has commended the police for arresting two people allegedly caught with stolen school food meant for the Minerva Secondary School in Alexandra.

According to the department, the two suspects, a 60-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman, were found next to the school with boxes of food supplies, including milk and bulk packs of tinned fish.

They were apprehended and charged with possession of suspected stolen property on Saturday.

“We are concerned by this senseless crime which takes away from the good we are trying to achieve through the School Nutrition Programme and ensuring learners are fed at schools,” Chiloane said on Monday in a statement.

“We vehemently condemn such criminal acts and call upon communities to safeguard the food supplies which are meant to nourish their children.”

The stolen food was part of supplies provided to the school through the National School Nutrition Programme.

“This programme provides nutritious meals to learners in primary and secondary schools, aiming to improve learning by addressing malnutrition and hunger,” he added.

The MEC also said that the department recently appointed new service providers under the programme for the next three years that started in April. There have delays in the delivery of food supplies to various schools.

“We must acknowledge that since their appointment, some service providers had delayed with their deliveries to a few schools,” Chiloane said.

“However, this was rectified by Friday, 11 April 2025, and we can confirm that all schools received their stock. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience that might have been caused to the affected schools.”

Members of the public were urged to report any crime happening at schools to the police, and refrain from purchasing any stolen goods.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Johannah Malogadihlare

When utilising artificial intelligence technologies, new developments have to align with human values and social good, according to Sol Plaatje University Vice-Chancellor Andrew Crouch.

“We are so consumed with the advantages to be extracted, but should tread with caution, reflect and ensure that as human beings, we act in a humane way,” he said at the recent 2025 Datacentrix’s Education Indaba in Limpopo.

“This means making choices that support humanity, ensuring that the right steps are in place in terms of training and connectivity, thereby enabling South Africa to take quantum leaps through broader access to technology. Then, the sky will truly be the limit,” said Crouch.

The positive role played by AI on the automation of administrative tasks, adaptive learning through intelligent tutoring systems and AI-driven career services at institutions of higher learning were also discussed.

Econometrix director Azar Jammine, who also attended the indaba, said AI-powered student counselling and data-driven decision making would improve student success rates.

He noted that South Africa has a skills mismatch with unemployment rates remaining high and many graduates struggling to find jobs due to a lack of STEM-related qualifications.

And, AI was expected to displace 92 million jobs globally by 2030 and create 170 million new positions provided education systems were aligned with future job demands.

Jammine said AI literacy and digital adaptation were critical for future graduates and the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs survey for 2024 pointed out that the demand for abilities like analytical thinking, resilience and adaptability would outweigh technical skills alone.

He told delegates that there were concerns over issues such as job displacement, data privacy, technology dependence and the depersonalisation of education that needed to be addressed.

Crouch reminded delegates that the Covid-19 pandemic has forced institutions to fast-track digital strategies, which came at a cost, and enhance advancements in remote learning and digital readiness.

To this end, the university would equip 7000 students with notebooks.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Lungile Ntimba 

The Economic Freedom Fighters has called for an inquest into child rapes and sexual assaults in the Basic Education sector.

The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) recently confirmed that 111 sexual misconduct cases were reported in the 2024/25 financial year. 

EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo raised concern about the alarming rates of violence that children were exposed to in institutions meant to keep them safe.

He said that despite these concerning statistics, the department has failed to implement effective interventions to address this issue.

“For many years, the safety of children in our schools has been compromised with little to no intervention from the government of the day with the intention to make our schools a safe refuge for children,” said Thambo.

“This is particularly disheartening because schools are meant to be safe spaces, however, this is not the reality in the South African context.”

Last year, the EFF presented a motion in the National Assembly that highlighted the crisis of statutory rape, where young girls are forced into motherhood and adulthood prematurely.

It further mandated the portfolio committees of social development, education, health, justice and police to confer with each other on the development of a joint public participation programme to receive submissions on this matter.

Legislation was meant to be reviewed and amendments recommended to enforce mandatory reporting of statutory rape by teachers and nurses; with the committees scheduled to report to Parliament by the end of March.

But Thambo said no report has been received so far, leaving children vulnerable to violence within the school premises.

“This once again exposes Parliament as not exercising its responsibilities with regard to agreements reached and this is to the detriment of the people of South Africa,” he said in a statement.

He said the Commission for Gender Equality had recommended automatic investigations once child pregnancies were reported in schools, which had also not been implemented.

The EFF called for a full vetting system to be put in place to vet all personnel linked to basic education, including early childhood development centres.

“The vetting should encompass all personnel with direct and indirect links to our children, varying from transport drivers to staff at the Department of Basic Education branches across the country,” Thambo added.

“It should not be normalised that there are people with access to children who might be in the want or have matches to DNA samples of perpetrators.”

The EFF further urged the department to strengthen security measures in schools and psychosocial support by employing fulltime social workers.

Thambo said stricter oversight methods must be implemented by the department to ensure the safety of children on school premises.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The Conversation

Over the past 15 years there’s been an increasing demand from within and outside the higher education sector for African countries to produce more PhD graduates. For this to happen, it’s important to know what’s holding people back from pursuing or completing their doctoral degrees.

 The authors of a new review article did just that, with a focus on South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Nigeria. Five themes emerged from their work: PhD candidates’ sociodemographic profiles, access to funding, the availability of resources and training, experiences with PhD supervisors, and personal coping mechanisms.

The Conversation Africa spoke with the paper’s authors, Oluwatomilayo Omoya, Udeme Samuel Jacob, Olumide A. Odeyemi and Omowale A. Odeyemi, to learn more about their findings.

Why is it important for African countries to produce PhD graduates?

PhD programmes have been shown to play a crucial role in advancing research, innovation, and economic and scientific progress.

That’s because the more research capacity a country has, the more likely it will be able to address gaps in healthcare, economic barriers and food insecurity. This point has been emphasised by, among others, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union.

Doctoral education builds academic expertise. This drives growth across multiple sectors, such as health, education and technology. It also fosters an environment where creative and practical solutions to local challenges can thrive.

What are some of the main obstacles PhD students faced in the countries you studied?

Our study was a scoping review. This research method allowed us to broadly survey existing studies and identify key concepts, evidence types and knowledge gaps. The review included articles from different African countries, among them South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Nigeria.

One of the biggest hurdles we identified for PhD students is a lack of resources. Many of the continent’s universities are underfunded. They struggle to offer their staff and students adequate research facilities, libraries and even internet access.

Another major challenge is the shortage of quality doctoral supervision. In many African universities, the number of qualified supervisors is far lower than the number of doctoral candidates. This imbalance means that some students receive little attention. Their progress may suffer as a result.

A PhD is, by nature, a solitary pursuit. But without the proper support, students can feel disconnected from the academic community. This sense of isolation can increase dropout rates and hinder the completion of research projects.

Supervisors are frequently overwhelmed with other responsibilities – their own research, administrative duties, or teaching large undergraduate classes. This leaves them with limited time to mentor PhD students. The students they’re tasked with supervising can end up feeling isolated.

Personal funding is also hard to come by. Scholarships are rare and, when they are available, they don’t always cover all the student’s expenses over the course of their research. Many students must work full-time jobs to support themselves while pursuing their doctorate. This can severely affect their ability to dedicate time to their studies.

Even in cases where funding is available, it’s often linked to short-term projects or grants that don’t allow students to finish their research without interruption. This leads to long delays in graduation rates, which creates a bottleneck effect: students remain stuck in the system for years, clogging the flow of new researchers entering academia.

Another challenge is that African doctoral students who do succeed may leave their home countries for better opportunities abroad. The so-called “brain drain” phenomenon has a profound effect on Africa’s ability to build a strong academic community. While many African PhD students go on to do groundbreaking research in Europe, North America or Asia, their departure means their home institutions – and countries – lose valuable knowledge and experience.

Brain drain is not just about better salaries or living conditions; it’s also about the availability of cutting-edge research opportunities. Once abroad, many students are able to access better resources and then choose to stay in environments that allow them to thrive professionally.

What role does gender play in the likelihood of completing a PhD?

Women pursuing PhDs face additional challenges that their male peers do not. We found that women PhD students frequently face gender biases, both socially and professionally, that make it harder to fulfil their academic goals.

Over the past decade, the number of women enrolling in PhD training in some countries, such as Ethiopia and South Africa, has increased.

However, women are less likely than men to complete their doctoral studies, partly because of the cultural expectations and responsibilities they bear. Female students who are married or have children must often balance managing their households and care-giving responsibilities with pursuing their studies.

In regions where family is traditionally prioritised over career aspirations, women may feel an added layer of guilt or societal pressure, which can lessen the time they have to focus on research.

Moreover, in areas where colonial or apartheid legacies still influence societal structures, Black women in particular report additional barriers. They say they feel overlooked or underestimated in academic spaces.

There has been some progress. Organisations like the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (Carta) offer programmes that support women throughout their academic journeys. However, a greater, gender-responsive approach is needed to ensure that women have access to resources, mentorship and flexible support systems that address these unique challenges.

Increasing support for women in PhD programmes isn’t just about numbers. It means institutions and the wider society must address the structural and cultural barriers that hold women back.

Are there solutions to the issues you’ve identified?

The challenges facing doctoral students in Africa are complex, but not impossible to overcome.

With the right investments and a commitment to reform, universities on the continent can grow into global centres of excellence in research and development. It’s vital for societies not to lose sight of the importance of higher education. As we’ve said, and as a large body of evidence shows, strong doctoral training programmes and investing in research and innovation to address the challenges faced by the African continent are key to ensuring that the next generation of researchers and innovators can lead the way in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems.

Governments, universities and funding organisations can collaborate by providing scholarships and research grants, creating gender equality policies, and introducing mentorship programmes or improving those that already exist.

Oluwatomilayo Omoya is Lecturer in Nursing (Teaching and Reseach), Flinders University, Olumide A Odeyemi is HDR Candidate, Flinders University, Omowale A Odeyemi is Lecturer, College of Nursing Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, and Udeme Samuel Jacob Lecturer, University of Ibadan.

The Conversation