By Thapelo Molefe

South Africa has incorporated a new HIV testing strategy into routine public healthcare to help clinicians quickly determine whether a patient’s treatment is failing because of drug resistance or because they have not been taking their medication consistently.

The strategy, developed through the Intensified Treatment Evaluation and Monitoring Approach (ITREMA-2) study, uses a blood test to check whether the HIV medicine dolutegravir is present in a patient’s system when their viral load increases.

Researchers from Wits University, the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) and University Medical Center Utrecht say the approach can help ensure that resistance testing is targeted at patients who need it most, while avoiding unnecessary and costly tests.

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“An increased viral load does not automatically mean that treatment is failing because of drug resistance,” said Professor Annemarie Wensing, lead researcher from Wits Ezintsha and University Medical Center Utrecht.

“Measuring dolutegravir in the same sample helps identify who needs resistance testing and provides clinicians and nurses with objective information to better support medication intake.”

The ITREMA-2 study involved 288 people living with HIV receiving treatment at Hillbrow Community Health Centre and Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg.

When a patient’s viral load rises while they are receiving antiretroviral treatment, healthcare workers need to establish why the treatment is no longer controlling the virus.

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Under the new approach, the patient’s blood is first checked for dolutegravir. If the medicine is not detected, this may indicate that the patient has not been taking their medication consistently, making drug resistance less likely.

If dolutegravir is present but the virus continues to multiply, resistance to the medicine becomes a concern and a resistance test can then be conducted.

The researchers said this provides clinicians with an objective way of distinguishing between possible treatment non-adherence and drug resistance instead of immediately assuming that the medication has stopped working.

The approach could also reduce the cost of monitoring patients with confirmed virological failure.

Researchers estimated that laboratory monitoring costs could be 23% lower than under the previous standard approach because unnecessary resistance tests can be avoided.

Dr Kim Steegen, co-principal investigator of the study and a researcher at the NHLS and Wits University, said the research had been conducted in collaboration with the National Department of Health.

“We have worked with the National Department of Health since the onset of the project and kept them informed on the study results as the project progressed,” Steegen said.

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“By doing this, we have been able to include an adapted version of ITREMA-2 into the national guidelines, which means the people who need resistance testing the most can be easily identified.”

It could also allow healthcare workers to provide more targeted adherence support to patients who are struggling to take their medication consistently.

The ITREMA-2 study was published in The Lancet HIV on 2 September.

The study was funded by the Amsterdam Dinner Foundation through Aidsfonds and the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

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By Charmaine Ndlela & Lebone Rodah Mosima 

For Grade 11 and 12 learners still weighing their career options, the Educonnect Media Future Economy & Career Expo 2026 offered a one-stop platform to explore study opportunities, emerging careers and the skills needed for the future economy.

Held at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Business School on Monday, the expo brought together high school learners, parents, educators, universities, TVET colleges and industry leaders in an effort to help young people make informed decisions about their studies and future careers.

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Throughout the day, learners toured the various exhibition stands, engaging directly with representatives from higher education institutions, companies and organisations offering information on study programmes, careers, bursaries, internships and other opportunities.

Many learners used the opportunity to ask questions about career paths they were considering, while others sought clarity on admission requirements, qualifications and the skills they would need to remain relevant in a rapidly changing job market.

The programme focused on sectors including artificial intelligence, fintech, logistics, supply chain, digital transformation, emerging technologies, retail, manufacturing, engineering, hospitality, entrepreneurship and future skills.

Universities exhibiting at the event included Wits University, the University of the Free State, UJ, Rhodes University, North-West University, Tshwane University of Technology, UNISA and Vaal University of Technology.

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Other participating institutions included the AAA School of Advertising, Netcare Education, Inscape, SACAP and Open Window, alongside TVET colleges and corporate partners.

Industry exhibitors included the CSIR, NMMF, SNG Grant Thornton, Wray Castle Africa, VW Hatfield, Cultural Care Au Pair and Southpoint Student Accommodation, among others.

Learners were able to collect information from the different exhibitors and provide their details to institutions and organisations offering opportunities aligned with their interests.

The expo provided direct access to information on bursaries, internships and graduate programmes, while career guidance was offered across fields including business, technology, innovation, finance, manufacturing, logistics and entrepreneurship.

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By Bhekizenzo Zonele

Nearly 550 offenders and community book-club participants are taking part in the 16th Funda Mzantsi Championship, which opened in George in the Western Cape on Monday.

The annual programme brings together 299 offenders and 244 community book-club participants from all nine provinces for reading, debate and literacy activities.

Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald said the programme had expanded beyond a reading competition to include a focus on literacy, critical thinking and personal development.

“Funda Mzantsi has evolved to a vibrant celebration of literacy and reading,” Groenewald said.

He said the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) had also recorded improvements in Grade 12 results among offenders participating in the programme.

He said rehabilitation should form part of the correctional system alongside incarceration, with education and literacy programmes intended to better prepare offenders for life after release.

According to DCS, many offenders enter correctional facilities with limited educational opportunities, which can make it more difficult for them to find work or pursue further studies after serving their sentences.

The department uses reading clubs, training programmes and access to books and other educational resources as part of its rehabilitation programmes.

DCS said Funda Mzantsi had also helped some participants develop writing and publishing skills, with the programme aimed at encouraging new writers, poets and publishers.

National Commissioner of Correctional Services Makgothi Thobakgale said rehabilitation remained a central part of the department’s mandate.

“Yes, we incarcerate, but we also correct and also rehabilitate.”

George Municipality Mayor Jackie Von Brandis said the championship had become an established event in the city and had helped maintain interest in reading and literacy.

The programme also includes activities in South Africa’s official languages, while Nama, an indigenous Khoekhoe language spoken particularly in the Northern Cape, is being trialled for possible inclusion in the competition.

The National Library of South Africa (NLSA), one of the organisations involved in the programme, said access to reading and publishing opportunities should extend to people regardless of their circumstances.

“Today you might be an inmate and tomorrow you might be an author, and the day after you might be a publisher, and that’s what Funda Mzantsi strives for,” the NLSA said.

The championship runs until 2 October.

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By Thapelo Molefe

Tourism businesses are being forced to train students from scratch because some university courses are failing to equip learners with the practical skills needed to work in the industry, Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (Satsa) national chairperson Oupa Pilane says.

Pilane, who is also co-founder and director of the Graskop Gorge Lift Company, said the disconnect between what universities teach and what tourism businesses need was making it harder for the sector to bring young people into the workforce, while placing an additional burden on already stretched entrepreneurs.

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“Unfortunately, what we are looking for, we are looking for people to run our enterprises. And the current modules that we have are not helping us to do that,” he said.

Speaking to Inside Education at the Mpumalanga Tourism Expo in Mbombela, Pilane called on universities and other tertiary institutions to work directly with the tourism sector when developing their courses.

“We’ve repeatedly asked tertiary institutions to say, sit with us as the sector. And let us advise you on what our needs are,” Pilane said.

He said businesses wanted interns and graduates who could apply their knowledge immediately instead of requiring employers to start their training from the beginning.

“All I want, whether it’s an intern, I want a plug and play,” he said.

Pilane said the problem was evident in different areas of the industry.

“I’ve got a good chef who can’t cost. Yeah, you cook nice food, but you can’t cost a plate,” he said.

He said a similar problem emerged when he took students from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) into the adventure tourism environment.

“They have introduced an adventure module there. I took some of the kids. I had to show them from scratch what to do,” Pilane said.

He said the students were unable to perform the work when they arrived, requiring the business to provide additional training.

“I took students from TUT, they couldn’t do anything. They were standing like me there because they just couldn’t do anything,” he said.

Pilane said this showed why universities needed to consult businesses before introducing specialised tourism courses.

“The problem is that when they were developing that module of tourism they never sat with tourism, with adventure people around,” he said.

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He said businesses were willing to take in students but could not continually carry the cost of teaching basic practical skills that should be addressed through training.

“So in between, as much as we really need to be able to bring in the students and everything, is that it ends up being an extra work for the already stretched entrepreneur, because now we must begin to teach them from scratch,” Pilane said.

The skills gap, he said, was also contributing to a shortage of South Africans with the management skills needed to run tourism businesses, particularly among people from previously disadvantaged communities.

“One of the biggest challenges that South Africa has is management skills in the tourism sector. We have very few South Africans that can be managers, especially from the previously disadvantaged communities,” Pilane said.

He said Mpumalanga had agreed on a target that businesses should not employ more than 15% non-South Africans, with foreign workers expected to bring specific skills into the sector.

Pilane said the shortage of suitably skilled South Africans could result in foreign nationals filling some management positions.

“So you then find that you will then have a lot of Mozambicans in those positions or a lot of Zimbabweans in particular in those positions,” he said.

Pilane said addressing the skills shortage was part of a bigger challenge facing Mpumalanga as the province sought to turn its tourism attractions into sustainable economic activity and jobs.

He said young people were already participating in the tourism sector, but more deliberate platforms were needed to connect them with tourism opportunities.

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One area he identified was content creation, saying young people could be used more intentionally to market tourism destinations.

Pilane said the sector had engaged the Bushbuckridge Local Tourism Organisation on bringing content creators into tourism as an economic activity rather than treating content creation as something that happened incidentally when people visited attractions.

“We want to involve young people. Young people are involved in the tourism sector. We may think that they may not. They are involved,” he said.

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By Thapelo Molefe

Suspended University of Fort Hare (UFH) Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Sakhela Buhlungu has resigned, but the university’s Council says his resignation cannot take immediate effect because his contract requires him to serve a notice period.

Buhlungu submitted his resignation on Monday, shortly before he was due to begin presenting his defence at a disciplinary hearing.

He is facing charges including gross misconduct, insubordination and bringing the institution into disrepute. One of the allegations against him is that he unlawfully appointed two executive directors.

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Buhlungu’s resignation came while the disciplinary process was still underway, with Council saying he had chosen not to use the opportunity to respond to the allegations against him.

“By doing so, he has elected not to make use of the fair and meaningful opportunity afforded to him to respond to the serious allegations levelled against him,” Council said in a communiqué issued on Tuesday.

Buhlungu wants his resignation to take effect immediately, but Council said it had not accepted this because his employment contract requires him to serve a notice period.

Council said it had reserved the right to continue with the disciplinary process during the applicable notice period in accordance with the university’s Employee Relations Policy.

“Although Professor Buhlungu has chosen to resign while the disciplinary process is still underway, his resignation does not resolve the allegations against him,” Council said.

Italso rejected claims contained in Buhlungu’s resignation correspondence that the independent disciplinary process was designed to produce a predetermined outcome and that he had been subjected to unfair treatment.

“These matters remain contested and should not be understood as having been established as fact,” Council said.

The university said Buhlungu’s resignation and the statements contained in his resignation letter did not determine the merits of the allegations against him.

Council said a similar process had been followed in respect of other employees implicated in breaches of the University Statute, with each affected employee given an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

It also referred to established case law concerning resignations with immediate effect, saying an employee who is contractually required to serve notice cannot unilaterally avoid the applicable notice period where the employer has not waived the requirement.

“The employment relationship therefore continues for the duration of the applicable notice period,” Council said.

The university said it would keep the UFH community informed of material developments as appropriate.

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By Levy Masiteng 

Defending champions South Africa have reached the 2026 COSAFA CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers final and secured qualification for the 2027 CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana.

Amajita came from behind to beat Zambia 4-2 in a thrilling semi-final in Maputo, Mozambique, on Friday, keeping their hopes of defending their regional title alive.

The two finalists at the COSAFA U20 qualifier earn places at next year’s continental tournament in Ghana.

South Africa were forced to respond after Zambia opened the scoring through Duncan Musialela in the first half, but the defending champions produced a strong second-half comeback.

Steven Mendes levelled from the penalty spot shortly after the hour mark before Oarabile Booysen put Amajita ahead two minutes later.

Zambia then found an equaliser, but Mendes restored South Africa’s advantage from the penalty spot in the 85th minute to complete his brace.

Emile Witbooi put the result beyond doubt with South Africa’s fourth goal in the 95th minute.

Mendes’ two-goal performance took his tournament tally to five goals, placing him among the competition’s leading scorers.

The victory extends Amajita’s impressive run in the tournament after they went through the group stage with three wins from three matches, beating Lesotho 3-0, Angola 2-0 and Eswatini 2-0 without conceding a goal.

Zambia had also entered the semi-final with a perfect group-stage record, having won all three of their matches.

South Africa’s semi-final was the first of two last-four clashes scheduled for Friday.

The other semi-final was between Namibia and hosts Mozambique, with the winners set to join Amajita in Sunday’s final.

South Africa will contest the COSAFA U20 final on Sunday, against the winner of Namibia and Mozambique.

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