By Lebone Rodah Mosima 

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote collaborative research, capacity-building, and knowledge-sharing.

The MoU, signed in Mbombela by HSRC CEO Professor Sarah Mosoetsa and UMP Vice-Chancellor Professor Thenjiwe Meyiwa, formalises cooperation in research and academic activities.

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The institutions said the partnership will include co-designing and implementing applied research projects to address community and development challenges.

They will also engage with government departments to create employment, alleviate poverty, and foster social cohesion.

 “Capacity-building initiatives will include mentorship programmes for postgraduate students and early-career researchers, postgraduate co-supervision, internship opportunities, and workshops on research writing, methodology, and policy communication,” they said.

“Additionally, the institutions will jointly host the Africa Young Graduates and Scholars (AYGS) Conference, providing research capacity strengthening via pre-conference training and post-conference engagement.”

Mosoetsa, speaking after the ceremony, said the signing was a “significant milestone” at a pivotal moment for South Africa and the continent, and also a moment to celebrate 30 years of democracy.

“It is also not just a ceremonial signing of an MoU but a partnership of like-minded institutions with an aligned vision of development, capacity building, and innovation,” said Mosoetsa.

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“These are the key drivers that inform the HSRC decision to embark on this journey with UMP.”

Meyiwa said the partnership aims to ensure research has tangible impact.

The partnership was about “translating research into real change, not research that remains in papers and policies, but research that transforms the lives of youth and the African continent,” Meyiwa said.

Meyiwa said the collaboration with the HSRC would help ensure solutions “are grounded in evidence-based research and shaped by people with lived experiences,” in order to “not produce white-elephant solutions but meaningful, practical interventions”.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Charmaine Ndlela

Language advocates will on Friday gather in Soweto for an International Mother Language Summit aimed at boosting the use and protection of indigenous languages.

Under the theme “Save Mother Tongue Now”, the Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Rights Commission (CRL), Ilifa Lethu Institution and the June & Andrew Mlangeni Foundation will host the high-level summit at the historic Uncle Tom’s Hall in Orlando West.

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Held in recognition of International Mother Language Day, the meeting will bring together language advocates, academics and policymakers to strategise on the preservation, promotion and growth of indigenous languages.

International Mother Language Day, commemorated annually on 21 February, originated in Bangladesh, where protesting students were killed in 1952 while demanding recognition of their mother tongue, Bengali. The day was proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999 and has been observed worldwide since 2000.

The annual celebration serves as a platform to consolidate development plans and ensure that South Africa’s linguistic heritage remains a functional asset for future generations.

“South Africa now recognises 12 official languages, including South African Sign Language. However, indigenous languages continue to face marginalisation in education, commerce, technology and public discourse,” the CRL said.

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The summit also forms part of efforts to implement milestones of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022–2032, which was launched in October 2022.

The Department of Basic Education has been advancing its Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education programme, including extending mother tongue instruction beyond Grade 3 into Grade 4 in 2025.

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By Lebone Rodah Mosima 

eThekwini municipality has opened applications for its 2026 Durban Fashion Fair (DFF) mentorship programme, inviting local emerging designers to apply before its March deadline.  

Councillor Thembo Ntuli, chairperson of the city’s Economic Development and Planning Committee, has urged emerging designers to take part in the programme.

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Ntuli said that about 120 emerging designers have participated in the mentorship programme over the past five years, with more than R1.25 million raised to support 45 rising designers.

“Funding from eThekwini Municipality and the Hollywood Foundation provided equipment, strengthening businesses and helping scale operations for sustainable growth and impact across the industry,” he said.

Former mentees have said the programme helped them grow their businesses.

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Sduduzo Nkwanyana, a 2023 DFF mentee, said the programme launched his brand and raised his profile.

“I now have my own studio and factory,” Nkwanyana said.

“I work with established clothing lines and produce school uniforms. This growth has enabled me to create employment opportunities for others.”

Another 2023 mentee, Noxolo Ngcobo, who now runs a studio in Springfield and an online store, said the programme helped her build skills and a sustainable business.

“All my achievements are a result of the 10-month mentorship. I will forever be grateful to have been selected,” she said.

The municipality said the programme aims to support aspiring designers through structured skills development, mentorship and market access, including platforms such as the DFF emporium, pop-up markets and fashion shows.

“Participants gain technical expertise, business tools, and networking opportunities, helping them connect with local and international buyers to grow sustainable brands and create jobs,” the municipality said.

Applications for the 2026 DFF mentorship programme close on 6 March 6 at 3pm.

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Applicants must submit a short biography of themselves or their fashion business, a motivational letter, storyboard, residential letter and proof of qualifications, the municipality said.

Applications must be hand-delivered to the city’s Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises Development Division under the Economic Development Directorate, 7th Floor, Embassy Building, 199 Anton Lembede Street.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Lebone Rodah Mosima 

Education minister Siviwe Gwarube has said her department had “radically turned the education system on its head” to prioritise early learning, literacy, and numeracy.

Gwarube was speaking in the National Assembly in response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address, which he delivered last week.

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“The president has correctly placed growth and jobs at the centre of the national agenda [in his address], but no country can grow without an education system that works,” she said.AL

Gwarube said her focus since taking office had been improving foundational literacy and numeracy, adding that stronger basics would allow more pupils to take “gateway subjects” that respond to the needs of the country’s economy.

A major emphasis of her speech was early childhood development (ECD), where she said the government had surpassed its targets for registering centres under the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive.

“Last year, we set an ambitious target through the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive to register 10 000 ECD centres by 31 December 2025,” she said. “We reached that target by September and closed the year with over 13 000 registered centres.”

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Gwarube said the expansion had widened access to nutrition and early learning for young children. “This means over 1.3 million children have access to good nutrition, foundational learning and safe places,” she said.

She said the government had allocated “R10 billion over the next three years to support ECD, increasing the subsidy to R24 per child per day,” and that “in 2025 we added 150 000 children to gain access to this subsidy”.

“South Africa is not a poor country. Our children cannot die of hunger,” Gwarube said. “That is why we are including school nutrition at ECD centres.”

“In addition, we have established the nearly R500 million Outcomes-Based Fund to create over 100 000 new ECD spaces across three of our rural provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, and Limpopo — the largest Early Childhood Care and Education fund of its kind, globally,” she said.

Gwarube said fiscal pressure remained a constraint, but that provinces would be required to protect frontline learning.

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“[T]remendous progress is being made even in the harshest fiscal constraints,” she said. “Each province is required to produce financial recovery plans to protect the classroom from budgetary pressures.”

“If we get the basics right — reading, writing, counting, safe schools, supported teachers, and accountable governance — we will build the human capital that makes growth possible and restores dignity to millions of our people. We will not stop until we get it right.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Charmaine Ndlela

Apex Education Group has officially unveiled a newly completed high school campus on Koelenhof Road, adjacent to Kayamandi, in Stellenbosch.  

Group CEO Jana du Plooy said the Stellenbosch campus first opened its doors in 2024 in a temporary facility while construction of the permanent building was underway.

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“We then moved across to the building in January 2025 when the first phase of construction was done. Now the whole building is complete. That was one of the things we could celebrate,” she said.

“We currently have 500 learners from Grade 8 to Grade 10 on campus and will grow a grade every year. The full high school will accommodate 1,000 learners, with 200 pupils in every grade,” du Plooy said.

Apex Education Group, a non-profit organisation, started with its first campus in Eersterivier in 2018. Its mission is to provide quality, affordable education to children across South Africa and to contribute sustainable solutions to the country’s educational challenges.

The organisation has also formally introduced its 10-year expansion strategy, Vision 10/10/10, which aims to establish 10 schools and create 10,000 affordable school places by 2034.

Speaking to Inside Education, Apex Stellenbosch school administrator Cindy Lombard highlighted the range of extracurricular activities currently offered.

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“We have extracurricular activities such as robotics and coding. Specialists come in and give our scholars the necessary guidance to fulfil those activities. We also participate in maths, English and geography olympiads. We are still in the process of building our sporting programme, which we hope to implement fully this year or next year,” Lombard said.

She confirmed that the current Grade 10 learners will form the school’s first matric class in 2028.

“Our existing Grade 10s will be matrics in 2028, and our current Grade 5s will be in Grade 7 for the 2028 academic year. Each year we extend the grades. We accept new Grade 4 and new Grade 8 learners annually, and admissions will open in March or April,” she said.

Lombard said Kayamandi was identified as an area in urgent need of quality education.

“Kayamandi is not fully equipped to accommodate the growing number of learners who need access to quality schooling. That is why we decided to open here in Stellenbosch. We have also opened in Vineland in the urban area, where there is high demand. There, we currently have at least 100 Grade 8 learners and just under 50 Grade 1 learners,” she said.

The Stellenbosch branch currently employs about 25 teachers.

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Apex has also confirmed plans to break ground on a new campus in Pinelands, where the school is expected to accommodate 1,720 learners once completed.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Johnathan Paoli

Author and indigenous languages activist Mashudu Ravele on Thursday challenged young South Africans to treat recognition not as a ceremonial milestone, but as a responsibility to act decisively in their communities, as the 100 South African Shining Stars for 2025 were unveiled.

Delivering the keynote address in North Riding, Ravele said the initiative was grounded in the values of Nelson Mandela and aimed to spotlight real, measurable impact instead of status, education or wealth.

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“When I look at you, I see leaders and the people who will talk for us tomorrow. You are not nominated because of position or titles, but because of the difference you are making in your communities,” she said.

Ravele hails from the Vhembe District in Limpopo, writes and publishes in Tshivenda, and is the author of two award-winning books that are used in the education sector.

Born and raised in Mbilwi Sibasa township, she holds a diploma in journalism and is currently studying communication science at the University of South Africa.

Her poetry collection Tshisima Tsha Dora (2020) and novel Ndi Vhudza Nnyi? (2022) have earned critical recognition, including a nomination for Best Tshivenda Book.

“The power of youth in action is not a slogan. It’s a call to action. When young people act, they do not wait for permission. They create new pathways, new industries and new movements,” Ravele said. 

She said the stories represented by previous Shining Stars since the programme’s launch in 2018 were “stories of courage”, demonstrating that youth empowerment was “practical and lived every day”.

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Ravele said the awards signalled an investment in South Africa’s future, particularly as the country marks 30 years since the adoption of the Constitution and looks ahead to upcoming local government elections.

“You are not just recipients of recognition. You are custodians of Mandela’s dream. Greatness is not measured in titles, but in impact,” she said.

She urged stakeholders to continue backing young people, stressing that investing in youth was “not optional, but the only path to success”, and encouraged the award recipients to see the moment as the beginning of a broader movement rather than an end point.

Delivering the welcoming address, Inside Education Foundation chairperson Matuma Letsoalo congratulated the 100 honourees selected from over 800 nominations nationwide.

“It gives us immense pleasure as the foundation to present the 100 South African Shining Stars for 2026. You are trailblazers and thinkers of the future,” he said.

Letsoalo reflected on the inspiration he drew from working with young people.

“One of the good things about interacting with young people is that it reminds those of us of a time when we were young. When I was your age, I was not thinking about the amazing things you are doing to change the world,” he said.

He said the Shining Stars initiative celebrated youth from all nine provinces who were making a positive impact in their own lives and in their communities, describing them as “thinkers, doers, athletes and activists” who served as role models to their peers.

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Letsoalo placed strong emphasis on the role of young people in sustaining democracy, particularly as South Africa reflects on three decades of constitutional rule.

“As South Africa celebrates 30 years of the adoption of the Constitution and prepares for the upcoming local government elections, you serve as a reminder that young people are central to a thriving democracy,” he said.

Letsoalo highlighted youth unemployment as one of the country’s most pressing challenges, pointing out that four out of 10 young people were without work, with many classified as not in employment, education or training.

Several Shining Star awardees were already responding to this crisis by facilitating skills training, establishing small businesses and supporting entrepreneurship within their communities, he said.

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“As young ambassadors, you take your cue from Theodore Roosevelt: do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Letsoalo cited alumni success stories to illustrate the programme’s long-term impact, including Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, now the national spokesperson of the South African Police Service, who was recognised as a Shining Star in 2022.

“We are quite good at spotting potential,” Letsoalo said.

He concluded by praising the awardees as problem-solvers who often step in where government or markets fall short, from education and healthcare to environmental work, legal services, civic education and climate mitigation initiatives.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Inside Education Reporter

Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA) Chief Executive Maphefo Anno-Frempong explains why the board took a decision to halt the initial awarding of Discretionary Grant contracts valued at more than R380 million.

The initial discretionary grant window was withdrawn following the discovery of widespread discrepancies.

Three executives have since been suspended pending the outcome of the forensic investigation.

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