By Charmaine Ndlela

Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Peace Mabe on Thursday handed over a new multipurpose sports facility at ED Mashabane Secondary School in Evaton, Gauteng, as part of efforts to expand access to sport and develop young talent.

The facility includes a combi court for soccer, basketball, netball, volleyball and tennis, as well as an outdoor gym, a children’s play area and newly planted trees.

Mabe said the facility, which has an expected lifespan of 14 years, would provide learners with a long-term platform to develop their sporting abilities.

Addressing learners during the handover, she said the investment was also aimed at strengthening the pipeline of athletes who could represent South Africa at future Olympic Games.

“We said in the next coming Olympics we should build a bigger and stronger team to represent South Africa in the Olympics,” Mabe said.

She said the country could not expect young people to compete at the Olympics without first providing the infrastructure and opportunities needed to develop their talents.

“This facility will produce people who are going to represent us in the next Olympics because we cannot say, come participate, be part of the Olympics, but we are not building enabling infrastructure,” she said.

Mabe said she wanted the facility to become a place where learners from different schools and backgrounds could discover and develop their sporting talents.

“We want to see children coming from far and all different schools saying, because of the facility in 2026, we are here because we got an opportunity to go and practise there,” she said.

She urged learners to take pride in the facility and use it responsibly.

“So love this combi court. If you love it, it is going to love you back,” she said.

Mabe said the facility was built to world-class standards and would provide an environment that supports both participation and athlete development.

She also highlighted the specialised material used for the sports surface, saying it was designed to reduce the impact on athletes’ joints.

“This facility is made out of a special plastic and that plastic, I’m told, looks after the joints,” she said.

Mabe said the department’s investment in sports infrastructure was about more than providing a place to play, but about creating opportunities for young people to build discipline, confidence and skills and potentially pursue sport professionally.

As part of the initiative, Mabe distributed sports apparel, books and equipment to three schools in the area: ED Mashabane Secondary School, Tokelo Secondary School and Mosioa Primary School.

The equipment is expected to give learners greater opportunities to participate in different sporting codes and develop their abilities, while the new facility will provide space for training and competitions.

Mabe urged learners to make full use of the facility and take responsibility for protecting and maintaining it.

She said the infrastructure belonged to the community and should remain available to future generations.

The handover forms part of the department’s efforts to strengthen school sport by improving access to sporting infrastructure and providing learners with resources to participate in different sporting codes.

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By Charmaine Ndlela

South Africa must stop treating inclusive education as the responsibility of specialist teachers and instead make it a core professional responsibility for every teacher, according to Higher Education Deputy Minister Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

“Inclusive education begins with inclusive teachers,” she said on Wednesday.

“No education system can be more inclusive than the teachers it prepares, develops and supports.”

Dube-Ncube was speaking at a Teacher Education for Inclusive Teaching (TEfIT) Close-Out Conference in Boksburg. It was convened by the department in partnership with the European Union in South Africa, the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the University of Pretoria (UP) and the Wits University.

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The two-day conference, which ends on Thursday, is being held under the theme: “Advancing inclusive teaching competence: consolidating TEfIT gains for a responsive and equitable teacher education system.”

At the centre of the deputy minister’s address was a challenge to the education sector to ensure that inclusion becomes embedded in teacher professionalism, rather than being treated as an additional or specialist function.

She said South Africa’s constitutional commitment to dignity, equality and quality education requires more than providing learners with access to schooling.

The education system must enable every learner, regardless of disability, language, socio-economic background, geographic location or learning need, to participate meaningfully and succeed.

Dube-Ncube said that 25 years since the adoption of Education White Paper 6, inclusive education remains an unfinished task.

Many learners continue to face barriers that affect their participation and achievement, while teachers require greater support, preparation and resources to respond to increasingly diverse classrooms.

Dube-Ncube said teachers need to be able to recognise learner diversity, remove barriers to learning, adapt their teaching approaches, support participation and create learning environments where every pupil can thrive.

TEfIT had made a significant contribution towards this goal by strengthening institutional capacity, developing professional expertise and creating foundations for continued innovation in inclusive teacher education, she said.

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Among the project’s key achievements is the establishment of three specialised centres of excellence – the Centre for Neurodiversity at UJ, the Centre for Visual Impairment Studies at UP and the Centre for Deaf Studies at Wits University.

They will focus on research, innovation, teacher education, professional learning and knowledge production.

The project has also expanded teacher education capacity through the development of inclusive education qualifications, short learning programmes, specialised teaching resources and curriculum innovations.

It has contributed to the publication of 23 accredited journal articles and two scholarly book chapters, alongside specialised textbooks, learning resources and research platforms.

It has also supported the graduation of 19 PhD graduates and 38 Master’s graduates, contributing to the development of a stronger academic community capable of advancing inclusive education research.

One of the graduates mentioned by Dube-Ncube was Guy McIlroy. He is the second deaf academic to complete the programme and now serves as a full-time academic staff member.

She said his journey demonstrates that inclusion should not simply be about allowing people to participate, but about creating opportunities for empowerment, achievement and leadership.

The conference comes at a time when several policy and qualification frameworks are undergoing review or implementation

Dube-Ncube said the review of the Policy on the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications provides an opportunity to make inclusive teaching competencies core graduate attributes across initial teacher education programmes.

The review of Education White Paper 6 also provides an opportunity to assess more than two decades of implementation and determine how teacher education can better support an inclusive education system.

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Despite the achievements of the project, the deputy minister stressed that its conclusion must not mean the end of the work.

Instead, it should mark the beginning of a new phase in which TEfIT research, resources, partnerships and lessons are embedded across the teacher education system.

“The true legacy of the TEfIT project will be measured not by the activities completed during the life of the project, but by the extent to which its lessons continue to influence policy, curriculum, professional learning, research, innovation and institutional transformation,” she said.

Dube-Ncube called on the sector to move beyond individual projects towards sustainable system-wide change, and from policy aspirations to practical action.

She said lessons emerging from TEfIT, together with the ongoing reviews of the various policies and frameworks, will give South Africa a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to build a more coherent, responsive and inclusive teacher education system.

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By Levy Masiteng 

Four schools in Daveyton and Etwatwa were searched on Wednesday in Gauteng’s school safety crackdown, with items seized including a bullet, dagga, vapes, cigarettes and other prohibited items.

The SAPS-led operation was joined by Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile and targeted Phandimfundo Secondary School, Lekamoso Secondary School, Rivoni Secondary School and Hulwazi Secondary School, with learners and school premises searched.

“At Phandimfundo and Lekamoso, officials seized 31 prohibited items, including seven vapes, six small bags of dagga, four loose cigarettes, four pairs of scissors, four boxes of matches and two containers of suspected drugs,” the department said. 

At Rivoni Secondary School, a bullet was found concealed inside the arm-strap worn by a learner. 

Vapes, an Okapi knife and other prohibited items were also seized.

Recent raids at schools throughout the province have repeatedly uncovered vapes and dagga.

In August alone, more than 100 prohibited items, including disposable vapes and suspected dagga, were seized during searches at three Alexandra high schools. 

“It’s a routine for us on Wednesdays to join these searches unannounced throughout the province, but these searches happen regularly,” Maile said.

The province has identified school violence, substance abuse and criminal activity as major threats to teaching and learning. 

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By Charmaine Ndlela 

South Africa’s university entrepreneurship ecosystem has come together in Gauteng for the 2026 Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Absa Studentpreneurs Indaba, with a strong call for students to move beyond ideas and turn innovation into viable businesses, jobs and economic opportunities.

The two-day in-person national gathering, hosted at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg on Thursday, brought together about 500 student entrepreneurs, academics, investors, university leaders, industry stakeholders and entrepreneurship ecosystem partners.

Hosted by Universities South Africa (USAf) through the EDHE Programme, in partnership with Absa, the ninth edition of the Studentpreneurs Indaba is being held under the theme: “Entrepreneurship in Action: From Vision to Implementation. From Policy to Impact.”

The theme reflects the growing need for South Africa’s higher education sector to equip young people not only to participate in the economy, but also to create enterprises, employment opportunities and innovative solutions to social and economic challenges.

South Africa’s 26 public universities represent a significant pool of entrepreneurial talent, research and innovation.

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However, the transition from education into meaningful economic participation remains a challenge for many students and graduates.

The Indaba aims to help close this gap by connecting student founders with mentors, investors, industry leaders, academics and fellow entrepreneurs, while strengthening university ecosystems that can support businesses from conception to growth.

Welcoming delegates, EDHE Director Dr Edwell Gumbo said the programme was seeking to build a stronger bridge between academic learning and student entrepreneurship.

“This is the bridge we want to build between academia and student life,” Gumbo said.

He said university learning should not end with a mark on an assignment, but should have the potential to become a prototype, service,
social innovation or growing enterprise.

Gumbo emphasised that academic achievement and entrepreneurship should not be viewed as competing priorities.

He urged student entrepreneurs to complete their qualifications, saying the knowledge and discipline gained through university
studies could strengthen their entrepreneurial capabilities.

“None of you is going to drop out. We need that diploma, we need that degree. You must get it,” he said.

He added that entrepreneurship could make academic learning more practical, creative and relevant.

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“South Africa needs graduates who are prepared to enter the world of work, but it also needs graduates who can help shape that world, Gumbo said.

“We need young people who can create products, services, opportunities and employment.”

He added that businesses built by young people should understand the communities they serve and be innovative, ethical and sustainable.

From one product to an enterprise Gumbo said the significance of student entrepreneurship should not be measured only by the size of a business.

More importantly, he said, entrepreneurship enables students to see themselves not merely as people waiting for opportunities, but as people capable of creating them.

The theme of this year’s Indaba, he said, places action at the centre of the entrepreneurial journey.

“Ideas are important, but ideas must eventually leave the notebook,” Gumbo said.

He challenged participants to ensure that business plans meet real customers, prototypes are tested, policies translate into practical support and partnerships create tangible opportunities.

He said Universities must become environments where student enterprises can start, survive and grow.

The Indaba programme includes practical workshops, investment-readiness discussions, pitch sessions, exhibitions and opportunities for students to engage with established entrepreneurs, investors and industry partners.

Gumbo encouraged delegates to use the two-day event to build relationships outside their existing networks.

He also stressed that networking should go beyond collecting contact details.

“A network only becomes valuable when you build genuine relationships and follow up,” he said.

Gumbo called on delegates to support the student entrepreneurs exhibiting their products, urging participants to buy from them and ensure that exhibitors do not leave the event with unsold stock.

Delivering Absa’s partner address, Setlogane Manchidi, Managing Executive: Corporate Citizenship at Absa Group, said entrepreneurship creates possibilities that can have a wider impact on individuals, communities and the economy.

He challenged delegates to move beyond seeing entrepreneurship as an idea and instead focus on turning those possibilities into tangible economic outcomes.

“Let us move from possibility to reality that creates meaningful economic inclusion,” Manchidi said.

He highlighted the potential of entrepreneurship to generate income, create employment, promote economic inclusion, solve everyday problems and contribute to greater social mobility and dignity.

Manchidi also urged student entrepreneurs to remain resilient when confronted by the difficulties that come with building a
business.

He said entrepreneurs would inevitably encounter uncertainty, funding challenges, limited customers and business plans that do
not work as initially expected.

“These moments do not mean you have failed,” he said, encouraging young entrepreneurs to view setbacks as opportunities to learn,
adapt and continue building. He also urged students to remain close to the problems they are trying to solve, arguing that their lived experiences and proximity to everyday challenges can help them develop practical and responsive solutions.

For Manchidi, the ultimate goal is to move from “possibility imagined” to “possibility realised” through action, perseverance and the Opportunities created through partnerships between universities, businesses and other stakeholders.

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By Charmaine Ndlela

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is deliberately tracking the number of girls and young women entering STEM-linked TVET programmes as part of a drive to increase women’s participation in engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics and other technology-driven careers.

Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube said the government was working to equip girls and young women with digital, AI and robotics skills across the post-school education system, from TVET colleges to universities.

“We are tracking, deliberately, the number of girls and young women entering STEM-linked TVET programmes, because a target we do not measure is a promise we cannot keep,” she said.

She was speaking at the Standard Bank Top Women Conference 2026 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Tuesday, where she placed education and post-school training at the centre of efforts to expand women’s participation in the economy.

The two-day conference brings together women entrepreneurs, business leaders, policymakers and other stakeholders to examine economic inclusion, skills development, technology and opportunities for women to grow and lead.

Dube-Ncube challenged stereotypes that continue to discourage girls from entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, singling out engineering, coding, robotics and artificial intelligence as areas where women needed to be represented not only as users of technology but as its creators.

“For too long, chauvinism dressed up as common sense has told girls that engineering, coding, robotics and artificial intelligence are not spaces for them,” she said.

“This was never tradition. It was, and remains, a stereotype, and it has cost this country generations of talent we can no longer afford to waste.”

“The technologies reshaping our economy are built by women, not merely used by them,” she said.

Dube-Ncube said the government was also focused on ensuring that qualifications translate into workplace experience.

She highlighted the department’s Skills Revolution programme, which is expanding Work-Integrated Learning placements to give students practical workplace experience before graduation.

Sector Education and Training Authorities are also partnering with employers to place learners directly into industry, while TVET colleges continue to strengthen the artisan pipeline.

Dube-Ncube said obtaining a qualification should only be the start of a young woman’s journey.

She said education was the first rung on a ladder leading from opportunity to enterprise, representation to multiplication, and mentorship to sponsorship.

“The department can build the technical pipeline. It is this room, and platforms like it, that build the confidence, the networks and the sponsors who turn a qualification into a career, and a career into leadership.”

She said corporate involvement needed to move beyond once-off sponsorships towards sustained commitments that produce measurable outcomes.

These could include bursaries linked to Work-Integrated Learning placements, mentorship that develops into sponsorship and procurement pipelines that create opportunities for women-owned businesses.

“Government brings policy, scale and reach; industry brings capital, workplace exposure and markets. Neither is sufficient alone,” she said.

She said girls’ education was an economic issue, citing World Bank estimates that the global economy forfeits between US$15 trillion and US$30 trillion in lost lifetime earnings and productivity because millions of girls do not complete 12 years of quality education.

She said the figures demonstrated why girls’ education should be treated as an economic priority rather than simply a social intervention.

“A woman who completes secondary education earns, on average, almost twice as much over her lifetime as one who does not,” she said.

“That is not a social statistic. It is an economic one, and it belongs in every industrial strategy, every skills plan and every investment prospectus this country writes.”

Dube-Ncube said Africa could unlock significant economic gains by closing the gender gap.

She cited McKinsey research estimating that Africa could add US$316 billion to its GDP if every country matched the progress of the continent’s best-performing nation on gender parity.

She also pointed to a Mastercard Foundation-commissioned study which puts another US$287 billion on the table by 2030 if the continent reverses the decline in young women’s share of Africa’s GDP.

That contribution fell from 18% in 2000 to 11% in 2022, according to the study cited by Dube-Ncube.

“That is not a statistic we can accept without a fight, and post-school education and training is where that fight is won or lost,” she said.

The Deputy Minister also linked education and economic independence to the fight against gender-based violence and femicide.

She said constitutional rights to dignity, equality and safety must be supported by opportunities that allow women to become economically independent.

“An educated girl, and later a skilled and economically independent woman, has more power to walk away from harm, to negotiate her worth in a relationship or a boardroom, and to refuse a dependency that abusers so often use as a weapon against her,” Dube-Ncube said.

She said investing in girls’ skills was therefore also an investment in their safety and ability to make independent choices.

“South Africa’s future economy starts in today’s classrooms,” she said.

“Every girl equipped with digital, AI and robotics skills is a future engineer, entrepreneur and executive we choose not to lose.”

She said every rand invested in a girl’s education should ultimately be viewed as an investment in economic growth, personal safety and the dismantling of gender stereotypes.

“Let us strengthen this partnership, deliberately and without delay, so that Her Power, truly, becomes Africa’s Future,” she said.

Her call was echoed by Topco Media CEO Ralph Fletcher, who told Inside Education that education and skills should be regarded as fundamental to developing women and nurturing talent within organisations.

Fletcher said the conference should not be viewed simply as a business networking event, adding that its value also lies in exposing women to opportunities, role models and networks that can help them move from education into enterprise.

“What education does and skills do is it unleashes the brilliance within you,” he said.

Fletcher said businesses had a responsibility to invest in their people, particularly as artificial intelligence changes the workplace and the way people access knowledge.

“With AI, suddenly I’ve got access to all the knowledge, and that skill is going to make us far more productive and raises the bar for all of us and opportunities,” he said.

Fletcher pointed to the growth of the conference’s WhatsApp community and its digital platforms, saying the event’s message was reaching people beyond those physically attending the conference.

The conference programme itself includes initiatives designed to move conversations towards practical opportunities, including Business MatchMaking and PitchPower Networking, while the EmpowHER Pitching Den gives women entrepreneurs an opportunity to present their businesses to potential investors and partners.

Fletcher said the platform’s value could also be seen in the progression of women who had previously participated as finalists or emerging entrepreneurs and had since grown their businesses.

He recalled the example of a civil engineer who was a finalist several years ago and who has since secured major multinational contracts.

“What Top Woman does is it gives people a platform to basically lift their own confidence and confidence that other organisations have in them,” he said.

Fletcher said successful women also played an important role in showing young women what could be possible beyond the classroom.

“People are getting more exposed now to ordinary stories of ordinary women who finished school, didn’t really know where they were going. And now they’re doing extraordinary things,” he said.

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