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By Levy Masiteng
The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and Takealot have partnered to bridge the gap between education and employment by offering industry-relevant skills training and e-commerce business opportunities to young people, through the Takealot Township Economy Initiative.
The signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding between the DHET and Takealot took place at Takealot in Kempton Park on Wednesday.
During the ceremony, both organisations said the partnership aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the digital economy.
Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mimmy Gondwe, said that the initiative has four main initiatives. The first was the adoption of three TVET colleges near its distribution centres in Kempton Park, Durban, and Cape Town, to provide students with work-integrated learning opportunities and industry experts to support curriculum development.
The second initiative included an expansion of Takealot’s bursary programme. Gondwe said her department will match the funding, thereby enabling more students to access education, particularly in high-demand skills areas such as ICT, logistics, and e-commerce retail.
Gondwe said that Takealot will also use its logistics and delivery network to ensure timely delivery of textbooks to students across various campuses, nationwide.
The fourth initiative involves the township economy, whereby the partners will support township entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized enterprises to participate in the digital economy, providing training, funding, and access to Takealot’s platform.
Takealot CEO Frederik Zietsman said the company employed 7,500 people, supported 33,000 livelihoods, and hosted 50,000 sellers on its platform.
“[W]e empower multiple more people to earn a livelihood and to have careers within our ecosystem,” Zietsman said.
Gondwe said that staff and students will benefit from mentorship, career guidance, and volunteerism from Takealot employees, and that more importantly, Takealot will extend free access to online learning resources, offering a global college catalogue of skills training directly to students.
Gondwe also emphasised the importance of public-private partnerships in addressing the country’s high unemployment rate.
“Today’s MoU builds on our Takealot Township Economy Initiative agreements in Mpumalanga and Gauteng and now takes them national, with clear roles, measurable outcomes, and shared accountability,” she said.
Zietsman highlighted the company’s commitment to using e-commerce to improve lives.
“Our purpose statement is truly our conviction. We live day in, day out, with the conviction of using e-commerce to change lives in South Africa for the better.”
The Takealot Township Economy Initiative aims to create 20 000 new opportunities by 2028.
Zietsman said Takealot had already supported over 130 TVET learners through work-integrated learning programmes and has a “Yes for Youth” programme that supports over 120 learners and graduates.
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