Welcome to the 13th edition of the South African Business journal. First published in 2011, the publication has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to South Africa, supported by an e-book edition and website at www.southafricanbusiness.co.za.
A special feature in this journal focusses on the vital focus on infrastructure that is seizing the attention of the political and business leadership of South Africa. This is not the arena of endless talk shops. Rather, 160 CEOs of some of the country’s most influential companies are rolling up their sleeves and trying to make things work better. The article looks at steps being taken by a combination of the public and private sectors to beef up the country’s railways, ports and energy network. Crime is also under the spotlight. As this journal goes to print, South Africa will ascend to the presidency of the G20, a singular honour and an opportunity for the country to put its best foot forward. A brief overview of each of the country’s provinces is also provided.
South African Business is complemented by nine regional publications covering the business and investment environment in each of South Africa’s provinces. The e-book editions can be viewed online at www.globalafricanetwork.com. These unique titles are supported by a monthly business e-newsletter with a circulation of over 35 000. The Journal of Africa Business joined the Global African Network stable of publications as an annual in 2020 and is now published quarterly.
OVERVIEWEducation and
OVERVIEWEducation and skills trainingFunding solutions are under discussion.SECTOR INSIGHTBusiness leaders wantrelevant skills training.One of the great success stories of the new, democraticSouth Africa is the extension of opportunities in highereducation to much greater numbers of young people.The funding of this admirable achievement has beenless of a success story. In 2015 matters came to a head whenstudents protested against rising tertiary fees under the slogan#FeesMustFall. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme(NSFAS) was set up in the early 2000s to support students attertiary institutions, but administrative weaknesses often led toinstitutions or rental properties not receiving promised funds. Afteralleged malpractice, the Minister of Higher Education, Scienceand Innovation announced in 2024 that the NSFAS board wassuspended and the funding body was placed under administration.According to Mala Suriah, the CEO of student-loan providerFundi, more than half-a-million South African students were indebt to tertiary institutions in 2024, with 155 000 of those not beingallowed to graduate until their fees were paid. Fundi offers to granta loan to pay off the debt so that the student can start earningwages, which they can then use to pay off the debt.Efforts are being made to provide solutions, including the firstNational Summit of Higher Education Funding which was hostedin October 2024 by Unisa Enterprise, a subsidiary of the Universityof South Africa (UNISA). Among the activities at the summit werepanel discussions on pathways to financial stability, pictured,and speeches from experts drawn from industry, academia andgovernment. The need foracademia and industry to worktogether in addressing youthunemployment and fosteringentrepreneurship was stressed.A number of colleges anduniversities in South Africa offercourses in entrepreneurshipand business management. TheCentre for Entrepreneurshipand Innovation (CEI) at theUniversity of the Western Capeencourages entrepreneurshipacross faculties and activelyworks to provide opportunitiesfor students to market theirproducts. Allan Gray Makerssponsors a competitionknown as the National TVETEntrepreneurship Inter-College.In 2024 cash prizes worth morethan R120 000 were available.Relevant skillsHowever, not everyone can bea business owner and for manypolicy influencers and corporateleaders, it is more important toensure that the skills trainingavailable to young South Africansis relevant to the workplace.The CEO of BusinessLeadership South Africa (BLSA),Busisiwe Mavuso, was unequivocalin a Sunday Times article in June2024: “The quality and skills ofthe learners produced by SouthSOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 202594 PHOTO: Unisa Enterprise
Africa’s educational system are misaligned to businessneeds.” In this context, “workplace exposure, on-thejoblearning and apprenticeships have significant andpositive outcomes for youth”, she continued.Mavuso pointed to three steps that couldcreate jobs for young people. She referenced the“concerted mobilisation” between governmentand business which is:• Optimising existing programmes such as YouthEmployment Services (YES) and SA Youth (aHarambee programme)• Running skills programmes for priority growthareas that have potential for young people insectors such as renewable energy, ICT, globalbusiness services, tourism, mining and beneficiation,agriculture, agro-processing andautomotive• Spending more on supporting SMMEs andtownship businesses to enable them to growand thus employ more peopleThere are many organisations working to deliverrelevant skills to young South Africans. One ofthem is the Chemical Industries Education andTraining Authority (CHIETA), which is ensuringthat South Africa’s nascent hydrogen economywill have a workforce able to cope with thecomplex demands of that industry.Another problem being addressed by CHIETAis the fact that only 13% of rural households haveaccess to the Internet (StatsSA). The wideningdigital divide is a problem the training bodyaims to solve with its SMART Skills Centres, oneof which opened in Modjajiskloof, LimpopoProvince, in 2024.The CHIETA SMART Skills Centre is intendedas much more than a computer centre and willprovide the surrounding communities with 20private Internet training pods for communitymembers to gain access to digital coursesONLINE RESOURCESNational Department of Science and Innovation:www.dst.gov.zaNational Department of Higher Education andTraining: www.dhet.gov.zaSTEMulator: stemulator.orgTVET colleges: www.tvetcolleges.co.zaVirtual reality came to rural Modjajiskloofin 2024, courtesy of the new CHIETA SMARTSkills Centre.online or apply for a job, free data and unlimitedaccess to the Internet. SMMEs are encouraged tolearn new skills and a SMART Board is availablefor SMMEs and co-operatives for planning andtrading. Six centres have been opened in ruralSouth Africa since October 2022 and CHIETAplans for each province to have one by mid-2025.The Department of Higher Education andTraining has set targets for skilled graduatesand established Centres of Specialisation atTVET colleges around the country. For example,ORBIT TVET College in the North West offersdiesel mechanic training at its Mankwe campusand electrical training at Brits as part of theCentre of Specialisation programme. Centres ofSpecialisation aim to produce:• A skilled and capable workforce• Increased availability of intermediate-leveltechnical skills• Increased delivery of qualified artisans in 13priority tradesA range of online or digital courses are beingoffered in an attempt to broaden access. Mobiletelephone provider Vodacom has teamed up withonline education provider, Upskillist, to offer morethan 80 online courses in everything from codingto project management. Linked to Vodacom’srewards programme, the offering has gone pastone-million activations.In 2024 the National Science and TechnologyForum (NSTF) launched the latest version ofSTEMulator, a free virtual platform designed tospark interest in Science, Technology, Engineeringand Mathematics (STEM). An immersive experiencehelps young people connect their interests to realworldapplications. ■PHOTO: CHIETA95SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2025
