In a time when South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis continues to crush dreams and fuel frustration, a beacon of hope has emerged. City Power, in partnership with UNISA Enterprise, Afric Training College, the Department of Labour’s Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), and African Bank, has officially launched a bold new initiative aimed at tackling the scourge of joblessness among young people. The ambitious programme, unveiled at City Power’s Head Office in Reuven on Wednesday, 6 August 2025, seeks to equip 1,200…

In a poignant seminar held at the University of South Africa (Unisa) on Wednesday, diplomats, academics, and global security experts gathered to mark 80 years since the establishment of the United Nations (UN) and the devastating atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The commemorative event, themed “The United Nations at 80: The Post-World War II Peace Architecture and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty”, served as both a tribute and a sobering assessment of the current global peace order. Hosted in collaboration…

The University of South Africa (Unisa) made history on 25 April 2025 by hosting the launch of the Academia-Public-Private-Diplomatic Corps Forum at the G20 Africa Investment Summit (AIS), a first-of-its-kind initiative to unite universities, governments, businesses, and diplomats in advancing Africa’s economic transformation. Themed “The Road to G20 Through Research, Innovation, and Collaboration in the Intelligent Age”, the event brought together G20 delegates, government officials, business leaders, academics, diplomats, and traditional leaders to forge actionable strategies for Africa’s sustainable development.…

University of South Africa (UNISA) students marched to the institution’s main campus in Pretoria on Friday, 4 April 2025, demanding urgent institutional action against gender-based violence (GBV) following the alleged rape of 7-year-old Cwecwe at Bergview College in Matatiele, Eastern Cape. The march, which began at Sunnyside Police Station, saw students deliver a memorandum demanding Africa’s largest distance learning institution take a stronger stand against GBV. The National Student Representative Council (NSRC) emphasised that while the victim – identified only…

UNISA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Óbuda University in Hungary to boost collaboration in engineering and technology disciplines that are central to Unisa’s 10 catalytic niche areas. This follows a similar deal signed earlier in 2025 with Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary’s oldest and largest university. The agreements were finalised during the Hungarian-South African Rectors’ Forum in Budapest, which took place from 31 March to 4 April 2025. The Hungarian-South African Rectors’ Forum is a platform created by…

The University of South Africa (UNISA), in collaboration with the Water Research Commission (WRC) and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), hosted the 2025 Water Imbizo on Tuesday, 25 March 2025, under the theme “Forging Collective Solutions Towards the South African Water Crisis.” Held during National Water Week, the event brought together academics, researchers and stakeholders to address critical issues such as declining water reserves, intergenerational water preservation and equitable resource management. Professor Puleng LenkaBula, UNISA Principal and Vice-Chancellor,…

The University of South Africa (UNISA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two Russian universities to promote language exchange programmes. The partnership, formalised on 04 March 2025, with Tyumen State University (UTMN) and the Patrice Lumumba Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) will see isiZulu taught at the Russian institutions, while UNISA’s College of Human Sciences (CHS) will offer Russian language courses, the university said. The agreement was witnessed by South Africa’s Department of Higher Education and Training…

In a landmark achievement, three professors from the University of South Africa (UNISA) have been recognised at the South African Medical Research Council’s (SAMRC) 11th Scientific Merit Awards, the nation’s premier platform for celebrating excellence in health research. Professors Zilungile Mkhize-Kwitshana, Lindiwe Zungu, and Usisipho Feleni were honoured for their pioneering contributions to public health, occupational safety, and environmental sustainability, cementing UNISA’s role as a leader in innovative and socially impactful research. Established in 1969, the SAMRC is dedicated to…

The University of South Africa (UNISA) held a career day exhibition for female inmates at the Gender Responsive Centre, formerly the Female Correctional Centre, in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, on Thursday, 13 February 2025. The initiative, organised in partnership with the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) and It’s Possible for All, a non-profit organisation, provided academic guidance, addressed administrative queries, and facilitated dialogue on the transformative role of education. Attendees included incarcerated students and correctional officials. During the event, the university donated…

South Africa has a new chairwoman at the helm of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). My esteemed colleague, Dr. Karen Stander, a senior lecturer in the Department of Business Management at Unisa’s College of Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS), has stepped into a role riddled with complexities. Yet, her appointment, while worth celebrating—also signals something more troubling: the ever-persistent reality of the glass cliff. Dr. Stander’s appointment by the Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Nobuhle Pamela Nkabane, as…