USAf and THENSA sign a formal agreement to collaborate for the common good of higher education in South Africa and beyond

Published On: 30 January 2025|

On Tuesday, 28 January 2025, Universities South Africa (USAf) and Technological Higher Education Network South Africa (THENSA) signed a collaborative agreement that the chief executive officers (CEOs) of both organisations admitted was long overdue.

USAf is a representative body of all 26 public universities of South Africa, which combines universities of technology, traditional and comprehensive universities. THENSA, the partner, is a vibrant, innovative consortium for advancing technology-focused institutions with a transformative societal impact membership. THENSA’s membership comprises the six South African universities of technology, three South African comprehensive universities, the Namibia University of Science and Technology and the Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa (ATUPA).

Ahead of the signing, Dr Phethiwe Matutu (right), CEO of USAf, said the USAf Board had two priority issues to tackle in collaboration with THENSA – alongside all other areas stipulated in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

First, the USAf Board wants the CEO to explore universities’ interface with industry, especially looking beyond bursaries. This, Dr Matutu said, could be anchored on work-integrated learning – possibly even exploring setting up a touch point within organised business to give effect to this thinking. “Let’s look at what is working and what is not, in the interface between our graduates and industry. We need to crystallise prevailing opportunities and implement what we can. We will also explore bringing in a number of stakeholders into our programme — everyone involved in aspects of universities-industry interactions, including chancellors, where necessary.”

Dr Matutu said there was something fundamentally wrong with the way South Africa’s education system – both at the basic and higher education levels — prepared students for the job market. “Many school leavers know nothing about life post-school; many are clueless about the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and applying to universities or TVET colleges. Similarly, at universities, some students struggle to see the link between acquiring qualifications and understanding where to apply their skills in industry, despite having careers offices at each university. There is much more that universities can do in the classroom to prepare students for exiting the sector. We should conceptualise programmes preparing students better for life beyond tertiary education — whether it is about accessing the job market, or through internships or otherwise.”

Secondly, the USAf Board has expressed an interest to explore with THENSA, the acute shortage of spaces within higher education. She said this presents an opportunity to jointly engage the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) on this issue that confronts the post-school sector, year on year. “You would have seen that our media engagement in the recent past has been largely on this issue,” the USAf CEO told her THENSA counterpart. “We therefore need to look into how we could enhance the capacity of universities to absorb more school leavers. What can the DHET do from their side to capacitate universities, and what can we, as universities, do on our end in preparation for 2026? We need to explore what is possible.”

In total agreement with the sentiments expressed above, Professor Henk de Jager (left), THENSA’s CEO, said universities’ interface with industry as a priority focus area resonated with the THENSA agenda. He mentioned that the two organisations can work together to ensure that university graduates are ready for the world of work. “THENSA will participate in any way we will be required to do in this endeavour,” he said.

Collaboration long overdue — Professor De Jager

Professor De Jager then recalled the discomfort in the sector – back in the Higher Education South Africa (HESA) era in 2005 – when the idea of forming the then South African Technology Network (SATN) was first broached.

“Some saw it as a threat and duplicating what HESA was already doing. Yet we’re not in competition; resources are too limited to do that. The immense needs in the sector necessitate working together in open communication, and that we share opportunities where they exist.” The SATN went on to be formed in 2006, and, following a re-positioning and rebranding exercise in 2021, the organisation morphed into the now THENSA.

Collaboration areas identified

According to the MoU signed at the USAf offices in Hatfield, Pretoria, the two bodies will be collaborating on areas including but not limited to:

  • Joint learning programmes such as in entrepreneurship development;
  • Joint fundraising ventures and joint proposal submissions to prospective partners, locally and globally;
  • Joint regional and international cooperations;
  • Technology and knowledge transfer, incubation and commercialisation initiatives;
  • Joint development of monitoring and evaluation models; as well as
  • Any other jointly identified and agreed upon initiatives aimed at advancing higher education in South Africa, and beyond.

The USAf-THENSA MoU was signed by the CEOs of both organisations (left photo) from the USAf Office in Hatfield, Pretoria, on Tuesday, 28 January 2025. Attending as witnesses were both organisations’ senior managers including USAf’s Director: Operations and Sector Support, Mr Mahlubi Mabizela (left, standing in the right photo) and Ms Christelle Venter, Director: Operations and Partnership at THENSA.

Programme specifics

Professor De Jager cited, as an example, the Erasmus Plus programme of the European Union (EU) that, among other activities, facilitates students and staff mobility from countries outside of the EU, and youth exchanges, participation and capacity-building projects for youth benefit. “Erasmus Plus presents an excellent platform for collaboration, for the benefit of the sector in South Africa and the neighbouring countries.”

He said for THENSA, “the opportunity to collaborate with our neighbouring countries is a welcome challenge. With this collaboration, we could enhance that imperative and increase programme impact.”

Regarding opportunities in South Africa, Professor De Jager said there was room to leverage THENSA’s collaboration with the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation on entrepreneurship and USAf’s collaboration with the DHET for the benefit of both organisations.

On general THENSA operations

He added that THENSA’s operations were running smoothly, overall. He said THENSA’s collaboration projects with international partners (e.g. the United Kingdom, Finland, Germany, Ireland, USA and Switzerland) were also going well. Current collaborations cover areas ranging from strengthening entrepreneurship to climate change response projects like hydrogen production.

“We would happily rely on USAf’s strong lobby capability for the sector, while we focus on capacitating our member universities — an area we feel particularly stronger on.” He cited strengthening technological transfer offices and enhancing commercialisation at universities, a need that was widely expressed by THENSA’s member institutions.

What USAf brings to the table

USAf’s Director: Operations and Sector Support, Mr Mahlubi Mabizela, added that THENSA, as family members of USAf, also stood to benefit from the latter’s international collaborations. The South Africa Canada Universities Network (SACUN) was one example of a developing relationship, followed by another with universities in Hungary that is about to get off the ground shortly, thus crystallising attempts dating back to 2020, then stalled by the CoViD-19 pandemic.

“We’re now busy linking Hungary’s directors of international relations to our own, in preparation for the vice-chancellors’ visit in April 2025 – so that the latter go there fully equipped for decision making.” Mr Mabizela also mentioned the South Africa Japanese Universities (SAJU) network as well as continuing relations with universities in the United Kingdom.

“There are also opportunities for joint funding proposals, some of which are already underway under USAf’s leadership, albeit not stipulating significant role play yet,” Mabizela went on to say before concluding: “We’re basically the same sector but recognise that THENSA would have specific areas of emphasis”.

On strengthening entrepreneurship

Also in attendance at this ceremony was Dr Edwell Gumbo (left), Director: Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE), who said the partnership with THENSA would undoubtedly benefit the sector through initiatives like the United States Fulbright Specialist programme where workshops would be conducted on how to embed entrepreneurship into universities’ curriculum.

Concerned that 80% of EDHE’s funding support comes from the DHET, Dr Gumbo mentioned that USAf had been approaching some partners to come on board – with the aim on supporting universities to institutionalise entrepreneurship. “There is need to coordinate all entrepreneurship development programmes at universities which includes integrating with the Technology Transfer Office. The Economic Activation Office is EDHE’s vehicle set to facilitate the integration.”

Furthermore, Ms Christelle Venter (right), Director of Operations and Partnership at THENSA, mentioned that THENSA had secured a capacitation programme in which another USA Fulbright scholar would be guiding universities on the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence during 2025. This opportunity would be extended to all 26 universities through USAf.

Other opportunities available to both associations concern:

  • Finding solutions in the developmental space – especially in light of changes being introduced by the United States’ new administration concerning the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
  • Jointly exploring a partnership with universities in India, engagements around which started in 2024 – led by THENSA and envisaged to expand in due course.
  • PhDs training in Ireland under the auspices of the Irish Consulate in South Africa, and
  • A UK-sponsored Research and Innovation Systems Africa programme, which THENSA had recommended be expanded through USAf to other universities.

As the two CEOs prepared to sign the MoU, Mr Mabizela concluded that “we need to align our approaches, recognising that our programmes converge on a common constituency.”

‘Mateboho Green is Universities South Africa’s Manager: Corporate Communication.