South African students honored at send-off ceremony for Chinese government scholarships

A celebratory send-off ceremony was held at the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa on Tuesday evening to honor South African students awarded Chinese government scholarships for the 2025 academic year. The event highlighted the growing significance of educational cooperation and cultural exchange between China and South Africa.

Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, Wu Peng, congratulated the scholarship recipients and praised the long-standing partnership between the two countries. The scholarships have been awarded to 11 South African students under the Chinese government scholarship programs, with an additional eight students selected for the Academic Education Programs scholarship.

The selected students have been admitted to top-tier Chinese universities and will pursue degrees in key areas such as cybersecurity, engineering management, biological sciences, and healthcare—fields critical to South Africa's national development. Wu encouraged them to embrace the opportunity not only for academic enrichment but also for cultural exploration. He urged the students to immerse themselves in China's rich heritage, experience its natural beauty, and engage with its rapidly advancing society, including exposure to high-speed rail networks, digital payment systems, smart cities, and other cutting-edge innovations.

"Your experience will prove that choosing to study in China is the right decision," Wu said, while also expressing his gratitude to South Africa's Department of Higher Education and Training and the Department of Basic Education for their continued partnership. He described educational cooperation as a cornerstone of the China-South Africa All-round Strategic Cooperative Partnership in the New Era and emphasized the role of these scholarships in fostering people-to-people ties and supporting the development of South African youth.

Among the recipients, Thandazo Sithole shared her excitement and hope for the future. She said she had long aspired to contribute to the fields of innovation and technology and saw the scholarship as a gateway to realizing those dreams. She described the opportunity as being far more than academic. "We are not just going to China as students; we are going as ambassadors of our country," she said. "This is an opportunity to immerse ourselves in a new culture, learn cutting-edge skills, and gain new ideas that can help shape a better world."

The Department of Higher Education and Training's National Skills Fund was represented by Deputy Director Sandisa Maqubela, who reflected on the strong ties with China dating back to 2012, when an agreement was signed to send South African students to study in China and Sweden. While acknowledging that the current cohort is smaller than in previous years, Maqubela stressed the department's commitment to expanding the program. "Pre-COVID, we had more than 50 students based in China," she said. "Our commitment is to increase the number of young South Africans who are keen to become part of the global economy."

Maqubela also recognized China's contributions to global innovation, particularly in artificial intelligence, and expressed South Africa's intention to draw from China's experience and expertise. As the students prepare to embark on their academic journeys, the ceremony served as a celebration of not only their individual achievements, but also the deepening partnership between China and South Africa in the realm of education and skills development.