“Education is not a collection of isolated interventions. It is a lifelong journey that requires continuous commitment and support.”
– Thania Dhoogra, N3TC
On 16 June every year, South Africa pauses to remember the 1976 Soweto Uprising, when young people took a decisive stand against an unjust education system, and demanded dignity, equality, and opportunity for all.
Fifty years later, their voices remain as relevant as ever as social and economic challenges continue to shape South Africa’s educational landscape.
However, one thing that policy makers, economists, and education and social welfare experts consistently agree on is one solution with the power to change the trajectory of communities: quality education.
It begins in the earliest formative years, continues through school and tertiary study, and extends into lifelong learning and personal growth.
The National Development Plan 2030 recognises education, training, and innovation as central to reducing poverty and inequality, building a more capable state, and transforming communities into more resilient societies. In this regard, current education debates increasingly focus on strengthening Early Childhood Development, improving literacy and numeracy, supporting STEM education, and creating meaningful pathways from school into the world of work.
Education is an investment in SA’s future
Recognising the importance of empowerment through education, N3TC, through its corporate social investment programme, Touching Lives, supports initiatives that span all educational development levels, helping to create opportunities for communities adjacent to the N3 Toll Route.
“When we partner with educational institutions and projects, N3TC considers our involvement as more than an act of social good. It’s our way of contributing to our nation’s progress, economic well-being, and future growth,” says Thania Dhoogra, chief operating officer of N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), the company managing the N3 Toll Route, which stretches across 415 kilometres and four provinces, from Cedara in KwaZulu-Natal to Heidelberg in Gauteng.
Linking South Africa’s economic heartland in Gauteng with Africa’s busiest port in Durban,KwaZulu-Natal, the route also passes through parts of Mpumalanga and the Free State, and vast areas of agricultural land, rural communities, small towns, and villages where talent is abundant, but opportunities are often scarce.
From the earliest years, N3TC Touching Lives supports educational development through partnerships with the Royal Drakensberg Education Trust’s Baby Boost parenting programme, Singakwenza Early Childhood Education, iThemba Projects, the Family Literacy Project’s Reach Out to Read programme, and others, helping to build strong foundations for learning.
“Our programme extends to support primary and secondary schools, educational opportunities for children with disabilities, and a range of targeted interventions that help learners develop confidence and skills,” explains Ms Dhoogra.
“Through specific investment in STEM-based education programmes, including the PROTEC Pietermaritzburg Academy and the Midlands Community College’s Mobile Science Laboratory, young people are encouraged to unlock the possibilities offered by mathematics, science, and technology. Other initiatives develop English language skills, provide access to technology centres and practical skills, as well as environmental education programmes, creating immersive experiences, and helping to develop critical thinking and practical life skills needed in a rapidly changing world.”
At a tertiary level, N3TC’s bursary programme supports students pursuing qualifications in engineering, finance, information technology, and mathematics and science education. The programme is strengthened through mentorship, self-development initiatives, mental health support, financial planning guidance, and work-readiness programmes, recognising that student success often requires more than financial assistance alone.
The value of education is best measured in the stories, not statistics
Ms Dhoogra continues: “If we want to create lasting change, our investment in young people cannot begin in matric. It should begin in the formative years, with quality early childhood development coupled with programmes that support parents and caregivers, and continue through primary and secondary schooling, with literacy, numeracy, mentorship and academic support to help young people realise their potential. Finally, it should extend into tertiary education and skills development, where many barriers often stand between talented young people and the futures they have worked so hard to achieve.”
For Sisanda Mkhwanazi, a mathematics teacher at Edendale Combined Technical High School and a board member of the PROTEC Pietermaritzburg Academy, education became the bridge between difficult circumstances, and a future he once only imagined.
Raised by his mother and grandmother, both domestic workers, he often had to wait until late at night to study after everyone else in the house had gone to sleep.
“I realised during my high school years, that education could become a bridge between my current circumstances and the future I dreamed of,” he reflects. “As a former learner at PROTEC Pietermaritzburg, I found more than academic support at the Academy. I found people who believed in me.”
“Education, discipline and personal growth are investments that no one can take away from future generations.”
– Sisanda Mkhwanazi
Among them was veteran mathematics educator Bongekile “Molly” Mfeka, whose passion for teaching helped shape his confidence and career path.
Today, seven years after qualifying with a Bachelor of Education in Maths and Physical Science, Sisanda serves in a senior leadership role at the very school where he once sat as a learner. He now helps open the doors to opportunities for the next generation.
His message this Youth Day, extends beyond his own story.
“I wish to honour Ms Bongekile Mfeka, who has dedicated more than three decades of her life to teaching mathematics and mentoring young people like myself. She taught me to believe in myself and showed me how to work consistently to write the life story I once thought was only a dream.”
Listening to Sisanda speak, Ms Mfeka beamed.
“This is the true reward of education. Seeing a former learner return as a teacher and mentor is proof that education has a lasting impact,” she says. “It is inspiring to see this young man now investing in the next generation and serving as a role model for current learners.”
She believes that while many South African learners face socio-economic challenges with limited access to educational resources, a combination of funding support, mentorship, and determination, can help overcome these obstacles.
“The responsibility belongs to all of us,” stresses Ms Mfeka, “and, to South Africa’s youth, I want to say: believe in yourself, value your education, and never give up on your dreams. Your circumstances do not define your future.”
South Africa’s education debate often focuses on policy, infrastructure, and budgets, and rightly so. But policy alone cannot build a nation. Nations are built by individuals, families, communities, educators, and businesses. Every one of us has a role to play.
Real impact happens when we work together to build the pathways to opportunity by supporting schools and teacher development, funding bursaries, creating internships, and
mentoring future professionals. The return on those investments extends far beyond individual beneficiaries.
Educated young people contribute to stronger local economies, healthier communities, better governance, and more resilient societies. The child who receives support in an ECD classroom today may become the engineer of tomorrow. The learner who discovers a passion for science in a mobile science laboratory may be the next innovator, or the young teacher who returns to inspire others.
“This is how strong societies are built, and perhaps the greatest tribute we can pay to the generation of 1976: by ensuring that today’s young people inherit not only freedom, but opportunity,” concludes Ms Dhoogra.
