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Vodacom honours top university students

Takalani Netshitenzhe, chief officer for corporate affairs at Vodacom Group
Takalani Netshitenzhe, chief officer for corporate affairs at Vodacom Group
Image: Supplied

BRAND VOICE | Vodacom, together with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), congratulated and celebrated the brilliance and promise of some of South Africa’s top university academic achievers during a dinner hosted by the Vodacom Foundation in Midrand on Tuesday night.

The Top Academic Achiever Awards is an annual event where the Vodacom Foundation and key stakeholders meet some of the country’s top-performing university students to celebrate their outstanding results.

As an investor in the country and an established partner in addressing social challenges, Vodacom’s goal is to contribute in ensuring that top-achieving learners throughout the country have access to mainstream higher education institutions.

In partnership with the Department of Basic Education and institutions such as the NSFAS, Vodacom provides students with bursaries to take up studies in the fields of electrical or electronic engineering (light current only), actuarial science, mathematics/mathematical sciences, statistics, information technology, BSc Computer Science, BSc Computer Engineering, information systems, BCom (accounting, finance or economics), digital marketing and law.

As part of its massive investment in education, Vodacom spends R12-million every year on a bursary programme. For the current academic year, a total of 35 students were awarded new bursaries to study at higher-learning institutions across the country. A further 75 bursaries have also been awarded to students entering their second, third and fourth year of study for 2017.

The bursary programme is complemented by the Vodacom Discover Graduate Programme, which integrates bursary graduates into permanent employment at the beginning of each year.

Takalani Netshitenzhe, chief officer for corporate affairs at Vodacom Group, hosted the event, which is designed to encourage young South African students to apply their minds to the economic debates shaping the country. Netshitenzhe urged the learners to start and shape the conversation around digital disruption and the creation of a digital society and economy.

“We are confronted with both excitement and apprehension on the topic of digitisation,” she said. “The excitement is informed by the recognition that digitisation is transformational. However, sometimes transformational initiatives have unintended consequences and therefore we encourage the young people to assist us in confronting these consequences in a constructive manner as we address such questions as the impact of robotics in the 21st-century work environment.

“Vodacom encourages you to participate in the creation of a constructive digital culture in your classrooms and in communities where you live.”

In her keynote speech, Netshitenzhe encouraged the students to think of themselves as the hope of the people of South Africa for a better, more prosperous and sustainable future.

“I urge you to keep this in mind as you continue your studies. Do not think of what you are doing now as getting a qualification for a job; rather think of it as preparation for future greatness. South Africa needs leaders who are passionate and astute. We need thinkers, visionaries and brave men and women who think out of the box to take the country forward,” said Netshitenzhe.

She thanked the NSFAS and the Department of Basic Education for their ongoing support and the work they do.

“We value working with government to tackle the key socioeconomic challenges facing South Africa and believe that investing in education is a critical step towards building a sustainable inclusive economy.

“We have extended our zero-rated university academic content partnership with universities, which was introduced last year during the #FeesMustFall campaign. Through this partnership, we are confident that we will be able to nurture and inspire young students who are the leaders of tomorrow and who in future will contribute positively to transforming our nation.”

Image: Takalani Netshitenzhe, chief officer for corporate affairs at Vodacom Group

– SowetanLIVE in association with Vodacom Foundation

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