Huawei invests R1 million in TUT students to strengthen industry academic collaboration

Huawei, global technology leader, will fund nine Advanced Diploma students at TUT in 2026 with an investment of R1 million to support student development and strengthen industry ready skills.

Topside Mathonsi This partnership will create significant opportunities for students at the Tshwane University of Technology’s Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

According to Prof Topside Mathonsi, Head of the Department of Information Technology, the funding will provide financial assistance to students and open doors to industry-aligned training opportunities in networking and cloud technologies. The initiative forms part of Huawei’s broader commitment to developing digital skills and preparing the next generation of ICT professionals.

The collaboration between TUT and Huawei has already produced promising results. From the 16 students funded in 2025 across the Faculty of ICT and the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, nine students from the IT Department have successfully secured employment contracts with Huawei. This achievement demonstrates the effectiveness of the partnership in enhancing graduate employability and ensuring that students are equipped with skills that meet industry demands.

Huawei’s support for the department began in 2024, when the company first invested R1 million to support student development. Expanding its commitment, Huawei’s funding increased to R2 million in 2025, reflecting the company’s ongoing investment in digital skills development and the growth of future ICT professionals.

“The partnership between Huawei and the University dates even further back, to 2016, when the Huawei ICT Academy was established at TUT. Since its inception, the academy has trained more than 500 students in specialised areas such as networking, cloud computing and emerging technologies, particularly through the Huawei Datacom certification programme,” Prof Mathonsi said.

The training is delivered by certified Huawei instructors, Zamikhaya Mapundu and Prof Topside Mathonsi, both lecturers from the IT Department, ensuring that students acquire internationally recognised skills aligned with global industry standards.

Zamikhaya Mapndu Beyond financial support and training programmes, Huawei has also played a key role in strengthening the University’s teaching infrastructure. The company donated 10 routers and 10 switches, which are currently used in practical networking laboratories during Huawei ICT Academy training sessions. These resources allow students to gain hands-on experience with real industry equipment, improving their technical competencies and practical understanding of modern networking environments.

According to Prof Mathonsi, the collaboration between Huawei and the University provides ongoing benefits for students and the institution. It enhances access to industry-relevant skills, strengthens teaching and learning infrastructure and improves graduate employability while fostering stronger partnerships between academia and industry.

Importantly, initiatives such as these also help address the growing demand for highly skilled ICT professionals in South Africa’s digital economy, ensuring that graduates from the Faculty of ICT are well prepared to contribute to the country’s technological advancement.