South Africa and Switzerland Strengthen Ties with TVET Declaration and Cultural Restitution During Ramaphosa’s State Visit
Bern, Switzerland – South Africa and Switzerland have signed a Joint Declaration of Cooperation on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), reaffirming their shared intention to elevate the quality and impact of vocational education through stronger public-private collaboration. The declaration was signed by Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister Buti Manamela during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State Visit to Switzerland, held from 29 to 30 October 2025. The State Visit, described as highly successful, deepened bilateral relations between the two countries, focusing on enhancing vocational education, advancing research collaboration, and affirming South Africa’s commitment to cultural restitution and educational transformation.
This landmark agreement is part of five cooperation pacts inked during the visit, aimed at boosting skills development, innovation, and mutual growth. With Switzerland renowned for its world-class apprenticeship model, the partnership promises to bring fresh opportunities for South African youth and industries.
Boosting Vocational Education Through Swiss Expertise
The TVET declaration seeks to expand Swiss private-sector involvement in South Africa’s dual apprenticeship system, which combines hands-on work experience with classroom learning. Manamela highlighted how this aligns with South Africa’s efforts to revamp its TVET colleges and better match skills to industry needs. “This aligns closely with South Africa’s own TVET transformation agenda and efforts to strengthen industry alignment across priority sectors. There is room for many more companies, especially in manufacturing, agri-processing, engineering, and pharmaceuticals, to play a bigger role in skills development, both through direct training and curriculum support,” the Minister said.
President Ramaphosa and Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter endorsed the initiative with a joint visit to the Vocational and Further Education Training Centre in Wil-Uzwil, where they saw firsthand how Switzerland’s model bridges the gap between education and the job market. The centre’s approach, blending theory with practical training, has inspired plans to adapt similar methods in South Africa, helping tackle youth unemployment and build a skilled workforce.
Supporting Young Researchers and Expanding Scholarships
During the visit, Manamela met with a group of South African doctoral and postdoctoral students based in Switzerland through the Department of Higher Education and Training’s International Scholarship Programme. The engagement provided a space for students to reflect on their experiences and offer proposals on improving the scholarship platform, particularly in the areas of accessibility, mentorship, and long-term academic support. The students also had the opportunity to engage with President Ramaphosa, expressing their hopes to contribute meaningfully to South Africa’s scientific and intellectual development.
Manamela reaffirmed government’s commitment to building a globally competitive, research-intensive post-school education system, noting that the scholarships form part of the Presidential PhD Programme, supported by the National Skills Fund and the Department of Science and Innovation. According to the department, Switzerland is fast becoming an increasingly important partner in this programme. Over time, the number of South African scholars supported in Swiss institutions is expected to increase, as government works to expand postgraduate training opportunities and build stronger international research networks that benefit both individual scholars and their home institutions in South Africa.
Advancing Research Cooperation and Knowledge Sovereignty
Manamela also visited the University of Bern, where he held high-level discussions with university leadership and researchers. The meeting highlighted ongoing partnerships in public health, environmental science, big data ethics, and doctoral training. Special emphasis was placed on strengthening cooperation with South African universities, particularly those that have historically lacked access to global networks of research funding and infrastructure.
The Minister stressed the importance of research sovereignty in a world where knowledge is increasingly commodified and concentrated. Both South Africa and Switzerland acknowledged the need to defend and grow public research capacity in the face of rising commercial pressures. This includes investing in local innovation ecosystems, building joint doctoral programmes, and co-developing knowledge that responds to social needs, rather than just market demand.
Progress was also made on the proposal to establish a South Africa–Switzerland University Forum, which will serve as a long-term platform for faculty exchange, joint research, and institutional partnerships across disciplines. This forum aims to foster collaborations that address shared challenges like climate change and health equity.
Historic Cultural Restitution: Return of Shiluvana Artefacts
In his capacity as Acting Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Manamela officiated at the historic return of ancestral spiritual artefacts to the Shiluvana Royal Family from the Neuchâtel Museum of Ethnography. The artefacts — a walking staff, a set of divining bones in a woven basket, and a bull’s foot bone — were taken more than a century ago by Swiss missionary Pastor Henry-Alexandre Junod from Prince Mugevisa Shiluvana.
The handover ceremony, attended by descendants of both the Shiluvana and Junod families, as well as Swiss cultural leaders, was described as a deeply symbolic act of restitution. It affirms South Africa’s call for museums and collecting institutions around the world to return dispossessed heritage to rightful custodians. “This restitution offers us a glimpse of what a decolonised future might look like, one where museums return what was taken, and history is written with dignity and justice… we carry with us hope for a future where heritage is not commodified, but cherished, and where restitution is not exceptional, but expected,” Manamela said.
A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed to expand cultural cooperation and promote joint research on heritage and memory. This step strengthens ties in preserving shared histories and addressing colonial legacies.
Overall Success of the State Visit
Throughout the state visit, South Africa and Switzerland recommitted themselves to an ambitious partnership rooted in mutual respect, innovation, and people-to-people exchange. From strengthening TVET cooperation to building new research ecosystems and the return of dispossessed cultural artefacts, the visit underscored the power of education, science, and heritage in shaping a more just and sovereign future.
Manamela concluded the visit by reaffirming his department’s commitment to strengthening international partnerships, leveraging global academic and vocational expertise, and expanding opportunities for young South Africans to succeed in a rapidly changing world. The agreements pave the way for more Swiss companies to invest in South African skills development, potentially creating jobs in key sectors and fostering long-term economic ties.
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