Festo Didactic sponsors primary school renovations
October 2022
News
Education is a fundamental driver of our young people’s development. It is the only way society can continue to grow and prosper in a country faced with numerous adversities. According to the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” In this vein, Festo Didactic persistently invests in the education of young children and the youth of South Africa.
In commemoration of Nelson Mandela’s life and legacy, Festo Didactic was part of a (public-private partnership) group of companies that came together to renovate Sakhelwe Primary School. Situated in Springs in Gauteng, the school hosted a celebration to thank the sponsors, themed ‘Do what you can with what you have and where you are’.
Part of the prestigious entourage were Mr David Setlhake, head of didactic learning systems in South Africa at Festo; Miss Happy Sibande, principal of the Ekurhuleni East TVET college; and Mr J Dlabathi, chairperson at SALGA (South African Local Government Association). Representatives from companies such as MICA, AfriSam, Build it, Afri tool, Konica Minolta and Marley were also in attendance.
Festo donated R50 000 for upgrading and furnishing the school’s library to provide the learners with a comfortable learning space and sharpen their minds. “I am happy to be part of such an impactful project that will change the lives of our young future leaders,” said Setlhake.
A number of young children don’t take much interest in academic subjects such as science and maths. For this reason, the automation company is working on introducing robotics equipment at learning institutions. Robotics is one of the technologies changing the world’s industrial landscape. They have a wonderful effect in generating young children’s interest and also emphasise practical learning to prepare them for the future. Festo is seeking to increase the uptake of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects to ensure that learners can access careers in these fields.
Official partner of WorldSkills competitions
In addition to STEM, Festo also develops learners in higher institutions, ie, technical colleges and universities, through various initiatives such as WorldSkills competitions and internships. The skills competition aims to raise awareness and encourage young individuals to take up careers as artisans.
Festo recently hosted the Gauteng group of competitors at its Isando premises in Kempton Park. Shortly after, the fourth edition of the biennial national competition took place at Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (DICC) in KwaZulu-Natal. These competitions prepared young professionals for the industry and to be globally competitive.
Further reading:
RS South Africa shapes future engineering talent
RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa is demonstrating that nurturing future engineers goes beyond traditional classrooms or competitions. On STEM Day, the company shone a light on the full spectrum of its educational initiatives.
Read more...
ABB and Compu-Power bring high-efficiency UPS innovation to IS3 X-Change 2025
News
ABB recently participated in the 31st annual IS
3X-Change 2025 in Cape Town, alongside its long-standing channel partner Compu-Power.
Read more...
UKZN’s SMART lab wins aviation award
News
: The SMART Lab at UKZN was awarded first place in the Aviation Research and Development category at the Civil Aviation Authority of South Africa’s award ceremony for outstanding contributions and achievements in the aviation sector.
Read more...
Meta and partners announce completion of 2Africa subsea cable system
News
Meta, in partnership with leading global and regional telecommunications companies, has announced the completion and activation of the core 2Africa subsea cable system. This marks a historic milestone in digital infrastructure, establishing what the world’s longest open-access subsea cable system.
Read more...
RS South Africa retains Level 2 B-BBEE status
RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa has once again achieved Level 2 B-BBEE verification.
Read more...
SEW-EURODRIVE unveils world class facility in Gqeberha
News
In a landmark event in the Eastern Cape attended by key customers and industry leaders, SEW-EURODRIVE officially opened its expanded state-of-the-art facility in Gqeberha, marking a major milestone in its strategy to strengthen regional support and deepen its footprint in the region.
Read more...
Africa’s brightest young battery innovators
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric and Enactus, the international NGO dedicated to inspiring students through entrepreneurial action, have announced the winners of the 2025 Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge, funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation. It empowers young innovators to design battery solutions addressing the region’s most pressing energy challenges.
Read more...
Africa’s strategic role in powering the global clean energy future
News
The 2026 Africa Energy Indaba is to spotlight Africa’s mineral wealth, industrialisation potential and the urgent need for sustainable value chain development.
Read more...
The road to the Indaba
News
The Africa Automation Indaba 2026 is set to become a landmark gathering for Africa’s automation, process control and manufacturing community.
SA Instrumentation and Control will be running a dedicated editorial series spotlighting the voices, ideas and debates shaping Africa’s industrial future.
Read more...
Crash reconstruction tests advance vehicle safety research
News
The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Scientific Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Technologies (SMART) Lab recently participated in a series of collaborative crash reconstruction tests held at the Toyota Test Track.
Read more...
printer friendly version