The Vice-Chancellor and Principal Lead a Strategic Mission to China

The Vice-Chancellor and Principal Lead a Strategic Mission to China
The University of Venda (UNIVEN) Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Bernard Nthambeleni, recently concluded a strategic mission to Nanjing, Beijing, and Xi’an cities in the People’s Republic of China. Supported by Mr Thabo Dikgale, Acting Director, International Relations and Partnerships, Mr Yuchen Wang, and Prof Grace Ge, Chinese Director of the UNIVEN Green Technology Confucius Institute (GTCI) the mission sought to achieve four key objectives: the first objective was to finalise the modalities around the implementation of the groundbreaking China–Africa Global South Institute jointly established by the University of Venda and Southeast University based in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province. The second objective was to make inroads towards transforming UNIVEN into a technology-driven institution. Thirdly, the mission sought to create internship and work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for UNIVEN students in Media studies and linguistics. Lastly, to formalise relations with Chang’an University, a prestigious public university located in Xi’an, Shanxi Province, China.

The delegation’s mission started with a high-level meeting between Professor Nthambeleni and his counterpart, Professor Sun Youhong, President of Southeast University, on Tuesday 26 Au-gust 2025. The two Vice-Chancellors discussed modalities around the implementation of the groundbreaking China–Africa Global South Institute. The University of Venda and Southeast Uni-versity signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June 2025. The MoU formally estab-lished relations between the two institutions and seeks to promote people-to-people relations, knowledge exchange, and collaborative research in engineering, social sciences, and indigenous languages. A key catalyst for the partnership is the establishment of the China-Africa Global South Institute. On 26 August 2025, President Sun and Professor Nthambeleni exchanged ideas on the launch of the institute and developed a roadmap towards its establishment. It was agreed that a Joint Committee would be established to conceptualise the academic and research focus of the institute as well as prepare for the official launch earmarked for April 2026.


On 27 August 2025, the delegation met with Jingyeda Digital Technology Co., Ltd (JYD). JYD donat-ed two state-of-the-art smart classroom learning equipment. This donation will enhance UNIV-EN’s transformation towards being a technology-led institution, breaking traditional barriers and creating new opportunities for students and staff. When receiving the donation, Professor Nth-ambeleni indicated that “This is not merely a transaction of equipment; it is a profound gesture of friendship and a powerful commitment to share the progress between our nations”.

In his concluding remarks, the Vice-Chancellor underscored the nexus between education and technology, noting that, “In the 21st century, education is the cornerstone of development. But it is education powered by technology that unlocks true potential and bridges continents. These cutting-edge teaching and learning systems from JYD represent more than just hardware; they are portals to innovation. They will provide our students, staff members at UNIVEN with hands-on experience in digital learning, artificial intelligence, and smart educational tools”. The parties concluded the ceremony by signing an MoU which promised to strengthen their cooperation and explore ways to support the University of Venda and its community.

On the morning of 28 August 2025, the delegation paid a courtesy visit to the South African Em-bassy in Beijing, China. The delegation was received by the mission’s Charge d’Affaires, in Beijing, H.E. Mr Mahdi Basadien. In his welcoming remarks, Mr Basadien indicated that he is extremely excited to learn of the excellent work being undertaken by UNIVEN and its Chinese counterparts. Mr Basadien pledged the mission’s support towards UNIVEN’s plans and ambitions in China.
In response, Professor Nthambeleni outlined the delegation’s plans and objectives for this stra-tegic visit, highlighting the meeting with Southeast University to discuss the China–Africa Global South Institute, the donation by JYD, the MoU signing between UNIVEN and the International Communications Group Centre for Europe and Africa (CICG), as well as the planned visit to Xi’an.

The Vice-Chancellor stressed that UNIVEN’s engagement with Chinese institutions are based on reciprocity and that UNIVEN remains an equal player in all its bilateral and multilateral engage-ments.
In conclusion, the Vice-Chancellor underscored that UNIVEN appreciates the role played by the South African embassy in ensuring that the University is successful in implementing its internationalisation strategy in the People’s Republic of China.

The Beijing leg of the visit culminated with an MoU signing ceremony with the China International Communications Group (CICG) Centre for Europe and Africa. CICG is a media complex dedicated to international communication with a special focus on Europe and Africa. It was established in 2021 based on China Today, a magazine launched in 1952, integrating with the African business operations of Beijing Review.
The MoU signed on 28 August opens ample opportunities for UNIVEN Media Studies students. Through the MoU, UNIVEN Media students will get an opportunity to work for an international communications group and contribute to the global discourse. In the long term, CIGC will estab-lish an Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre at UNIVEN.

The delegation held two more strategic meetings with the Research institute of highway ministry of transport (RIOH) and Beihang University. RIOH’s mission is to lead research and development in the areas of pavement, bridge, transportation engineering, intelligent transportation systems, highway transportation, public transportation, transportation environment preservation, and freight transportation. RIOH is well-known for its research programmes, where it trains master’s degree postgraduate students in road and railway engineering, bridge and tunnel engineering and transportation planning and management. It also has a postdoctoral workstation approved by the Ministry of Personnel, and a PhD programme in transport engineering jointly with the Southeast University. The institute owns and oversees the operation of one of the best experimental facilities in Asia for comprehensive transportation-related experiments. Led by the Vice-President of RIOH, Professor Xu Jian, the technical meeting explored potential collaborative areas in engineering, stu-dent and staff exchanges, research cooperation, and joint supervision.
Led by the Acting Director, International Relations and Partnerships, Mr Thabo Dikgale, the meet-ing with Beihang University focused solely on structuring International Collaborative Programmes and Joint Degrees. Both parties explored programmes that could be considered for Joint Pro-grammes. Mr Zhang, Deputy Director, International Relations at Beihang University, indicated that he is excited about the prospects of a Joint-Degree programme with UNIVEN. He urged his team to start looking at English programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Both parties agreed to establish a working committee that would look at the details for the Joint Degree programme. On 1 September, Mr Dikgale also held a similar discussion with the School of International Education and the International Relations Department at Chang’an University in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China. Through these strategic discussions, UNIVEN will strengthen its institutional relationships with partners abroad, increasing mobility rates, developing globally competent learners, and advancing campus internationalisation strategies for continuous mul-tidimensional partnerships.

This mission to China reemphasises our commitment to South-South collaborations as well as their utility for equitable growth. Our collective efforts and persistence in difficult conditions are starting to yield the desired results; it will be our collective responsibility to leverage these op-portunities for the benefit of our students and the university.

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Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication
University of Venda
Tel: 082 868 2218 / 082 868 1811