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Unisa co-hosts G20 community outreach in the Eastern Cape

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Cllr Prudence Pepping, Executive Mayor of Ingquza Hill, delivering the welcome address

On 11 November, Unisa and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) hosted a G20 Community Engagement Town Hall Outreach in Lusikisiki in partnership with the OR Tambo District Municipality and Ingquza Local Municipality. The engagement was hosted under the theme "Financial Inclusion for Economic Development: Creating Access to Benefit Grassroot Economies".

The engagement was officially opened by the Executive Mayor of Ingquza Hill Local Municipality, Cllr Prudence Pepping, who delivered a strong message for Unisa to consider introducing a satellite campus in the Mpondoland region, particularly in Ingquza Hill.

This call was motivated by a significant increase in the number of youths who travel to other parts of the country to pursue higher education studies. The Executive Mayor also expressed her appreciation to all in attendance and encouraged them to continue participating in activities of this nature so that they can all contribute to changing the perception of the great Mpondoland.

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Cllr Prudence Pepping, Executive Mayor of Ingquza Hill (third from left) and Dr Maureen Tong, Director of Special Projects and International Relations in the Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor at Unisa (second from left), with panellists

Dr Maureen Tong, Director of Special Projects and International Relations in the Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor at Unisa, delivered welcome remarks and extended warm greetings on behalf of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Puleng LenkaBula.

In her address, she provided background on the G20 and its functions, highlighting that South Africa has been a permanent member of the G20 since its inception in 1999, following the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998. Tong noted that the G20 was established to enhance multilateral cooperation for the global economy’s recovery, to stabilise the global financial system, to promote long-term sustainable growth and to strengthen global economic governance.

She also acknowledged the fact that there is only one technical and vocational education and training (TVET) college in the area. She said Unisa prides itself on being accessible and having a footprint across all nine provinces of South Africa, including managing a campus in Ethiopia. She expressed Unisa’s commitment to exploring how the local community is catered for in terms of institutions of higher education, rather than having to travel long distances to urban areas to access higher education.

Chief Gcinilifu Mdutshane, Chairperson of the Ingquza Hill Local Stakeholder Forum, delivered a message of support on behalf of the AmaMpondo Kingdom, urging for unity among the people as the only hope for peace and growth.

The second phase of the programme consisted of panel discussions on the topics of climate change, agriculture, tourism and infrastructure, featuring academics from Unisa and experts from various institutions, including the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA), OR Tambo District Municipality, and the province’s Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT). The engagements were robust and vibrant, with participation from all sectors of the community, underscored by a commitment to creating financial inclusion for the economic development of the Mpondoland region.

In closing, it was announced that deliberations from the engagement would be collated to form part of the mega-deliberations at the G20 World Summit held in Johannesburg from 22 to 23 November 2025.

* Submitted by Ntsiki Gasa, Communication and Marketing Unit, Unisa Eastern Cape Region

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Publish date: 2025-12-03 00:00:00.0

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