This is a transformative experience for learners’ personal development and career aspirations – empowering them with critical skills to innovate and solve real-world problems. Launched for the first time in 2023 in South Africa, this SFT competition encourages innovative thinking and problem solving for Gen Z to build sustainable solutions through STEM. This year marks a major shift, the programme is now open to all public schools, including quintile 5 – making it more inclusive and nationally representative.

The SFT competition aims to reduce skills gaps, encourage youth led innovation and show young South Africans that their ideas have value and real-world impact. This global initiative envisions a South Africa where young people are not just job seekers, but solution creators who contribute meaningfully to inclusive growth and sustainable development.

This year’s competition that’s themed: “Social Change through Sports and Technology” and “Environmental Sustainability via Technology” – seeks to foster innovation among high school learners from underprivileged backgrounds throughout South Africa. With the social change through sports and tech theme – here the power of sport as a unifying force in South Africa is recognised. When combined with technology – sport becomes a tool for inclusion, youth development, health and community building.

This theme encourages young innovators to use digital platforms, data and smart solutions to improve access to sports, develop talent, promote wellness and create safer, more connected communities. It’s about using technology to amplify the positive social impact of sport beyond the field.

The Environmental sustainability through technology theme on the other hand addresses the urgent environmental challenges South Africa faces, such as climate change, water scarcity, waste management and energy access. This theme invites young people to develop tech-driven solutions that protect natural resources, promote renewable energy and support sustainable living. It signifies a shift toward responsible innovation using technology not just for convenience, but to secure a healthier, more sustainable future for generations to come.

Lefa Makgato, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for Samsung Electronics in South Africa said: “As Samsung, we are inviting more South African public schools to enter this competition so that their learners can have the exposure and networking opportunities that will help them connect with industry leaders and our Samsung mentors – aiding their transition to tertiary studies. By engaging in this year’s incredible themes; as well as fostering innovation and providing critical skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), public school learners who enter the 2026 SFT competition have an opportunity for their lives to be significantly impacted and transformed in more positive ways.”

Public schools in the country are encouraged to apply for the 2026 SFT competition and join this year’s challenge that will give them an opportunity to showcase their creativity. Schools can now be part of a movement that empowers the next generation to shape a brighter future. In addition, school learners and educators will now be empowered with technological aspects that will help them to solve their communities’ problems using STEM skills. With this SFT competition, this is an opportunity for those that are ready to turn their ideas into action.

This year’s participants can look forward to being tasked with addressing pressing community problems using STEM principles, thus improving their analytical abilities and gaining professional guidance from Samsung employees. Importantly, school teams that enter this year’s competition stand a chance to win exciting prizes and the recognition as South Africa’s next generation of innovators and problem-solvers. The 1st prize is R100K worth of STEM equipment for their school, with 2nd and 3rd prizes winning R50K and R30K respectively. And that’s not all, the prizes also include Samsung devices for the learners on the top three teams – to help them develop their STEM-based, tech-for-good projects even further.

Makgato explained further: “Even though there’s ultimately three winners of the competition; the previous participating learners have also learnt something fundamental – that this SFT competition is less about winning and more about the journey of learning and personal growth. We are happy to see that some of the former participants and winners of this SFT competition have transitioned into tertiary education, often pursuing degrees that align with the STEM skills they developed during the programme.”

According to Samsung, this SFT competition aligns very closely with the national education in particular the Department of Basic Education’s priorities and transformation goals of South Africa, especially those that focus on improving STEM learning, critical thinking and equitable access to opportunities. First, at the heart of South Africa’s education policy is the goal of strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics education because these subjects are essential for the current jobs market. The SFT competition does exactly that: it gives learners practical, hands-on STEM experience. This directly supports the national education priority of building stronger STEM capacity in schools.

Acting Director for Communications and Research at the Department of Basic Education (DBE), Terence Khala added: “The Department of Basic Education welcomes the continued expansion of the Samsung SFT programme as a strategic STEM enrichment platform that advances curriculum relevance, innovation capability and equitable access to opportunity within the public schooling system. Experiential competitions of this nature strengthen critical problem-solving, design thinking and applied learning competencies essential for participation in South Africa’s digital, green and knowledge-based economies.”

‘’The inclusion of all public schools reflects a shared commitment to broadening high-quality STEM exposure and nurturing a diverse pipeline of future innovators,” Khala concluded.

Additional Information on the Qualifying Criteria for Entering 2026 SFT Competition

In order to enter the Competition, a Team shall be required to comply with the following entry criteria:

• The Candidates of each Team must be South African citizens
• Prior written consent must be obtained by the applicable Public School from each Candidate’s parent and/or legal guardian for written permission that the Candidate may enter and participate in the competition
• The Candidate must be enrolled as a learner at the applicable Public School, as at the date of the commencement of the Competition and for its duration thereof
• Each Team may comprise of a maximum of 5 (five) learners from Grade 10 to Grade 11
• The Public School entering a Team into the Competition may only enter one Team.

How to Apply:

Application forms are accessible online. Visit our website https://www.samsung.com/za/solvefortomorrow/ to register your school and submit your team’s proposal. Do not miss out on an opportunity to empower your learners to gain critical thinking skills, collaborate and shape the future of our country. Together, we can inspire change – one idea at a time. Join and be part of the movement that seeks to empower school learners to innovate and change their communities’ problems using STEM.

For more information, visit https://www.samsung.com/za/solvefortomorrow/ or contact us at ssasft@samsung.com

After months of dedication, creativity and innovation, Gauteng-based Tembisa West Secondary School was named the overall winner. Their ground-breaking energy efficiency AI system earned them first place for its potential to drive meaningful change in their school. The achievement earned the learners R100,000 prize money which will go towards purchasing STEM equipment for their school.

Umlazi Comprehensive Technical High School (KwaZulu-Natal) and Koffiefontein Combined School (Free State) took second and third place respectively for their forward-thinking ideas and practical applications of STEM to their community’s challenges. The second and third runners-up received R50,000 and R30,000 respectively to go towards purchasing STEM equipment for their schools. Each of the learners in the top three teams also received a Samsung Galaxy smartphone as part of the prizes.

The announcement followed an intense final round on 7 October 2025, where the top ten finalist schools showcased their prototypes before a panel of expert judges. Each team presented innovative solutions designed to address pressing issues in their communities. Under any of these three themes; Energy Efficient Schools, Innovative Transport Solutions or Affordable Safety Devices, the learners had to demonstrate sustainability and the transformative power of STEM when fuelled by purpose and collaboration.

The winning school chose the Energy Efficient Schools theme and came up with a smart energy solution AI system dubbed Green Jarvis. Their solution produces energy by using electromagnetic harvesting), and also monitors and reduce its usage. Green Jarvis has sensors which monitor energy usage at their school, adjusting where necessary to optimise efficiency. Housed in a dedicated server, Green Jarvis can monitor any system or tool that uses electricity, from lights to air-cons and heaters. For instance, when a room is being heated, as soon as it reaches the required temperature, the system will kick in and switch the heater off. The smart system, that has an interactive application as well as real-time metrics tracker for reporting, can also reduce the brightness of lights when needed.

“In doing our research and trying to find what we can do, we realised that a lot of energy was being used in our school and that there was room for us to be more efficient. That’s when we came up with the idea to build this system, that could be a game-changer even for other schools, especially those in underdeveloped areas where financial resources are in short supply. I’m so happy to be part of the team and very proud of our achievement,” said Ntumiseng Mafemo, team member and Grade 11 learner from Tembisa West Secondary.

“We are delighted to announce the winner of Solve for Tomorrow in South Africa, a remarkable example of how young innovators can drive meaningful change. This initiative aligns perfectly with our goals of enhancing STEM education in underserved public schools, fostering a culture of innovation, and equipping learners with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving world. By empowering these bright minds, we are not only addressing immediate challenges but also investing in a sustainable future for all. We are proud to support these inspiring individuals as they transform their innovative ideas into impactful solutions.”,” said Lefa Makgato, CSR Manager at Samsung South Africa.

Echoing this statement, Dr. Neo Mothobi, Chief Education Specialist in the Ministry at the Department of Basic Education, said the competition is a reminder of the potential that the youth of South Africa has in the fields of STEM. “The competition inspires young people to drive innovation through creativity and collaboration. It is remarkable that it inspires the youth to find solutions to real challenges in their communities. This initiative reflects what’s possible when industry and education work hand in hand and together, it shows that we can build the South Africa we all want. These learners have not only embraced STEM, they’ve shown that with the right guidance, South Africa’s youth can lead the way toward a smarter, more inclusive future.”

“Public-private partnerships, such as the one we have with Samsung, remain a major catalyst for development. They are particularly key to unlocking uniquely South African solutions to local challenges, and this competition helps push that very notion of localisation as it gives our youth an opportunity to find solutions for our issues. Information and communication technology is one of the sectors that we can use to ensure that young people are not left behind. We really need to focus our attention on investing in young people, who can be at the forefront of helping our country to grow and move forward,” said Tlali Tlali, Head of Corporate Affairs at SITA.

Now in its third year in South Africa, Solve for Tomorrow is part of Samsung’s global education initiative designed to equip young people with critical STEM skills and a mind-set for innovation. The competition has given learners the tools, mentorship and confidence to tackle local issues with global potential. SFT is a reflection of Samsung’s continued commitment to investing in youth empowerment and community-driven innovation.

As the winners celebrate their success, their journeys mark just the beginning of what promises to be a legacy of ideas that inspire progress, ignite change and shape a better tomorrow for all.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Samsung South Africa, in partnership with State Information Technology Agency (SITA), launched the Solve for Tomorrow school competition in Bryanston. The competition is aimed at giving grade 10 and 11 learners from underserved communities an opportunity to gain invaluable skills while solving some of the challenges within their communities through Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

This unique competition has been designed to increase interest and proficiency in STEM education. This contest started in January this year and teams in various schools were advised to register via an online form on the Solve for Tomorrow website. Supervising teachers at each of the selected schools were requested to oversee the teams participating in the competition.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Competition has – since 2010 – been challenging public school students to dream, develop and build real-world solutions to enact positive change. This programme has reached over 1.5 million contestants in more than 30 countries around the world by 2020. Samsung South Africa in partnership with SITA has, from this year piloted this Solve for Tomorrow contest with 51 pre-selected schools nationally – encouraging innovative thinking, creative problem-solving and teamwork to nurture social innovation ideas that can address various communities’ most pressing problems.

Hlubi Shivanda, Director of Business Operations and Innovation and Corporate Affairs at Samsung South Africa said: “As Samsung, we have long-recognised the philosophy of investing in the country’s technological advancement as this is intrinsically linked to economic growth. This is why Samsung is spearheading large-scale ICT-driven initiatives aimed at enabling previously underserved societies and introducing disruptive innovation that contributes to superior networks that reach remote areas.”

In conjunction with SITA, Samsung used the launch event as a platform to announce the 2023 Top 10 schools, out of 51 participants nationally, who will go through to Phase Two (2) – where they will tackle an emerging challenge and produce tangible innovations to help improve society with the help of assigned Samsung employee-mentors.

Samsung is enabling these learners by giving them funding for prototypes, taking them to a design thinking workshop and sponsoring every school with a Samsung tablet and data to help them do research. The final stage of the competition will be an opportunity for each school to present the prototype of their solution to a panel of judges with the potential to win STEM equipment for their schools worth R100 000 (1^st place), R50 000 or R30 000 (2^nd and 3^rd places respectively). In addition to the main prizes, each of the learners in the top three teams will be rewarded with a Samsung device.

The Top 10 schools that have been selected include:

Government believes that the most effective and sustainable way to build an economy is to equip young people with the skills and know-how to drive it, thus its efforts are focused on strengthening the link between the skills that are developed and those needed by the workplace*. This is what motivated state-owned agency SITA, to be part of the initiative.

Samsung shares government’s view that South Africa now more than ever, needs to equip the youth to seize the opportunities that lie in the ICT sector. The company recognises that education and beneficiation are the cornerstones of the country’s future and are requirements for it to be a major player in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Head of Corporate Affairs at SITA, Tlali Tlali, said the state-owned entity found some synergies between its work and Samsung’s efforts in the area of corporate social responsibility. “When we speak of public-private partnerships, this is about collaboration in working towards achieving meaningful progress. Our country has an unfortunate past of inequality and we need to do something about it. As like-minded organisations in technology, this partnership seeks to do just that as we redress the imbalances of the past, empower the youth and shape South Africa to be able to be counted among the top nations. We’re happy and proud to be associated and working with Samsung in this initiative.”

The Solve For Tomorrow competition is a carefully curated programme which is supported by ten (10) of Samsung employee-mentors from various disciplines in the Samsung business, who also have a passion and interest in STEM. These mentors act as a support structure to the learners.

“We believe that this community and youth-driven initiative is but one of the ways that we are using to embrace digital transformation in South Africa, by continuing to harness the power of technology and innovation to effect great positive change in the country. We are convinced that investment in South Africa through digital transformation will contribute positively towards sustainable future economic growth,” added Shivanda.

Samsung proudly supports Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 5 October 2022 – Samsung and Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct celebrate the graduation of the third cohort of its successful App Factory. The first cohort of the nine-month internship programme launched in 2020 to address the issue of skills shortage in software development in South Africa.

While there is a high demand for software developers in South Africa, industry is complaining about the lack of work-ready talent. Even when graduates have the technical skills, they do not know how to work effectively in a team or transfer their knowledge to a real-world context.

The App Factory recruits high potential graduates from various tertiary institutions and allows them to work on realistic projects under the supervision of a senior developer over a nine-month duration. Errors (bugs) in software development projects come with a high cost to a company when working on real projects in industry. The App Factory therefore creates a safe environment to “fail fast, learn faster” while delivering under pressure on realistic projects. During this time, they learn full-stack development by mastering the theory and tackling realistic projects. Their technical skills are honed and they develop “21^st century” skills, including problem-solving, critical thinking skills, effective communication, presentation skills, collaborative team skills and information literacy.

“South African software development solutions are competing globally for talent so we need to make sure that we are growing a quality talent pipeline locally that can be productive in the workplace fairly quickly. There is still too big a gap in the work readiness of graduates. The App Factory addresses this gap,” says Lesley Donna Williams, CEO of Tshimologong Precinct.

The first cohort in 2020 had eight interns out of 85 applicants, the second one had nine out of 306 applicants and the latest intake had eighteen interns out of from 772 applicants. While there is a high demand of applicants for the programme, the teaching approach is intensive and high-impact, focusing on small groups and individual attention per intern.

Many graduates ended up working at a world-renowned automotive manufacturer and a 2020 graduate, Nomfundo Phororo recently took her first business trip with the company. She says, “I had an amazing opportunity to fly to Germany to meet my colleagues and visit their high-tech manufacturing plants. Being on the App Factory programme opened up opportunities that most people can only dream of.”

One of the latest graduates, Simphiwe Nyandeni, who is the youngest of three orphaned daughters says the support from her sisters steered her in the right direction. She wanted to study travel and tourism but when her sister introduced and encouraged her to go for the apprenticeship at Tshimologong instead, it was an easy decision to make and she’s thankful she joined it. “I’m now ready for the field of work. I’m really grateful to Samsung for making this great opportunity available to young people like me who are ambitious and driven, but with limited opportunities.”

Samsung recognises that South African youth are talented and require skills development beyond tertiary education to gain employment. Unleashing their potential requires exposing talent to how software is developed in industry. “The shortage of adequately skilled software engineers would hamper the country’s ability to ride the wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and risk being left behind. This is what makes such initiatives so much more critical. As Samsung, we want to do our bit to contribute to this developmental agenda and process towards growing the South African economy,” says Hlubi Shivanda, Samsung’s Director: Business Operations and Innovation and Corporate Affairs.

In April 2022, Ocule IT hosted the graduation ceremony of the Cohort 2 Electronics Learnership, in partnership with Samsung. The event was also livestreamed via YouTube. The aim of the ceremony was to recognise the talented students that are now certified as qualified Electronics Technicians, ready to take their place at the forefront of South Africa’s ICT sector.

During the year 2021/22 Ocule IT trained 21 learners who came from different municipalities within KZN, to receive an NQF Level 4 Electronics qualification. The graduates include 14 females, which is an encouraging sign of progress as Ocule IT and Samsung continue to focus on addressing gender imbalance in the ICT sector.

Wandile Thato Ndlovu, a graduating student expressed her deepest gratitude for the programme, which “made me realise how much I enjoy learning and challenging myself”. She says she “gained tremendously in terms of knowledge, skills, fault finding and troubleshooting and is in the process of starting her own repair business because there are few women in the industry.”

Simphiwe Gama, a Cohort 1 graduate has already opened his own repair business and hopes “this partnership continues for others to gain the same knowledge that I did. It is a good start for those who are interested in starting their own companies as well as those who wants to pursue electronics as a career. “

The Electronics Learnership programme is a fully funded bursary initiative that provides for tuition, equipment and stipends. In essence, it is a comprehensive integrated skills development investment programme that prioritises the delivery of an integrated holistic package of personal, technical, entrepreneurial and business skills, aligned to meet the needs of the country’s economic development strategies.

“It is vital that we equip deserving youth with expertise and knowledge that appeals to potential employers and even inspires an entrepreneurial spirit. Ocule IT shares our long-term vision of equipping the youth to seize the opportunities that lie in a sector that is creating transformative technology that can empower more people in innovative new ways, “said Hlubi Shivanda, Director: Business Innovation Group and Corporate Affairs at Samsung South Africa.

The Electronics Technician programme aims to develop sought-after artisan skills in the fields of electronics. These artisans are trained, guided and mentored by accredited specialist providers as part of their workplace training. Trade testing and ultimately certification form an integral part of the programme. At the end of theoretical and workplace training, learners would have mastered the processes around design, manufacturing and repairing of electronic equipment and products.

“For students, this programme offers unsurpassed access both in workplace learning and in business, as it assists learners to have the ability to sustain themselves even if they were not employed. Ocule, IT in partnership with Samsung is pleased to offer an innovative and exciting programme of learning that emphasises an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge and the solution of real-life problems. We therefore thank Samsung, DTIC and all other stakeholders including employers and learners who participated in this programme, “said Sanele Gcumisa, Ocule IT: Managing Member.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 24 May 2021 – In 2018 Samsung South Africa launched its ‘Empowering Tommorrow’ bursary initiative. Now in its third successful year, 21 Million Rands in bursaries have been awarded to deserving students, who have been able to pursue a career in the fields of electronics, engineering, commerce, retail, sales and marketing. The bursaries were awarded to students of the University of Pretoria, North-West University, University of Johannesburg and the Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA), which is an agency of the Gauteng Department of Education, responsible for promoting skills development in the Gauteng City region. The GCRA identifies and selects the deserving students and administers the bursaries on Samsung’s behalf. Each of the bursaries cover the cost of one year’s study in the student’s selected field at their preferred institution of higher learning, including the provision of books, accommodation, meals and electronic devices. This is part of Samsung’s wide-ranging efforts to uplift learners and students in the country.

Almost a hundred youth from deserving communities have benefited each year from the bursary programme. Additionally, the best-performing students get the opportunity to work at Samsung as part of a leadership programme, further preparing them for a career in the ICT sector. The Samsung Empowering Tomorrow bursary initiative is aligned with Samsung’s global mission ‘Enabling People’, which is aimed at helping people discover and develop their innate potential.

Most of these students, although top performers in university, are unable to pay for their university education and there is no guarantee that they will qualify for the South African government’s National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The Empowering Tomorrow initiative provides welcome relief. In 2021, the beneficiaries of the Samsung bursary programme were also offered psycho social support. This entails resilience training, life skills and support on how to meet  social challenges that could affect their learning at university.

A very ambitious Ms. Mohau Mashilo is one one the students who benefited from the bursary programme. She says, “I matriculated from Sutherland High School after being severely injured during my matriculation year. During that period, I was out of school for about five months and had to undergo over a dozen medical procedures, extensive physio therapy, learn how to walk again and how to regain mobility in my left hand. Unfortunately, over time, my left hand was declared disabled. I was however approved ready to return to school in September 2018, even though I had not fully recovered. Many encouraged me to postpone writing my matric exams to the following year. However, I was too determined to get to university. Much to my naysayers’ surprise, I received several distinctions at the end of my matric year. The GCRA and Samsung partnership could not have come a better time for my family and I. Initially, I was oblivious of our financial situation at home and always assumed that my parents would be able to pay for my fees. However, the unexpected accident crippled my parents financially as we had depleted our medical savings and all sorts of credit facilities had to be raised to finance the many medical bills. The offer to study in any field, and at a university of my choice enabled me to enroll for a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Pretoria. I am proud to say that I have continuously performed well, consistently achieving at least six discintions in each year of my studies. I am now in my final year and am looking forward to furthering my studies to become Dr. Mohau Mashilo. I am grateful to my family who supported me during my recovery and to the GCRA and Samsung for the full bursary.  Again, I say to my naysayers – look at me now!”

The Empowering Tomorrow bursary programme will continue to seek out resilient and talented students such as Ms. Mashilo. The money will not only fund these students’ education, Samsung has also pledged to seek out possible employment opportunities for these deserving students. The on-going funding of students is dependent on the academic performance of the students as per the GCRA policy. The bursary is awarded for one year but could be renewed annually subject to the academic performance of the bursary recipient.

“We are continuously working to build on and expand the programmes we offer to young people across South Africa. Samsung is still committed to improving the use of IT technology in education, providing access to smarter learning environments to support the students’ creativity and to reduce the digital divide. We continue to strive to reduce local education gaps and turn potential into power,” says Hlubi Shivanda, Director: Business Innovation Group and Corporate Affairs at Samsung South Africa.  “We are pleased to announce that we will continue with the Samsung Bursary programme in 2021,”  says Shivanda.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 08 April 2021 – At a ceremony, held in Johannesburg on the 6th of April, Samsung awarded bursaries, totalling R2,7 million, to 30 talented young students. The event was hosted by the Premier of Gauteng, Mr David Makhura and the MEC for Education and Youth Development, Mr Panyaza Lesufi. The multimillion rand award is the third consecutive year of Samsung ‘s bursary investment to the Gauteng Department of Education. Since inception, a total of R21 million has been donated by Samsung though this programme to various academic institutions of higher learning, including the Gauteng Department of Education.

The students are residents of Gauteng and study in various universities across the country. The Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA), an agency of the Gauteng Department of Education, identifies, selects the deserving students and administers the bursaries on Samsung’s behalf. The full bursary covers the cost of one year’s study in their selected field at their preferred institution of higher learning, including the provision of electronic devices. The bursaries are awarded to graduates pursuing a career in the fields of electronics, engineering, commerce, retail, sales and marketing.

“As Samsung we believe that education, mentorship and on-the job training can open new doors for the young people of this country. Working together with the students, higher institutions of learning and Government, we can dedicate the necessary resources and time to create endless possibilities, while inspiring our youth to take their place at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is with great pride that we partner with the Gauteng Department of Education to ensure that we can empower our country’s youth to fulfil their potential,” says Hlubi Shivanda, Director: Business Innovation Group and Corporate Affairs at Samsung South Africa.

The money will not only fund these students’ education but Samsung has also pledged to seek out possible employment opportunities for these deserving students. The on-going funding of students is dependent on the academic performance of the students as per the GCRA policy. The bursary is awarded for one year but could be renewed annually subject to the academic performance of the bursary recipient. The bursaries include various areas of support to ensure successful outcomes. These include quarterly support meetings with Samsung and student liaison officers as well as academic, personal and career guidance through individual coaching and academic tutoring.

“Samsung will continue to pursue opportunities that give the youth of South Africa the tools and support to become meaningfully engaged in the economy and pursue their dreams,” concluded Shivanda.