TİKA Implemented Goldsmithery and Jewelry Design Vocational School Project in South Africa

With the support of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the Goldsmithery and Jewelry Design Vocational School was opened in the town of Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa.

TİKA installed the gas system and provided all the equipment for two classrooms at the Mdantsane Goldsmithery and Jewelry Design Vocational School, which was established in cooperation with the NGO named TASCI (The African Show Coalition Institute).

The Mdantsane Goldsmithery and Jewelry Design Vocational School became ready for education after South Africa’s Mining Qualification Authority (MQA) inspected the school, issued certificates and examined candidate students. The school stands out as the first school in the Eastern Cape Region to receive the MQA certificate.

Education and scholarship opportunities

101 students who pass the exam will attend the jewelry design training with brass and copper in the first year. Students who complete the silversmithing course in the second year and the goldsmithing course in the third year will graduate. The MQA will provide scholarships to students during their training.

An opening ceremony was held

The Deputy Mayor of Buffalo City, Helen Neale-May; Türkiye’s Ambassador to Pretoria, Ayşegül Kandaş; TİKA’s Coordinator in Pretoria, Abdulkadir Abukan; the Head of TASCI, Bathandwa Kwababa, local authorities and local press attended the opening ceremony held at the Mdantsane Goldsmithery and Jewelry Design Vocational School.

Head of TASCI, Kwababa expressed her gratitude to TİKA for helping realize a dream. Deputy Mayor of Buffalo City, Neale-May also expressed her appreciation for the projects Türkiye has been implementing in their region and thanked the Turkish people.

TİKA’s Coordinator in South Africa, Abukan emphasized the importance of vocational education in South Africa, which has been struggling with high unemployment and school dropout rates. He noted the need for quality craftsmanship in Türkiye’s growing jewelry sector.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Kandaş stated that TİKA has been actively operating in all regions of South Africa with development projects, and she underlined TİKA’s initiatives especially those aimed at women and youth.

About Mdantsane

The town of Mdantsane, where the vocational school is located, is the second most densely populated suburb in South Africa with a population of 2.2 million. This situation causes very high unemployment rates. It is estimated that vocational training in Jewelry Design will help reduce unemployment and increase the local processing capacity of South Africa’s rich natural underground resources.