About Walter Sisulu
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Email Address:
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Mthatha: 047 502 2100
Butterworth: 047 401 6000
East London: 043 702 9200
Potsdam: 043 708 5200
Chiselhurst: 043 709 4000
1. No Poverty
In the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu achieved exceptional global and regional recognition for its contribution to ending poverty, ranking 68th globally, 5th in Africa, and 3rd in South Africa specifically under SDG 1: No Poverty. As a predominantly rural institution in the Eastern Cape, over 75% of the student body originates from the lowest national income quintiles (bottom 20% household income).
Research on Poverty & Sustainable Livelihoods
- Global Knowledge Partnership (G20 EMPOWER). iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu served as an official Knowledge Partner for the G20 EMPOWER Best Practices Playbook 2025, gathering and analysing international data to drive women's economic participation, financial independence, and poverty reduction across G20 nations.
- Indigenous Climate & Rural Livelihood Research. In partnership with the University of the Free State (UFS), the university conducts research into indigenous socio-economic resilience strategies to mitigate climate change impacts on rural livelihoods in the former Transkei.
- Land Reform & Agri-Preneurship Studies. Research led by Public Management academics examines structural barriers to land access for female agri-preneurs in the Eastern Cape, positioning agricultural land reform as a driver for local economic growth and poverty reduction.
Proportion of Low-Income Students Receiving Financial Aid
- National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) Access. More than 75% of all enrolled students —all drawn from families earning under R350,000 in the bottom national income distribution —receive NSFAS support covering tuition, accommodation, food, and learning materials. Total NSFAS funding transfers to the university reached R2.55 billion in 2024, providing financial access to higher education for historically disadvantaged student populations.
- Postgraduate Financial Relief & Council Bursaries. Council Postgraduate Bursary Fund: Allocated R1.97 million to financially support 107 high-achieving postgraduate students facing financial distress (6 Doctoral, 41 Master's, 64 Honours). Grow-Your-Own-Timber (GYOT) Initiative: Provided R864,000 in stipends and mentorship for 24 postgraduate beneficiaries pursuing academic careers. Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Stipends: Allocated R7.675 million to provide R4,000 monthly stipends to 125 students completing practical industry placements.
- Financial Concessions & Special Cases. Joint Council and Campus SRC initiatives cleared financially vulnerable students with prior debt to register, directly assisting 254 students at Buffalo City Campus, 342 students at Ibika, 225 students at Komani, and 666 students at Mthatha. The university actively manages R26.13 million in DHET Missing Middle Grant reserves to subsidise fee increases for students who exceed NSFAS income thresholds but cannot afford tuition.
University Anti-Poverty Programmes & Student Welfare
- WSU NO! to Student Hunger Campaign. Read the story. Spearheaded by the Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC) and the Vice - Chancellor's Office to support financially vulnerable students not covered by NSFAS funding. Raised an additional R2.2 million to supplement R800,000 in existing commitments (R300,000 from ISRC and R500,000 from the VC Office), establishing a R3 million fund providing food parcels to over 3,000 students.
- Emergency Food Security Distributions. ISRC and Student Affairs distributed emergency food parcels and food vouchers benefiting 1,500 students across all four campuses. Established an institutional Food Security Project framework (2026 –2030) to ensure ongoing nutrition support and prevent academic dropouts caused by financial distress.
- GreenGrow Urban Agriculture & #StretchMyRand Movement. Read the story. Interdisciplinary urban farming initiative under the Faculty of Natural Sciences where students grow their own vegetable crops across residences to combat food insecurity. Evolved from the World Food Day #StretchMyRand campaign, which distributed R100 healthy food vouchers to teach financial budgeting and sustainable eating.
Community Anti-Poverty Programmes & Entrepreneurship Assistance
- NEMISA & WSU Cellphone Repair Training (Lusikisiki). Read the story. Coordinated by the WSU eSkills CoLab in Lusikisiki, this 4-week program trained 30 rural youth and unemployed graduates in digital entrepreneurship, technical repair, and business registration with National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) grant support, repair toolkits, and 12 weeks of mentorship.
- Alumni Graduate Entrepreneurship Competition. Read the story. The Alumni Relations Office raised R25,000 at an alumni reunion to launch an entrepreneurship competition for unemployed graduates, offering seed grants (1st Prize: R12,000; 2nd Prize: R8,000; 3rd Prize: R5,000) and mentorship to drive self-employment.
- Cannabis Essential Oil Rural Enterprise Workshop. Read the story. Hosted in Kieskammahoek in partnership with DRDAR, UFH, and the NRF, training Burnshill community farmers in cannabis oil extraction, strain selection, and business licensing to stimulate rural micro-enterprises and local employment.
- SMAFED & FEWCOOP Rural Aquaculture Co-operatives. Read the story. The Sustainable Marine and Freshwater Resource Management and Economic Development (SMAFED) research unit partnered with the OR Tambo Cooperative Development Centre to construct solar-powered recirculating aquaculture systems and aquaponics farms, creating income and food security for rural youth, women, and persons with disabilities.
- NTG Solutions Scarce-Skills Training. Read the story. Partnered with NTG Solutions to provide accredited NQF Level 5 scarce-skills training, Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) placement, and R3,000 monthly stipends to 150 unemployed youth in Mthatha.
- SAAPAM Student Disaster & Flood Relief. Read the story. Student Public Administration chapter launched a community donation drive delivering emergency food, clothing, and blankets to displaced families in Mthatha West's Slovo informal settlement following severe regional flooding.
- "Adopt-a-District" Community Policy Engagement. Read the story. Signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) adopting the Nyandeni sub-district to deploy university technical expertise toward local economic development and community poverty alleviation.
This account is drawn from the iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu Sustainability Impact Progress Report, prepared against the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings methodology.
The Sustainable Development Goals icons are United Nations marks, used here for information. The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States. Read the Sustainable Development Goals.
