Today, 5 December 2025, is the last day of the 17th World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) South Africa Summer School on Intellectual Property (IP) and Transfer of Technology, hosted by MUT off campus. Dr Mandla Hlongwane, Deputy Director: Technology Transfer in the Research directorate, describe the event as a “flagship international programme that brings together students, young professionals, researchers, and practitioners from South Africa and beyond to deepen their understanding of the strategic role of intellectual property in innovation, economic development, and societal advancement”.
On 1 December 2025, the first day of the second week, while everyone was captivated by a lively presentation by Professor Sadulla Karjiker, the Anton Mostert Chair of Intellectual Property Law at the Stellenbosch University who gave an overview of copyright. The day belonged to the learners from these five high schools: Sidelile High, Menzi High, Mqhawe High, Sibusisiwe Comprehensive High and Qinisani High, from in and around Durban. During the High School Innovation Challenge Competition (HSICC), as was said by the judges, all the schools did very well. Dr Hlongwane said that the HSICC has become an important platform for nurturing early-stage innovators and exposing young minds to the transformative power of IP. “The 2025 edition marked one of the most successful iterations to date, reflecting the growing appetite among high-school learners to develop solutions that address real societal challenges within their communities,” said Dr Hlongwane.
Dr Hlongwane explained why the schools did so well. “Additionally, a dedicated Design Thinking workshop prepared learners for the final pitch. During this workshop, they explored human-centred problem-solving, empathised with the needs of beneficiaries in their communities, defined problem statements and ideated innovative concepts. By the time they reached the pitch stage on 1 December 2025, the learners had both the technical and creative grounding to articulate their ideas clearly and confidently.”
Sidelile High School from Magabheni Township, in the south coast of Durban, excelled. The grade 11 presentation by learners from this school was on providing a solution to the human trafficking problem. The learners gave details about how the gadget they created would provide a solution to the problem. The project is a device especially made for children. The judges and the audience were blown away. The learners responded to all the judges’ questions with greatest of clarity possible. One of the questions asked was to which Sustainable Development Goals they were responding to. They won by a mile! All that is needed now is sourcing funding for their project. Smanga Shezi, Physical Sciences teacher, and project manager, said the grade 11 learners trained from June when the MUT team visited the school. “The MUT team were a special help; they were with us from the beginning. A special thank you to Portia [Dlamini], who helped us every step of the way,” Shezi said. The grade 11 learners were chosen for their different skills, from drawing, computer skills, presenting skills to sell the project, came up with the idea. Shezi was working with Nomusa Gumbi who teaches IsiZulu and is a class teacher. The school won R15 000.
The second place went to Sibusisiwe High School, whose idea was a solution to power outage that affects homes, the police station, the clinic and the schools in the area. Mqhawe High School’s presentation earned them the third position. Their idea provides a solution to sea water pollution. Qinisani High School’s idea also provides possible solution to water problems. They took the fourth position. The last position went to Menzi High School. The learners from Menzi High proposed a solution to power outage problem. Their Technology teacher, Slindile Dlamini said that they would like to extend sincere appreciation for the opportunity and the recognition it brings. “This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our learners, we are truly honoured to have been selected. The prize will have a significant impact on our school, and we will cherish this recognition. We are grateful for the support and look forward to continuing to make a positive impact,” said Dlamini.