The Shoprite Foundation and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) launched their first jointly funded robotics laboratory at the Siyifunile Secondary School in Dullstroom, Mpumalanga on 12 March. The lab will provide students with hands-on experience in robotics and digital literacy, supporting future-ready learning across the region.

According to Maude Modise, Director of the Shoprite Foundation, the Mpumalanga lab forms part of the Foundation’s broader education and skills development strategy.

“Expanding our robotics programme into Mpumalanga strengthens our focus on building digital capability within the schooling system, building on the four labs already established in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. We are intentional about creating interventions that support progression through high school rather than isolated exposure. The aim is to establish a clear learning track that develops problem-solving, digital fluency and future-facing skills in a sustained way.”

- Maude Modise, Director of the Shoprite Foundation

The lab introduces a structured pathway from Grade 8 to matric. Grades 8 and 9 will follow curriculum-aligned Coding and Robotics in the formal school timetable, while Grades 10 to 12 take part in an after-school programme focused on AI and career readiness.

The partnership combines the Shoprite Foundation’s experience in education and skills development with the DBSA’s mandate to build long-term educational and digital capacity, expanding access to structured technology learning at both school and community level.

Chief Economist and Group Executive: Strategy and Sustainability at the DBSA Zeph Nhleko stated, “This initiative is more than the handover of a lab; it is the activation of a transformative ecosystem that integrates infrastructure, digital skills development and community empowerment.”

“We believe infrastructure must create opportunity. Through partnerships that combine our catalytic capital with partners’ technical expertise, we are helping equip young people with the digital skills they need to participate in a technology-driven economy.”

- Zeph Nhleko, Chief Economist and Group Executive: Strategy and Sustainability at the DBSA

Sifiso EdTech, the Shoprite Foundation’s implementation partner, is responsible for curriculum alignment, educator training and embedding Coding and Robotics into the Grades 8 and 9 timetable in line with CAPS. Social Coding South Africa delivers the DBSA-supported after-school AI and career-readiness programme for Grades 10 to 12, guiding learners through applied projects, innovation challenges and exposure to competition and workplace environments.

“Every element of the lab is designed to be technically sound and integrated into the school timetable,” says Xoliswa Mahlangu, Head of Digital Learning and Technology at Sifiso EdTech.

“Our modules develop critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication and computer literacy, ensuring the lab is an active learning environment,” adds Thembiso Magajana, Founder of Social Coding South Africa.

The launch highlights the Shoprite Foundation and the DBSA’s commitment to equipping learners with practical skills and early exposure to technology, preparing them for future opportunities in a digital economy.

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