Masibambane College in South Africa - a Viennese success story

Masibambane College in South Africa celebrates its 30^th anniversary in May 2026. The City of Vienna made a significant contribution to the establishment of this educational institution in 1996. This support enabled the NGO Education Africa, based in Johannesburg, to build the Masibambane College Primary School, in cooperation with the public school St John's College.

Following the end of apartheid and the first democratic elections in South Africa, the City of Vienna decided to support the country in overcoming the consequences of racism and poverty. As the black majority of the population was excluded from education, investing in the school sector was an obvious choice.

The Orange Farm township, a suburb of Johannesburg, particularly affected by illiteracy and unemployment in 1996, was chosen as the location for the newly founded Masibambane College. Between 1996 and 2007, the City of Vienna financed the construction of school buildings with several instalments totalling 933,124.64 euros. This laid an important foundation for the education of young people in South Africa.

The Anglican diocesan school initially began as a primary school. In 2010, Masibambane College High School officially opened. With the introduction of sixth form education, Masibambane College has developed into a high-quality educational institution. What began with just 20 children has grown to provide a solid education to 1,200 pupils every year and has done so for a long time without further funding from the City of Vienna. In 2013, the first class of Masibambane College graduated with a 100 per cent pass rate.

Education Africa

The project partner in Johannesburg is Education Africa, a recognised NGO founded in 1992. It has branches in the USA, the UK, Germany and Vienna as well as the non-profit organisation Friends of Education Africa in Vienna.

The guiding principle is "Making real change happen - fighting poverty through education", because education leads to a growing economy and more democracy. The empowerment of communities is particularly important, those affected lend a hand themselves and are thus significantly involved in the success of a project. This means that not only the pupils, but also the surrounding community should benefit.