Deputy Minister Mhlauli joins Minister Manamela for Freedom Day BackChat Conversation

The Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, will join the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, for a Freedom Day BackChat Conversation focused on the constitutional rights of students and the responsibilities required to realise them.

Held as part of Freedom day activities, the engagement will be anchored on the theme:
“Beyond Fee-Free Education: Are constitutional imperatives Honouring the rights of students?”

This year’s BackChat shifts the focus from abstract notions of freedom to a more urgent and grounded inquiry: What does the Constitution promise students? What responsibilities does it impose on all of us? Where is the gap between that promise and lived realities of students and what must be done by government, institutions of higher education, and students themselves, to close it?

The conversation will interrogate whether the post-school education and training sector is fully honouring the rights guaranteed under the Constitution and what is required to give effect to these rights in practice.

BackChat platform will bring together a diverse cohort of students from universities, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, and Community Education and Training (CET) institutions. The platform provides a space for open dialogue between students and government leaders to engage in conversation on important issues affecting students which can be used to formulate policies.

Media Participation:

Members of the media are invited to follow a live-streamed BackChat conversation in commemoration of Freedom Day, featuring the Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, alongside the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela.

Date: Monday, 27 April 2026
Time: 18h00
Platform: YouTube (Live Stream)

Media enquiries: Mandisa Mbele on 082 580 2213 / MandisaM@Presidency.gov.za OR Matshepo Seedat on 082 679 9473 / Seedat.M@dhet.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria