Sol Plaatje University (SPU) student Thandeka Tembo, a Bachelor of Education honours student, is the first SPU student to be selected as a Siyaphumelela DREAM Scholar. She is one of eight students from universities across South Africa chosen as 2026 DREAM Scholars, and she opened the 2026 Siyaphumelela Conference with the first presentation of the programme.
The Siyaphumelela Conference, hosted by Saide, is a national platform that brings together practitioners, institutional leaders, researchers, funders, partners and students to strengthen student success through data, evidence and equitable opportunity. SPU takes part as a partner institution. At the 2026 conference, the University contributed to several sessions, including the Investing in Education Roundtable, a data literacy workshop, a plenary panel on the Siyaphumelela work, and presentations on student support. SPU was also recognised for its administration of the Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool and for hosting a Capacity Café in its second year of Siyaphumelela activities.
Previous SPU nominees attended the conference in 2024 and 2025, but Tembo is the first SPU student selected for the national scholar platform. For her contribution, she presented an “I Am” poem titled “The Unspoken Bloom”, a reflection on identity, growth and the process of becoming.
“It was an honour and something I never imagined would happen,” said Tembo. “Being chosen to represent my university reminded me that my voice matters. It also showed me that leadership is not always about being the loudest person in the room, but about being willing to share your story in a way that can make a difference.”
Through the poem, she wanted to remind higher education leaders that student success cannot be measured by academic results alone. She credited SPU with helping to shape her confidence and voice, pointing to opportunities such as serving as a peer advisor, working as a tutor and taking part in University open days.
SPU’s Siyaphumelela Institutional Lead, Mr Lerato Sekonyela, said the achievement reflects the University’s growing contribution to the national student success agenda. “It shows our growing influence in the national conversation about student success, and gives a personal face to the data and strategies we are implementing to help our students succeed,” he said.
The recognition opens further opportunities for Tembo, including participation in the 30th Poetry Africa Festival and the possibility of attending the Achieving the Dream Conference in Columbus, Ohio, in February 2027.
“I hope people remember that student voices deserve to be heard, not just consulted,” said Tembo. “Behind every student number is a human being who is still becoming, and with the right support, students can achieve more than they ever imagined.”
