The Free State government is now distancing itself from assisting some of the graduates who were part of the provincial government’s international bursary programme.

Beneficiaries of the programme, that was the brainchild of former Premier Ace Magashule, have been left in distress.

Magashule initially introduced the programme in 2010 during his State of the Province Address, where he emphasised that the provincial government would continue its relations with some countries to benefit from their expertise. Thirty years into democracy, some of the medical graduates who were in the first cohort to be sent to China in 2014, have been told they’re on their own now, as those who were responsible for the programme, are no longer in government. 

The Free State government sent the first two students to study in China, in 2013. The following year, the number grew.

One hundred and ninety-four students were sent to Cuba, 316 to China and 40 to Türkiye.

Baile Motsamai is a qualified medical doctor, who was among the group that went to China in 2014. She spent 10 years abroad, studying for a qualification that is now deemed useless. The 34-year-old thought the opportunity would change her family’s life. However, she now feels it’s 10 wasted years.  

Reflecting on her experience, Motsamai explains, “I studied in China, at Shanxi province. I studied MBBS, which means Medical, Clinical Medicine. I am a doctor. It was supposed to be eight years, but due to COVID-19 and the repatriation, we had to come back home. So, for three years, we did everything online. But then I had to go back in 2022. After that, everything we did online had to be repeated because you can’t become a doctor through online studies. You have to do it again in person and the marks we obtained online had to be verified offline. So, that added an extra year, but I completed it this year.” 

Despite the challenges, Motsamai’s dedication to completing her degree shines through. However, she is left to ponder whether the decade she spent abroad truly had the transformative impact she had hoped for.

“I thought the opportunity would change my family’s life,” she admits, “but now I feel it’s 10 wasted years.” 

In 2015, 212 medical students were said to be studying in Cuba, with another 37 studying Medicine, Civil Engineering and International Trade in Türkiye.

When Motsamai left South Africa in 2014, she first had to study Mandarin for year, China’s official language, before she could start with her medical degree. 

“We left the country 2014 and then we were at a rural area which is basically it’s a university for language, specifically for language, we studied language for a year and six months. It was nice, learning Chinese was not difficult. It’s a simple language but when you see it on TV and listen you might say it’s difficult but it’s not difficult. It was a nice experience; we never came across any obstacles and no challenges besides working hard and studying.” 

By 2015, more than 500 students were reported to be studying at various international universities. Medicine in Cuba, Pharmacology in India, Engineering, International Trade and Economics in Türkiye, Nuclear Science in Russia and Geology in Germany among others.

Motsamai got demoralized when she discovered what her studies in the Asian country differed from those offered in South Africa. She says chronic diseases like HIV and Aids are not major health concerns in China, so she was provided with minimal knowledge of the disease. 

“Now I came back, I graduated the sad part is that when I went to the department, I was told that I’m on my own now, because the people who were in charge of our scholarship, they’re no longer there, some of them are on pension, so nobody is going to assist, so we’re on our own. I don’t know a way forward from now but I have also given up that I’ll never practice as a doctor because it’s expensive to apply to the educational commissioner to approve the degree and also to apply for the board exam and then also you must write the motivational letter for the University of Free State to be an intern to practice and then the government they did not register us you know, with the HPCSA. So, we are unknown, it’s a long procedure. I’m frustrated honestly but it is what it is, it’s 10 years of wasted time seriously.” Motsamai adds. 

Dr Magome Masike is the Registrar for the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). 

“The Health Professions Council of South Africa has a mandate of protecting the public and guiding professionals. This mandate is achieved for setting standards of education and training and professional practice. Registration of those that meet the standard of education and training, ensuring continued professional development of all registered practitioners and ensuring compliance with standards of professional practice and ethics. All foreign qualified practitioners, regardless of their race or nationality, go through an assessment by the board. The assessment is in terms of Section 25 of the Act. The reason for such an assessment is to assess the practitioner’s education, training, ethics and their skills. To work at a health facility in South Africa, the health professionals must be properly registered and if they are foreign nationals, they must have had correct visa status and foreign workforce endorsement,” says Dr Masike.

Magashule continued sending students to study abroad during his tenure and former Premier Sisi Ntombela carried on where her predecessor left off. She announced in 2020 that 117 Cuban-trained medical students had completed their 18-month integration programme. The last time the programme was officially mentioned was in 2022 and former Premier Mxolisi Dukwana revealed in 2023 that they needed to do away with the old ways. 

It’s still unclear why the current 7th administration is distancing itself from the programme and has refused to comment on whether they’re continuing with their international relations.

Thirty years into democracy, beneficiaries such as Motsamai, have been left to share their disappointment in the programme, that was deemed a profound legacy by Magashule.