Twenty young people in Gauteng are set to receive 12-month internship opportunities after competing in the province’s Youth Tech Expo Hackathon, with each beneficiary due to receive a R5 000 monthly stipend.
The Gauteng Department of e-Government announced the opportunities on Friday, 13 November 2026, as it recognised young people who used technology and innovation to address challenges in their communities. The announcement placed a firm focus on practical opportunities for youth, rather than only celebrating the ideas presented during the competition.
Opportunity linked to community-focused innovation
The programme’s finale produced a winning entry from Medi Reach SA in Ekurhuleni, while the West Rand Masters team took second place. The department described the projects as examples of how young people can apply creativity and technology to problems affecting communities across Gauteng.
| Position | Team | Area |
|---|---|---|
| First | Medi Reach SA | Ekurhuleni |
| Second | West Rand Masters | West Rand |
The internships are intended to give the beneficiaries exposure beyond the hackathon itself. The available information confirms the duration and stipend, but does not set out the specific workplaces, job descriptions or start dates for the placements. Those details will be important for young people planning around the opportunity and for communities tracking whether the programme delivers lasting skills.
Winners welcome the chance to learn
Frank Goliath and Cebo Sibiya, two of the beneficiaries, welcomed the announcement and expressed confidence that the placement would help them develop their abilities. Their comments reflected a common concern among young people entering the technology space: gaining access to experience, mentorship and a chance to turn ideas into useful work.
“I’m hoping to learn, and I thank, first of all, our MEC from E-Gov and Telkom for granting us this opportunity. I’m very grateful for the learnership that they will provide us so that we can invest in our communities also.”
Sibiya said the opportunity had created optimism about what could be learnt through the internship. He also pointed to the value of programmes reaching smaller communities, where young people may have fewer opportunities to connect with technology initiatives and potential employers.
“I am positive that we are going to learn a lot from this internship. I trust them because Telkom and E-Gov made this opportunity for us. They decided that they want to go to small communities like ours and give young people chances to get this opportunity.”
What the programme offers
Based on the announcement, the immediate benefits for the selected participants are:
- 12 months of internship experience;
- a monthly stipend of R5 000;
- an opportunity connected to the Youth Tech Expo Hackathon; and
- exposure to technology-focused work intended to support community investment.
The financial support is significant for participants who may otherwise struggle to take up unpaid work or training. A paid placement can help young people cover the cost of travelling to a workplace or programme site, although the department has not provided details on whether transport, equipment or other support will also be available.
From competition to workplace experience
Hackathons are often built around short, intensive periods of problem-solving. The next test for the winners will be moving from presenting an idea to working within a structured internship environment. That transition can determine whether a promising concept becomes a useful service, a stronger project or a stepping stone into further employment.
The Gauteng department’s announcement also signals an attempt to connect provincial technology initiatives with areas beyond the province’s major business centres. With the top two teams coming from Ekurhuleni and the West Rand, the competition has put the spotlight on innovation emerging from different parts of Gauteng.
The number of beneficiaries, the stipend and the 12-month duration provide a clear outline of the commitment announced so far. Further information will be needed on the host organisations, selection process, performance requirements and what happens when the internships end. Those details will help establish how the programme measures success and whether participants move into further training, employment or enterprise development.
For now, the announcement gives 20 young people a defined period in which to build workplace experience while continuing to develop technology-based solutions for local communities. The message from the winners is equally clear: access remains central, and opportunities that reach smaller communities can broaden Gauteng’s technology pipeline.
