On March 26, 2013, under the attendance and witness of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Confucius Institute (CI) at Durban University of Technology (DUT) was jointly established by Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and Durban University of Technology. This was the first Confucius Institute witnessed by President Xi Jinping during his diplomatic visit as China's new Head of state, and it is the only Confucius Institute in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, the second-largest province in South Africa.
Since its official operation in February 2014, the DUT CI has been committed to meeting the enthusiastic needs of the local South African people for understanding Chinese culture and learning Chinese, adapting to local practical demands by conducting Chinese language education and cultural exchange activities. Its aim is to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and South African peoples, strengthen educational and cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and South Africa, and promote humanistic exchanges between the two nations. At the same time, the DUT CI has been actively developing the Chinese+ Vocational Skills and Technical Training programs, exploring the university-enterprise cooperation model, and creating opportunities of employment and entrepreneurship for learners. Currently, the DUT CI has gradually developed into an influential Chinese language teaching center in the Durban region and an important platform for multi-field cooperation between China and South Africa.
In 2017, the DUT CI was honored as The Confucius Institute of Year”. In December 2020, the Chinese International Education Foundation officially approved the application of the DUT CI for the establishment of a Chinese+ Vocational Skills and Technical Training Center as a global model Confucius Institute project. This model institute will be a pioneering one-stop service center, providing language teaching, cultural experiences, as well as technical, innovative, and entrepreneurial support, guiding the Confucius Institute towards a new and distinctive development path. It will be market-oriented, helping Chinese language learners to acquire useful skills and make contributions to enhancing cultural exchanges between the two countries and serving the local economic development.
In August 2023, in reply to a letter from the faculty and students of the DUT CI, Chinese President Xi Jinping encouraged them to learn the Chinese language well and contribute to carrying forward the China-South Africa friendship and promoting friendly cooperation between the two countries.
Website: https://www.dut.ac.za/academic/confucius-institute/