In 1844 at the age of 15 Soga received a scholarship to Lovedale Missionary Institution located from Chumie. Soga's education was interrupted by the "War of the Axe" in 1846 and he and his mother were forced to take refuge in nearby Fort Armstrong. The principal of Lovedale, the Revd William Govan, decided to return home to Scotland and offered to pay the way for Soga to come with him and seek higher education. Nosuthu agreed to let her son go. Not knowing if she would ever see him again, she said: "my son belongs to God; wherever he goes God is with him…he is as much in God's care in Scotland as he is here with me".