On 15 January 2026, the Students Affairs Council Committee (SAC), continued to fulfil one of its key mandates: ensuring that University students have a supportive environment. According to the SAC Chair, Sandile Mbonambi, SAC provides oversight on student affairs matters, “which include, but are not limited to, student accommodation, student transport, general student wellness, and student life in general”. On 15 January 2026, SAC visited some of the student residences off campus. Explaining the purpose of the visit, Mbonambi said it was “to assess the state of readiness on the ground for the 2026 academic year”.
During a short meeting the SAC members held at the University before leaving for the external, outsourced residences, Mbonambi said they preferred not to rely on reports; they wanted to see “what was happening on the ground”.. He added that they wanted to assess the quality of the services that the University was offering to the students, who “are our primary clients”. In June 2024, SAC visited internal residences, Campus Clinic, the Library, the Student Centre, the Sports field, and other facilities that offer services to the students. Mbonambi said that during the recent visit, the committee noted several issues related to the quality of service MUT renders to “our clients.”
Some of these issues are due to maintenance. Mbonambi said they also noted some positives. Some residences are in good condition. We have requested management to ensure that all issues raised are addressed as a matter of urgency to improve the quality of the services offered to students, since most of the issues that were raised were purely operational in the main,” Mbonambi said. SAC also wanted to ensure that the systems, processes, and resources in place are adequate for a safe, healthy learning and living environment for students.
Mbonambi added that it was “very important for this recently constituted Council to know the realities of the services that are rendered to the students, and the quality thereof”. Mbonambi highlighted that it was essential for both Council and MUT Management to witness for themselves the realities that are affecting the students. The Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Dr Anette Mienie, and Registrar, Dr Karen Lazenby, were part of the team that visited the residences. Others were some members of the Council who are part of SAC, and some MUT divisions that deal with student matters.