As MUT celebrated the first 100 days of Professor Rushiella Songca’s leadership, one of the long-awaited plans on people stewardship at MUT presentations came from the Senior Director of Human Resources and Development, Sipho Mgedezi. Mgedezi outlined a strategic vision for a people-centred HR&D function that places institutional culture, employee experience, and human dignity at the heart of organisational success.
Mgedezi emphasised that the success of IGNITE 2030 and the University’s broader transformation agenda would depend not only on policies and systems, but more importantly, on the people who bring those aspirations to life.
Central to Mgedezi’s presentation was a commitment to strengthening HR governance, compliance, accountability, and performance monitoring while ensuring that the Human Resources and Development Division translates strategy into measurable, outcome-driven actions. He highlighted the need for an effective HR agenda that supports institutional priorities while building a resilient workforce capable of responding to the evolving higher education landscape.
However, it was his call for a human-centric organisational culture that resonated strongly with attendees. “Culture is everyone’s business and is driven by people,” he said. “Culture is what people experience every day. It is shaped in the small moments.”
Mgedezi noted that organisational culture is often defined not only by major decisions, but by everyday interactions that collectively shape employees’ experiences of the workplace. “A good culture is often damaged not only by what people do, but by what others allow, excuse or ignore,” he observed.
Mgedezi pointed to seemingly ordinary workplace moments that have a significant impact on trust, morale, and employee well-being: when conflict is left unresolved, when emails go unanswered, when concerns are raised but dismissed, or when employees feel unheard. Such experiences, he argued, can undermine efforts to build a positive and inclusive institutional environment.
The envisioned people-centred HR&D model seeks to foster a workplace characterised by fairness, respect, accountability, employee well-being, and meaningful engagement. The approach recognises that staff members are not merely contributors to institutional performance, but are central partners in achieving the University’s strategic goals.
The presentation aligned closely with Professor Songca’s leadership philosophy, which has emphasised listening, engagement, and relationship-building. It also reinforced the growing recognition that universities thrive when their people feel valued, supported, and empowered to contribute meaningfully to institutional success.
The presentation served as both a reflection and a call to action, reminding the MUT community that culture is not created by policy documents alone, but through the everyday choices, behaviours, and relationships that define the institution’s lived experience.