A PhD scoop for an MUT alumnus – and mega projects in the pipeline
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A PhD scoop for an MUT alumnus – and mega projects in the pipeline

Dr Pat Sifiso Mazibuko, a MUT electrical engineering graduate, has graduated with a PhD in Management of Technology and Innovation from the esteemed Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management. His thesis was titled: “Safety cultures within energy utilities: a developing socio-economic perspective”.  Dr Mazibuko appreciates the strong foundation he received at MUT between 1988 and 1990 when he studied for a Diploma in Electrical Engineering. Had he not been given relevant industry training at MUT, he would have not achieved the many accolades he has earned.

Dr Mazibuko is currently Project Director for the construction of Eskom’s R161 billion   Kusile Power Station, the largest mega-project in Africa. Once completed it will be the fourth-largest coal-fired power station in the world. The project will include a power station precinct, administrative buildings, a high-voltage yard, a coal stockyard, coal and ash conveyors, water-supply pipelines, water and wastewater treatment facilities, ash disposal systems, a railway line, limestone off-loading facilities, access roads, dams for water storage, as well as a railway siding.

At the Acting Vice-Chancellor’s alumni dinner on 17 November 2017 in Johannesburg, Dr Mazibuko assured MUT Executive Management of his commitment to mentoring MUT students in the area of leadership development. This commitment resonated with the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof Marcus Ramogale’s vision of positioning MUT as an entrepreneurial University and making MUT students future entrepreneurs.

Throughout his career, Dr Mazibuko has taken young engineering graduates along with him. He has mentored and coached several junior management trainees, engineers and technicians – some of whom are fellow MUT graduates. Dr Mazibuko’s work requires him to keep up with international trends and to implement best practice, which is why he has been to the UK, Germany, France, Italy and other countries for benchmarking purposes and to hone his skills as a world-class professional. It is indeed an honour to see esteemed executives such as Dr Mazibuko making time to reconnect with and reinvest in their alma mater.

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