If tradition is anything to go by, close to 200 delegates are expected to attend the annual Empowered Administrators Conference that will be at Elangeni Hotel, Durban, from 18-19 September 2025. To date, 170 office administrators have registered for the conference, with 85 having already paid the conference fee. Fifty-six of these are attending the EAC for the first time. One of the delegates will be Sushi Moodley, Personal Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor, at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). Moodley, a returning delegate, who described the event as a “must attend”, has given her assurance that she will attend. Absolutely, I am attending the annual conference. It is a highlight of the year for me. I shared my payment details, etc, yesterday,” Moodley said. Moodley is one of the 32 delegates from DUT, the largest number from a single organisation. Second, after the DUT, Stellenbosch University is sending 16 staff members to the conference. The third-largest number of delegates is from the University of Fort Hare and the University of Venda, with both institutions bringing 14 delegates each. Also to note is a delegate from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Taiwo Olunubi will travel 7 351 2 kilometres to be empowered by speakers such as Sandile Mahlaba, a Microsoft Specialist, and Danielle Venter, a Smart Technology Guru, among others.
The 2025 EAC will see delegates and presenters discussing the most relevant issues of the present time, under the theme called ‘Revolutionising Office Support for a Smarter Future’. The Founder and Co-convenor of the EAC, Mbali Mkhize, said they chose this theme because it is the most relevant to what should be happening in the administrative offices now. “Putting together the EAC programme every year is not easy. There are two important issues that we need to consider every year we assemble the programme; what skills are required by the office administrators to execute their duties; and who are the best individuals that can arm them with such skills. That means we need to scan the field properly, to find out what skills are required, and who the experts in those fields are. This is not an easy job. But we do it because not only the office administrators need those skills; their organisations and the general economy do as well,” said Mkhize.