“Hebe, usuthu.” This is how MUT students greeted the University’s new Chancellor, Sandile Zungu, when he walked into the marquee to greet some of the guests, who attended his installation and investiture on Friday, 17 March 2023. With his reputation for humility and being humble, it was not surprising that Zungu was immediately drawn to the students who were chanting “hebe, usuthu”. The contagious chant is Zungu’s Amazulu Football Club’s rallying cry. But “hebe, usuthu” has deeper roots as one of the most salient features of Zulu cultural identity and tradition. Its magical power lies in the fact that it so easy to chant that even two-year-olds can do it, and they do.

To say that the University community welcomed Zungu with open arms is an understatement. Given that the institution is a few kilometres away from his home where he grew up, and that of his football team, one could be forgiven for saying the university rolled out its symbolic carpet for the local entrepreneur.

Zungu has recharged MUT’s batteries of hope to full capacity. His association with MUT holds the promise that more high-level stakeholders will want to be associated with MUT. This will bring depth and breadth to MUT and give the university’s mantra ‘show me your friends, I will tell you who you are’ new meaning.

MUT Founder, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, celebrated this year’s Human Rights Day (21 March) in a style that befits his contribution to the fight against oppression and the empowerment of humanity. The holiday was an appropriate date for the inaugural Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Annual Lecture at the Durban International Convention Centre.

A major drawcard for the event, which saw over 1000 attendees from all sectors, was the guest speaker, His Excellency, Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In his address, former President Obasanjo, traced the history of South Africa from apartheid to revolution and to democracy, and the life and times of Prince Buthelezi. He mentioned facts and historical developments peppered with anecdotal accounts of the days gone by when political affiliations were questioned, and rooms bugged.

Prince Buthelezi was recognised in his various roles, as President Emeritus and Founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation, politician extraordinaire, conservationist, fervent Christian, and freedom fighter.

Such a milestone would not have been complete without the presence of the MUT Founder himself, Prince Buthelezi, whose life and achievements were being celebrated. Prince Buthelezi offered the final remarks.

The event attracted prominent state representatives and representatives from several consulates in South Africa. His Majesty, the King of the Zulu nation, King MisuZulu kaZwelithini, graced the lecture. MUT was represented by Dr Connie Israel, Executive Director: Institutional Advancement at the University.

Dr Israel said the event was memorable, and that the rendition of the African Union Anthem, along with that of South Africa. She added that the annual lecture, which was hosted by the Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Foundation, was befitting of the Founder’s track record of uplifting society.

As part of its Human Rights’ Month celebrations, MUT will host well-known Womanity (Women in Unity) activist, Dr Amaleya Goneos-Malka, who will present a seminar on women’s rights at the university. In her seminar, titled, ‘Journey to Equality’, Dr Goneos-Malka will share some of the lessons from female leaders and propose suggestions to advance equality. “It is important that we start celebrating human rights, through the lens of women”, she said.

The celebration will entail re-focusing women’s rights as not being different from human rights. This is particularly important in South Africa where women’s struggles against Gender-Based Violence have often been seen as separate from the struggles for universal human rights. The seminar will bring various organisations together.

Dr Goneos-Malka is a highly experienced professional in the field of gender equality. She holds a track record of more than 20 years of industry experience. She held a wide range of demanding roles; including working in various South African major banks, as well as multinationals such as Procter & Gamble, Samsung, Kraft/Mondelez, Nestlé, Nissan, Fiat, and RIM BlackBerry.

The session will be chaired by the Director of Student Counselling at MUT, Gender Activist, and Higher Education Leadership and Management (HELM) Alumnus, Dr Paulette Naidoo.

The webinar will take place on Tuesday,28 March 2023, from 12h30-13h30 on Microsoft Teams

As the effects of climate change are felt across the world, many experts fear that underprivileged communities will bear the brunt. The unpredictable weather patterns could lead to food insecurity, with smallholder farmers and subsistence farmers being the worst affected. Maximising agricultural production is no longer just the pursuit of major farmers, but it is also a matter of food on the table for subsistence smallholder farmers.

For MUT, this presents an opportunity to partner with leading global players. This is the approach that Dr Eric Mthembu, MUT’s Head of the Department of Community Extension, has adopted. He used his international networks for the good of MUT and its surrounding communities. On 20 March 2023, a strategic meeting took place with potential partners, Dr Terry Hofecker, Chief Technology Officer, Soil1 LLC, Ohio, USA, and Sandile Mkhwanazi, a social entrepreneur working with US missionaries responsible for the upliftment of historically disadvantaged communities in KwaZulu-Natal.

Dr Hofecker said: “I am here to explore international collaborations on agricultural technologies for the developing world between MUT and Soil1. In addition, I would also like to extend another invitation to my partners at the Ohio State University to partner with MUT.”

Dr Hofecker further added that Soil1 uses “a one-step field test kit which contains enough reagent and testing supplies for approximately 15 field soil tests that can help one make decisions about soil health and potential agricultural productivity”.

The one-step field test kit is the new game-changer in the agriculture profession. For Dr Mthembu, this is how his course offering will advance skills and the expertise his students bring to the profession.

Dr Sandile Mthimkhulu, a Community Extension lecturer also impressed Dr Hofemecker with his knowledge of soil quality, despite being faced with resource challenges.

“I believe there is a lot we can learn from MUT. Much of what we want to do with MUT is more altruistic and beyond this meeting, I will be looking into how much more my networks could help MUT achieve its vision”, said Dr Hofecker.

The potential partners also discussed the possibilities of sharing drone technology, and possible exchanges of students and staff, a topic that is close to the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Professor Roger Coopoosamy’s heart.

This potential partnership with these international players will strengthen MUT’s academic offerings and benefit its immediate communities.

A recent study by MUT researchers found that the South African plant species could hold the potent key to the discovery of novel antibiotics against the drug-resistant P. aeruginosa bacteria.

“P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that commonly infects individuals who are immune compromised, particularly those infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and/or those suffering from cancer. It is a common etiological agent of hospital-acquired pneumonia, urinary tract infections and bacteremia,” explained the study.

The study was conducted by MUT’s Dr McMaster Vambe, Postdoctoral Researcher; Professor Roger Coopoosamy, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences; Professor Kuben Naidoo, Acting Head of the Department of Nature Conservation; and Professor Georgina Arthur, whom until her recent retirement was a member of staff in the Department of Nature Conservation.

Titled, ‘South African medicinal plants screened against Pseudomonas aeruginosa’, the study was published in the Journal of Medicinal Plants for Economic Development.

In its review of ethnobotanical studies relating to the pathogen, the study found that only 31 were published over two decades and none of these studies was dedicated solely to P. aeruginosa. Another startling finding was that none of the studies on the pathogen was published in the first three years after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a critical research priority. In its 2017 response to the scourge of drug-resistant pathogenic infections, WHO identified a list of pathogens that it described as critical, high and medium priority in terms of the urgency of the need for novel antibiotics. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) bacteria were named among the three bacterial strains that WHO classified as a critical research priority.

The study, which evaluated various studies that screened plants against the pathogen, found that a total of 152 plant species were screened against the bacterium using crude plant extracts.

“It was encouraging to note that almost half of all plant species evaluated demonstrated noteworthy antibacterial activities against the pathogen,” the study explained.

In terms of phytochemical analysis, the study singled out a study which identified and isolated a compound called plumbagin from the leaves of Asteraceae.

“Interestingly, the compound displayed potent bactericidal effects against P. aeruginosa. To the best of our knowledge, this was the only successful attempt at isolating potent anti-P. aeruginosa from South African medicinal plants documented over the past 20 years,” the study confirmed.

The study also reviewed research that was conducted on the feasibility of using plants in combination therapy to combat P. aeruginosa. The study explained that combination therapies were important because they “widen the antibacterial spectrum, improve the efficacy of clinically ineffective drugs and generally delay the development of antibiotic resistance”.

Several reviewed studies that tested combination therapies where South African medicinal plant extracts interacted with conventional antibiotics against P. aeruginosa generated promising results. The study concluded that these combination therapies could be the quickest and cheapest way to fight the P. aeruginosa pathogen.

“The use of drug-resistance modifying agents in combination therapies could potentially improve the efficacy and hence allow the possible reintroduction of some clinically ineffective antibiotics. From a financial point of view, this approach seems more appealing than developing novel therapeutic agents which customarily have to undergo extensive efficacy and safety evaluations before approval,” the study advised.

The Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of MUT, Professor Marcus Ramogale, specifically requested that the new Catering Assistant, Nikeziwe MaGcabashe Zuke, be officially introduced to EMC. Zuke worked as a Commis Chef at the Premier Hotel and as a Catering Assistant.

While introducing herself, Zuke committed to upholding the utmost hygiene standards, and integrity and serving all Executive Management Committee and guests on the executive floor with care and kindness. Those who have dealt with her can attest that she is indeed walking the talk.

Zuke assists catering companies that provide the top floor with lunch and breakfast. “I assist such companies will the help they need. Rita Nzama and I will be looking at getting a briefing from the meeting organisers so that we could have all risks identified before a meeting commences. This would ensure that the University adheres to the highest health and safety standards when it comes to food handling,” Zuke said.  Nzama is the Office Manager in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor.

Zuke earned a certificate in catering from local College of Technology. Zuke has worked at a local university of technology as a catering assistant. Zuke owns a catering company called Zuke and Family Catering Company. The company caters for weddings, immemulo, and other kinds of hospitality occasions.

This morning, Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) welcomed its new Chancellor, Sandile Zungu, at a ceremony in the historic Pixley ka Isaka Seme Hall.

Delivering his inaugural address, Zungu called on the University to do even more for the community of Umlazi Township, where he was born and raised.

“Part of what I am doing with this speech is to invite you to imagine what the role of our beloved MUT should be, given the current challenges,” said Zungu. “Universities have a moral obligation to also train and educate their immediate community to meet their practical daily needs.”

He added that MUT was better positioned to engage with some of the problems that communities around the university face by offering training to community members.

“MUT should be the centre of knowledge not only for those who have been accepted to study and have paid their tuition fees but also for the rest of the community. Umlazi, like many of our townships, requires the revitalization of hope and ambition for citizens whose power banks of hope have been severely depleted. With its great symbolic power, MUT can restore hope,” said Zungu.

Zungu went on to explain that MUT should refocus its Community Engagement efforts to respond directly to the needs of the people of Umlazi Township.

“This university is rich with academics and researchers in skill-sets that could be of great benefit to the community of Umlazi. There are academics who are experts in Accounting, Law, Marketing and Agriculture, to name a few,” explained Zungu.

He also encouraged the University to consider making community service a requirement for graduation so that students can get to contribute to the community as part of their curriculum.

“MUT also has another untapped potential, that of students. We celebrate these students’ graduations every year, but we seldom give a thought to the fact that their education is funded through the National Financial Aid Scheme or not. We need to start integrating public service as part of the requirements for one to graduate with a qualification,” said Zungu.

Speaking at the installation of the new MUT Chancellor, Professor Lourens van Staden, the MUT Administrator, said the University was using its appointment of Sandile Zungu to show the people Umlazi Township that the university has faith in them.

“Today’s ceremony is also an opportunity for MUT to pay a special tribute to Umlazi Township, which the institution proudly calls its home. There is no better way to say thank you to Umlazi than by choosing one of its own to be Chancellor. This decision is not only an expression of faith in the University’s immediate community but is also a reminder that the destiny of the University and that of Umlazi are intertwined,” said Professor van Staden.

Professor van Staden also reminded the new chancellor that he had an even bigger role than what other Chancellors are expected to play.

“Your position in the business sector gives you the influence and respect that can change the fortunes of this university. It is well-known that Historically Disadvantaged Institutions are not looked at favourably by potential donors and funders. We hope that your association with MUT will remind the business community that if they are serious about making a difference that matters, MUT should be their first stop. This university is a great place for those who have a thirst for making a difference,” concluded Professor van Staden.

In an online meeting held between Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) and Bharathiar University on 14 March 2023, both universities openly declared the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed electronically on 6 March 2023 by the executive management of both universities.

Bharathiar University in India has been ranked by Times Higher Education Young Universities World Ranking in the range of 201 to 250. Bharathiar University is in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Both Bharathiar University and MUT are named after change-makers; with Bharathiar University named after a Tamil poet Subramania Bharati, and MUT named after Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the Founder of the University. In addition, both universities are young, with Bharathiar established in 1982 and MUT in 1979.

Declaring the MoU, Professor Marcus Ramogale, MUT’s acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal, shared MUT’s vision and provided progress on the rationale for the University to encourage the entrepreneurship route for students.

“With the unemployment rate rising in this country, we want our students to become employers, not employees. It is heart-warming for me that we will partner with a university that has put entrepreneurship at the heart of its value proposition,” said Professor Ramogale.

Bharathiar University has made huge advances on entrepreneurship and has been impressed by MUT’s managers, who are driving the VC’s vision to have MUT known as a University of Entrepreneurs. That dream may not be too far, given the commitment to implement the MoU activities as soon as possible by the Director In-Charge – Bharathiar School of Management and Entrepreneur Development (BSMED), Dr Rupa Gunaseelan.

“Very soon, we will put a plan which entails virtual meeting classes, faculty and exchange programmes, as well as working with MUT to plan the Entrepreneurship Conference that you plan to host in October/November,” she said.

Dr Gunaseelan also said she was moved by the VC’s great interest to move MUT forward and this “will be a huge transformation for both universities”.

This morning, the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) Teaching and Learning Development Centre (TLDC) continued with the two-day “much-anticipated” Teaching with Technology Summit which took place off-campus. The theme of the Summit is “21st Century Skills: Predicting the Future of Online Learning and Teaching”.

Dr Manyane Makua, the Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, said the summit “implores us as higher education practitioners and academics to be agile, adaptable, and willing to develop new and relevant skills. To those of you who will be presenting papers, we are looking forward to your thought-provoking and insightful papers.”

The summit featured many of the University’s teaching staff, who are part of those that presented about 30 academic papers, most of which are focusing on using technology when teaching, hence the theme of the event. The summit was attended by more than 100 delegates.

Among the MUT staff that were presenting papers were Mabalana Ndlovu, Thanduxolo Magenuka and Mathew Sibanda, all from the Department of Electrical Engineering. Their paper is titled Developing a Digital Literacy Curriculum for Electrical Engineering Students, while Dr Nkosinathi Madondo, Lethukuthula Khumalo and Zinhle Mbili of the University’s Language Unit presented a paper on how “Lack of Proper Information Management Impedes on Students Capacity and Readiness Programme”.

It is also interesting to note the teaming of a seasoned presenter, Professor Ralph Naidoo, and a new presenter, Nokuthula Msweli, both from the Department of Electrical Engineering. Professor Naidoo and Msweli’s presentation was titled “Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education in a Simulated Environment”.

The meeting also featured presentations from other higher education institutions. For instance, Lerato Motloung, Sanele Nxumalo and Remaketse Makateng and Kwanele Shoba, all from the Vaal University of Technology (VUT), presented a paper on “Technology and Academic Advising: The Journey of the Vaal University of Technology”.

The significance of using technology for teaching was highlighted by the presence of the non-academic sector at the meeting. Thandeka Yvonne Jwara, from Umgeni Water, presented a paper on Umgeni Water Introduces Brown Bag Learning Lessons – An Opportunity for Business Continuity and Sustainability.

The Department of Information Communication Technology at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) hosted the CISCO conference from 13-15 March 2023. This is an annual conference hosted by different CISCO Networking academies.

The purpose of the conference is to create a platform to learn and discuss about changes and the evolution of the Networking Academy programme. It is also an opportunity to re-train, as well as interact peer-to-peer with other instructors and CISCO experts, share practices and advancement in technology. The conference also provides the opportunity for the delegates to attend post-conference Instructor Training.

Welcoming the 150 delegates that attended the second day of the conference, the Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning at MUT, Dr Manyane Makua, emphasized the importance of finding ways to improve access to education and stressed the importance of upskilling the youth to deal with unemployment.

On the same day, Professor Roger Coopoosamy, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, said to delegates: “As we begin to recover from the pandemic, we must consider how digital acceleration is disrupting education and see what opportunities this presents”.

Professor Coopoosamy stated that the use of technology should be embraced and that effective ways in using it in teaching and learning should be found, “but we should also be aware of the negative spinoffs.”

The Head of the Department of Information Communication and Technology, Dr Vikash Jugoo, said the conference focussed on the following areas: Professional development delivered by Cisco and Academy Instructors; programme updates of the new curriculum, including technical updates on technological trends, education trends, courseware; improving and maintaining the quality of instruction by offering quality technical retraining sessions to Instructors; shared content and resources that could be used in classrooms; best practices from academy instructors; and guidance to Academies in effectively managing the business of their academies and workforce development.

Dr Jugoo described the conference as a “huge success”. He said that delegates, via a survey, indicated that learning from the presentations benefitted and enriched their knowledge.

“They also stated that the hospitality by MUT was of a very high standard. We were hosting this conference for the first time, and we targeted over 150 delegates, which was a big number for any hosting institution in SA. We reached that number,” said Dr Jugoo.

Dr Jugoo said the conference brought together a wide range of delegates from all over Africa, including Nigeria, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, as well as delegates from Dubai, and Spain.

The necessity for continued tutoring at higher education institutions has been affirmed by research that was conducted by two of the University’s staff members, Dr Phiwayinkosi Gumede, Acting Senior Director of the Teaching and Learning Development Centre at MUT, and Mashango Sithole, Coordinator of the Peer Assisted Learning and Foundation Provision in the same department; the study was published in the Perspectives in Education journal.

The necessity for continued tutoring is more so in the case of South Africa where a growing number of students, who are underprepared for university, join higher education institutions at the beginning of every year in search of academic success.

To strengthen academic support to students and stop the revolving door syndrome in higher education where large numbers of students drop out without completing their qualifications, the study by Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) researchers identified the reconfiguration of the tutoring programme to be sustainable and efficient as a possible solution to improving student support.

Dr Gumede and Sithole’s study explained that what could help support students is a “sustainable and effective tutorship programme, characterised by qualified and well-trained tutors, stable policy, adequate resources, effective coordination of the activities, and cooperation among key role players.”

The study proposed that the tutoring programme should be approached as a system with interrelated components which work together towards a common objective. The two researchers proposed a tutoring programme as a subsystem with three pillars, which are Inputs, Transformation and Output.

Input encompasses the key resources, role players, beneficiaries and structure (tutoring policy).

“The development and implementation of the tutor policy is the bedrock of implementing a tutorship programme, as it ensures standardisation and point of reference for coherence, without which the stability of the programme may be compromised,” explained Dr Gumede.

The study also cautioned that as much as policies are important, periodic reviews of these policies was important in ensuring that they responded to changes in external and internal environments.

The bulk of the work happens at the second pillar, Transformation. This is where tutors are recruited, trained, and given the necessary support to effectively render their tutoring duties. This is also where the coordination of the tutoring programme takes place; tutoring policies are developed, implemented and reviewed; along with tutorial venue allocations and monitoring the whole programme.

The Output of all these efforts would be a sustainable and effective tutoring programme with “qualified and well-trained tutors, stable policy, adequate resources, effective coordination”, the study explained.

The most critical elements of this system are funding, coordination, tutors, and policies. An investment in these elements is necessary for the tutoring programme’s efficiency and sustainability.

“Tutorship should be considered an integral part of the university system with adequate allocation of resources and efficient coordination of the tutorship programme activities. Long term sustainability is pertinent, considering that tutorship programmes are one of the key interventions put in place by universities to ameliorate poor student success challenges and are part of student support and development mechanisms,” the study recommended.

The Department of Finance at MUT has appointed an interim Director, Don Saunders. Saunders replaced Lungile Sikhakhane who left the University in December 2022.

Saunders; a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years of experience in auditing, accounting and related services; served as Managing Partner of SNG Grant Thornton for many years. He said his main priority at MUT “for now is to see audit process through, and thereafter focus on process improvement while doing the day-to-day duties”. Saunders joined the University on 1 March 2023.

He also worked at Walter Sisulu University and served in the public sector.

It is all systems go at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) as the Institution prepares for one of its most prominent events for 2023, the inauguration of the University’s new Chancellor. The event will take place on 17 March 2023 at the University’s iconic Seme Hall.

Prominent businessperson and AmaZulu Football Club owner, Sandile Zungu, is set to ascend to the MUT chancellorship on Friday, 17 March 2023, at MUT’s historic Pixley ka-Isaka Seme Hall. The Umlazi Township born and raised entrepreneur will be the 4th Chancellor of MUT, following on the footsteps of the Lindiwe Sisulu (MP); former KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Willies Mchunu; and Human Rights Activist and Order of the Baobab in Bronze recipient, Reverend Dr Khoza Elliot Mbuyisa Mgojo.

Zungu will be the first MUT Chancellor from Umlazi Township in the University’s just under four and a half decades since opening the doors of learning.

“We are honoured to have a person of Sandile Zungu’s stature, integrity and brilliant record of leadership in South Africa’s business corridors of power as our next Chancellor. His selection is further evidence of MUT’s commitment to not only developing the community of Umlazi Township, but also recognising the potential that its people have,” said Professor Marcus Ramogale, Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of MUT.

The are many parallels between Zungu’s story and that of MUT, which makes him a good representation of where MUT comes from and where the Institution is going. Like MUT, Zungu’s journey started in the humble beginnings of Umlazi Township, where he matriculated from Vukuzakhe High School. Engineering was his first love, just as it was MUT’s founding faculty. Zungu completed a Bachelor of Science (in Mechanical Engineering) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). But Mechanical Engineering was just the beginning for Zungu.

Little did many know that his fortunes would later be tied to entrepreneurship, in the same way that the godfather of entrepreneurship at MUT – Professor Ramogale – wishes for MUT students in this current climate of spiraling unemployment rate. Professor Ramogale has become famous for reminding students every turn he gets that “nobody is born to work; use your qualifications to start a business”.

Zungu went on to complete a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the Programme for Global Leadership at Harvard Business School. Zungu has an outstanding track record of business development and leadership.

The Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University, Professor Marcus Ramogale’s landmark presentation at the MUT Lekgotla minced no words about the observations made by various assessors sent to MUT in the years 2008, 2018 and 2022. The common denominator thereto being a weak institutional culture. Speaking to the engine of the University, MUT’s senior managers; Prof Ramogale appealed to staff to them to adapt to change and start by not looking at the University as an entity which gives, and the University community takes.

“Our mandate is value-addition; to make the lives of others better. Culture change starts with all of us by reflecting on how we could all have a common agenda. The time has come for us to use this power and to think about how we could make the University prosper and not be the ones that take. Be like the Marula tree whose seeds multiply and lead to prosperity”, he said.

Some key phrases that attendees were encouraged to consider include engaging in regular self-reflexivity as part of strengthening the institutional culture, as well as knowing that culture starts with one.

“The power is in our hands, and we cannot shift responsibility. We need to understand that culture change has to be underpinned by adapting a culture of being responsible and respectful,” he said. His presentation was well received with many making comments on its intellectuality through constant use of lessons from Japan and other great countries.

MUT executive and senior management; organized labour, and the Student Representative Council attended a lekgotla on 6-7 March 2023, off campus. The first day was set aside for team building. This was followed by hard talk the following day. During the hard talk, all stakeholders had to go through self-reflexivity on where MUT was in the past, where it is now, and where it wants to go in the future. To say that the delegates want to move MUT to a better future is an understatement. Delegates’ posture, discourse, and responses showed that they are ready to be a part of the future of positivity.

“It is not an easy journey to choose life versus death, which is a Biblical analogy from the Book of Deuteronomy” said Dr Mark Hay, a well-known academic, former DHET official/consultant with great humility. He used this analogy as a lifesaver for the University community to remind them that, “the future of the University rests on your shoulders. You are the leadership, and you have an obligation to oversee that the main business of the University continues by being ethical, going an extra mile and being committed to the University.” All this is achievable, and the University already has its value-system in place identifiable through AIRE – Accountability, Integrity, Respect, Excellence. No matter who joins the University or leaves the University, the University must still have its own culture intact underpinned by these values, summing this all up by a Zulu expression: Izandla ziyagezana – take care of each other by becoming more caring and not let each other to die.

As part of a spinoff to the South Africa Higher Education and Research Week in Paris, France organised by the French Embassy in June and July 2022, MUT has further strengthened its relations with the French Embassy and the Department of Higher Education and Training’s International Relations department.

The rationale for strengthening this relationship is to add value to MUT’s Internationalisation Strategy 2025 which seeks to elevate the internationalisation experience of staff and students. On Thursday, 9 March 2023, an online meeting took place which was attended by Dr Moncef MEDDEB, the French Education Attaché and Gail VERMAAK, representing Campus France – South Africa, MUT staff from MarComms representing international student recruitment, and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) represented by Dr Temwa Moyo, Deputy Director of International Scholarships, and Kea Lethlaku, also from the International Scholarships unit at DHET.

Both Dr MEDDEB and Dr Moyo have visited MUT on different occasions. To further internationalise Campus MUT, the stakeholders have agreed that they will visit MUT on 17 and 18 April 2023 to recruit MUT students to consider taking an interest in Education Abroad opportunities.

In addition, MUT will also take the partners to top performing schools as DHET needs to send some students to Republic of Hungary and Russia for undergraduate scholarships.

“I think MUT is on a good trajectory by involving the schools to do an uptake on internationalisation. This will help them build dreams about internationalisation and help them understand how to better serve communities. Being exposed internationally at a younger age helps students and learners to understand their roles in how to engage at a global level and to help solve global problems,” said Dr MEDDEB. The office of the Registrar has also extended an invitation to the French Embassy to get a taste of at least one or two MUT graduations scheduled from mid-April.

As a further step to safeguard the University network from cyber-attacks, the Department of Information Technology and Networks (IT&N) has arranged to run a training programme to raise the level of awareness on the part of staff. This training is mainly for staff members that opened the testing emails that were sent by the department. The details of the training have been sent to those staff members.

“There will be prizes to be won at the end of each month for staff members who have completed their training,” Xaba said.

Xaba also added that in time, the training may be mandatory.  IT&N’s Njabulo Xaba, who is responsible for the network’s security, said end users are the most vulnerable in the chain of network users. Xaba said on two occasions – May 2022 and February 2023 – that they sent out phishing messages to staff, testing their level of cyber security awareness. On both times, there were staff members who opened emails that they were not supposed to open.

“Staff members are reminded to stay cyber-smart on the MUT network, by paying attention to these kinds of emails, and report any malicious emails they receive to the IT&N service desk immediately,” Xaba said.

MUT Radio continues to host both up and coming artists and those that are well established. On 9 March 2023, the radio station hosted a Maskandi duo, Qadasi and Maqhinga. Ntokozo Buthelezi, Technical manager and Producer of one of the shows, said the motivation for inviting Qadasi and Maqhinga was to highlight the role of music in bringing people of difference races together. Qadasi is white, Maqhinga is Black.

“We also bring into the studio artists to showcase their talents. This also gives the listeners a chance to listen to different kinds of music,” said Buthelezi.  Buthelezi said they once hosted Trevor Donjeany. Donjeany plays Rhythm and Blues (R&B) music only.

Qadasi, whose real name is David Jenkins, and Maqhinga Radabe, are both originally from Empangeni, in the north of KwaZulu-Natal; Maqhinga is from Sangweyana, in Empangeni, while Qadasi is from the town. Telling how they met in 2010, Maqhinga said he was told that Qadasi was looking for someone to recalibrate his concertina. Maqhinga helped him to find that individual. From then on, they met in the studio where they played together. They have produced two albums, one with 12 songs, most of which tell stories about the Zulu way of life. They have since played in many different places, including Europe, where they were warmly received.

Qadasi and Maqhinga have a line-up of gigs they will be playing in Cape Town on 17 March 2023.  In June 2023, they are going back to Europe for a month. In September 2020, Qadasi and Maqhinga won the Best Traditional Music Album Award at the SAMA Awards.

While in the studio, Qadasi said fans in Europe liked their music even though they could not understand the lyrics. He said they are influenced by Juluka, another Maskandi music band that combined IsiZulu and English when they composed and played songs. Maqhinga said they could play Juluka’s songs but preferred to be original. Maqhinga said he visits Sipho Mchunu, the co-founder of Juluka. Unfortunately, Johnny Clegg, another co-founder, passed away in July 2019.

Do not leave your culture and your business when you hear us talking about technology. Embrace technology to enhance your life. This is the main message from Refiloe Ntoi, a Lecturer in the Department of Nature Conservation after attending the International Women Day at Durban’s International Conference Centre on 8 March 2023.

Ntoi said the KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube asked women to flood the information technology environment. The Premier’s message to the 500 women that attended the event was that information technology is for everyone and everyone can benefit from it.  The Premier re-iterated the theme of the 2023 International Women’s Day, that of embracing equity; women have a right to equitable access to all resources, including IT and  related resources.  The Premier further stressed the urgent need to equip women with appropriate, relevant IT skills so that they can make a significant difference in the livelihoods of their communities.

For her part, Ntoi said she gained a lot from the meeting. “I have been involved in IT wherein I brought students from different departments to use IT to enhance their lives and studies. My standpoint is that people should consider IT as a tool to improve their lives, not as a competitor. This is the essence of the 5IR,” Ntoi said.

Ntoi said the meeting with the Premier not only assured her that she was on the right track, but encouraged her to do more to add to the 11% of South African women involved in IT.

The second phase of MUT’s participation in the KwaZulu-Natal Regional and Local Economic Development Initiative has started. This is a collaborative programme between MUT, UKZN and UniZulu. The project is funded by the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA).

Entrepreneurial Coordinator, and Human Resources Lecturer at the University, Ntombifuthi Mthembu, said the purpose of the programme was to develop Social Entrepreneurs’ business skills, especially in enterprises that have a social and environmental impact in their communities. These Social Entrepreneurs are referred to as Champions.

This year, MUT is training 12 Champions, who were chosen through a rigorous interview process. These Champions are from four companies from Ugu District in the south coast of the province, and eight are from eThekwini Municipality. This training programme is scheduled to run from March to August 2023. Mthembu said that classes, which are in hybrid mode, are held over two days in a month for the duration of the programme. To minimize disruptions some classes are held over the weekend. Mthembu said that at the end of the programme Champions will present their business plans to a team of evaluators.

Mthembu said this initiative was part of the University’s Anchor Strategy.

“MUT’s participation in this programme will help build sustainable external relationships and enhance relationships with communities as required in terms of its Anchor Strategy,” said Mthembu.

Mthembu said the KwaZulu-Natal government was now implementing the Township and Rural Economies Revitilisation Strategy (TRERS).

“MUT as an Institution of higher learning is contributing a lot towards the implementation of this strategy,” Mthembu said.

The project is led by Dr Simon Taylor, a Regional Local Economic Development Project Manager based at UKZN. Dr Taylor was part of the training team at MUT on 3 March 2023. Lungani Makhathini, a Lecturer in the University’s Department of Accounting and Law, had a slot on how to handle business finances.

In less than a year since MUT was admitted to the South Africa Sweden University Forum (SASUF), the University continues to make an indelible mark within the Forum. In one of South Africa’s flagship research and innovation conferences, the Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of MUT, Professor Marcus Ramogale, will play a pivotal role in the deliberations of the conference as part of the cohort of Vice-Chancellors who will take part in the 2023 SASUF conference taking place from 27-31 March, in Cape Town. The first day will allow all 38 Vice-Chancellors from both countries, and some of the Deputy Vice-Chancellors for Research and Innovation, to discuss challenges and opportunities, and challenges for collaboration between South Africa and Sweden. Another flagship session will entail a discussion on visions for the ideal academic leader, and a discussion of the challenges and possibilities across diverse academic systems, including an engagement with the Swedish ambassador. MUT DVC: Research, Innovation and Engagement, Professor Nokuthula Sibiya, will also be part of the Vice-Chancellors’ session.

In yet another accomplishment for MUT, the University will be significantly represented at the SASUF Research and Innovation Week 2023, which will take place from 27-31 March. Professor Nokuthula Sibiya, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Engagements, who is leading research from the front, will also be presenting with her Durban University of Technology (DUT) counterparts, as well as counterparts from Sweden.

The research collaboration and partnership between Sweden and South Africa have resulted in MUT having 10 delegates that will be presenting with their Swedish counterparts.

“Eight months ago, MUT did not know anything about SASUF. Various engagements and campaigns positioned SASUF to MUT with the arrival of Professor Sibiya being a cherry on top. She has been encouraging researchers to put together proposals and helping them access resources so they could attend this conference. While we ran campaigns and got everyone to rally behind the ‘SASUF Goes Digital’ conference, Professor Sibiya provided leadership on how this could be sustained,” said Mbali Mkhize, Senior Director: Marketing and Communications.

“I am grateful that we have someone at the level of DVC taking ownership of this project. Next year we will have more representations, I believe, when we take SASUF to Sweden,” added Mkhize.

The 10 MUT presenters are Professor Sibiya, Professor Busisiwe Nkonki-Mandleni, Dr Arthi Ramrung, Xolile Ngubane, Dr Xolile Mkhize, Dr Thobeka Makhathini, Mbali Mkhize, Zama Sishi, Awonke Mbanga and Dr Yvonne Mvuyana.  All these MUT staff members have South African and Swedish partners.

Professor Sibiya said: “I am still in awe at the level of cooperation I have received, not only from the presenters who worked tirelessly finding partners and submitting abstracts to get approved as speakers, but also from the teaching and learning division that has seen it fit to provide support to their staff. I believe that next year we will have more papers approved for the conference taking place in Sweden. I wish to also pay special tribute to executive management that has supported the team that is attending the conference.”

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has embarked on a drive to get more South Africans to apply for international scholarships. While addressing Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) staff on the scholarships that are available, Dr Temwa Moyo, Acting Director of DHET’s International Scholarships division, said they wanted to boost numbers of South Africans who study overseas.

Dr Moyo said that it was important for South Africans to learn more about others, to become part of the global citizenry. He said one of the ways to achieve this goal was by encouraging South Africans to study abroad. He said that was one of the reasons the government stipulates that after completing their studies overseas, graduates must return and use the knowledge they acquired abroad to benefit the larger community.

Other reasons for studying with overseas institutions include the fact that students have access to full funding support for international travel, stipends, and tuition; and that they become internationally competitive and recognised, which will enable them to access international research funds and infrastructure, among others. Dr Moyo said there are scholarships for most areas of study, and advised staff to learn more via the www.internationalscholarshis.dhet.gov.za

Mbali Mkhize, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at MUT, said the opportunities were for staff, students, academics, and researchers.

“Fortunately, there are a few individuals working on wide-ranging projects who require collaborations with partners in Europe and this is where DHET comes in as it has the capacity to connect us with those institutions. It is not easy to get a partner directly from Europe because of language barriers and costs for travel. Therefore, getting DHET as an intermediary will go a long way in supporting our internationalisation agenda,” said Mkhize, who also heads the University’s internationalisation agenda.

Mkhize said their internationalisation agenda is drawn from DHET’s Policy Framework for Internationalisation of Higher Education in South Africa, which is determined in terms of Section 3 of the Higher Education Act, Act 101 of 1997. The MUT Internationalisation agenda is in line with the mandate of the department.

DHET’s visit gave “us an assurance that they have us covered with wide-ranging resources which we will be taking up”, explained Mkhize.

Mkhize said for MUT to fast track its internationalisation agenda, “We need to have all the departments that report on Goal 4 to have weekly Meet-Ups/Turn-Ups, which may last for an hour”. She said such meetings would give staff a chance to “get a sense of who is doing what, where and see which support could be given to those individuals”. Mkhize said they would launch these Meet-Ups/Turn-Ups in due course but consultations with the responsible individuals were under way.

Mkhize also added that a spin-off for the DHET’s visit was also the fact that the University’s Schools Liaison team could also play a role in identifying top performing learners through Life Orientation teachers and get their names submitted for selection for either Hungarian or Russian full-time undergraduate studies. Mkhize said that was in line with MUT’s Anchor Strategy of revitalising the lives of the people of Umlazi Township.

“We want to see even the township getting internationalised,” Mkhize said.