From this day forth, the University will look different. It will be clean, and very welcoming. This is an impression that those that attended the launch of the Green Initiative for Climate Change at MUT on 25 July 2025 got. The project is the brainchild of the CEAD, in partnership with the University’s Facilities division. Professor Busisiwe Nkonki-Mandleni, Director of the CEAD, said the intention was not to have a cleaning campaign every year, but to have an MUT community that is well informed about the consequences of littering and dumping especially in student residences. “Littering is a significant environmental issue that affects not only MUT campuses, but our planet earth,” said Professor Nkonki-Mandleni, whose PhD is climate change and adaptability. Professor Nkonki-Mandleni said people need to be conscious of preserving “our planet so it can continue to take care of us, now and for future generations”.
Professor Nkonki-Mandleni appealed to her MUT colleagues and staff, to change their ways of dealing with waste. “At MUT we need to avoid littering, dumping waste where it is not supposed to be dumped. We need to improve the way we manage waste by following the guidelines. For instance, some waste bins have sections for different kinds of waste. These bins are clearly labelled. Let us put the garbage in its proper place,” said Professor Nkonki-Mandleni.
The CEAD director also appealed to all to take care of water and plants and save electricity. “We also need to recycle waste, and practise composting,” Professor Nkonki-Mandleni said, adding that her directorate, with its partner, eThekwini Municipality, would create green spaces, that is areas that provide a natural environment such as gardens, and green roofs. Zethembiso Ntombela, District Manager at eThekwini Municipality, said they would bring the ‘clean a place and create a park’ philosophy to MUT.
Professor Nkonki-Mandleni continued: “I am aware that there are pockets of initiatives by staff and students that address the challenge of climate change that we are faced with. My point is that the more of these green initiatives we have, the greener will be our campus. I encourage dialogues on campus to support one another and strengthen these initiatives for a maximum impact.”
The Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement (RIE), Dr Anette Mienie, said the initiative marks a significant step in the Institution’s efforts to address one of the “most pressing global challenges of our time: climate change. As an Institution of higher learning, we bear both the responsibility and the opportunity to lead by example in promoting environmental stewardship and sustainable development”.
Dr Colin Pillay, from the eThekwini Municipality Manager’s office, applauded MUT for being the first institution to launch such an initiative. Other partners in the project are all the cleaning companies that are hired to keep the University clean, and the SRC. The event was attended by members of the cleaning companies, the eThekwini Municipality’s Durban Solid Waste management, and Green Initiative for Climate Change ambassadors; two students from one the three faculties.