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One of the reasons for having the Scholarship of Engagement Conference that was organised by the University’s CEAD, and took place in Durban from 18 to 20 November 2025, was to bring to the fore the importance of this scholarship, and that it should be an interaction between the university staff to goes out to meet the communities and collect data, or meet them for any other reason, should be structured such that everyone becomes a winner. It should be a relationship grounded in respect for communities for who they are, what they bring to the table, and their history. The conference guest speaker, Professor Joseph Francis, could not have put it better when he used the baobab tree as a symbol of what is right and honest about what should happen between academics and communities. Professor Francis’s advice stemmed from the fact that something is amiss in how academics

Each year, organisations across the globe come together to raise awareness about the risks of fraud and the importance of taking action to prevent it. As part of this year’s International Fraud Awareness Week, we’re focusing on a powerful message, ‘Preventing Fraud is a Team Effort – Don’t Sit on the side-lines. Fraud damages trust, reputation and people. By stepping off the side-lines and getting involved, every employee becomes part of the solution. Whether you’re delivering frontline services, designing policies, managing data, approving payments, or providing oversight, you play a key role in protecting your workplace from fraud. By working together across business areas, we can better understand emerging threats and safeguard our systems and services from harm.

Since taking office in August 2024, Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Nokuthula Sibiya has made it a priority to recognise the invaluable contributions of non-academic staff. Her flagship initiative, the Vice-Chancellor’s Support Staff Excellence Awards, is now in full swing, marking a long-awaited moment of celebration for academic support and administrative teams across the university.  The awards aim to honour staff who exemplify excellence, innovation, leadership, transformation, and student-centred support, with five categories: On 13 November 2025, nominees attended a capacity-building session at the Student Centre to strengthen their submissions and evidence portfolios. The training was facilitated by Dr Phiwayinkosi Gumede, Director of the Quality Management Directorate, and Dr Lindelani Qwabe, Head of Chemistry, ensuring nominees are well-prepared for the next stage. For many, the nomination itself feels like a victory. Nhlakanipho Mngomezulu, Technician in Electrical Engineering, shared: “I feel happy to be part of the awards. I am excited to

On 13 November, at its 6th meeting, the South African Historically Disadvantaged Institutions’ Alliance (SADHIA), announced the appointment of one of its members to a Vice-Chancellor position, marking a notable advancement in its executive leadership. The confirmation of Professor Nokuthula Winfred Kunene as Vice-Chancellor-designate of the University of Zululand was announced during a SADHIA meeting held this week at the University of Limpopo, attended by representatives from seven Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs). This assembly emphasised a significant leadership transformation within the alliance, as Professor Kunene, the current Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Engagements at the University of Zululand, is one of the founding members of SADHIA. This development follows the earlier appointment of Professor Nokuthula Sibiya, another SADHIA founding member, as Vice-Chancellor of the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in 2024, occurring within a span of less than a year. The trend of deputy vice-chancellors of research and innovation

The Faculty of Management Sciences had its annual research conference from 12-14 November 2025, off campus. The Acting Dean of the faculty, Dr Kevin Ramsarghey, said the conference was to give staff members an opportunity to present their research work to their colleagues, where they could receive feedback and constructive criticism to improve draft papers for publication. “This platform allows the novice researchers to network with the established researchers so that collaborations can be fostered to achieve research outputs for the faculty, and address the research goals in the University strategy,” Dr Ramsarghey said. What Dr Ramsarghey said was supported by the questions staff members asked. One of the questions was an attempt by a well-published staff member to guide the novice members who had just made a presentation. Dr Ramsarghey also said that this type of intervention had helped the faculty achieve its research output each academic year. According

What started as a small project some years ago has grown into a giant of an event that is respected by people in high places. This is how Umlazi International Film Festival (UIFF) is seen today. Addressing the media that attended the launch at MUT’s newly revamped Dining Hall (DH) on 11 November 2025, the UIFF CEO, Michael Ngema, said they started the project with a zero budget, but their zeal and determination carried them through and made their dream a reality. The event also attended by the UIFF supporters, KwaZulu-Natal and Film Authority (KZN TAFA), Creative Arts College, Durban Film Office, Filmmaker & Actor, Bursary Programme Beneficiaries, seasoned actors, and US academic. Dr Syleecia Thompson, from Orlando, Georgia, in the state of Florida, shared a message of support. Dr Thompson has ambitious plans that will involve South African artists and venues. Dr Thompson manages her singer sister, Syleena Johnson.

The Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) Library Services recently hosted a transformative Academic Writing Workshop off campus. Dr Nthabiseng Mosala-Bryant, Senior Director, Library Services, said that arranging the workshop was in response to a call from the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Nokuthula Sibiya, for support staff to engage in research writing.  As a fourth-generation University, MUT is distinguished by its emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship. In accordance with this vision, the Institution continues to encourage research and development (R&D) programmes that address real-world problems through interdisciplinary collaboration. The Library’s Ziningi Mngadi said that the Library’s involvement in such scholarly endeavours was necessary to advancing MUT’s research agenda and cultivating a culture of inquiry, creativity, and innovation. Solani Ngobeni, Publishing Director of the Centre for Scholarly Publishing Services and a well-known academic and scholarly publishing expert, facilitated the three-day workshop.  Ngobeni, who received the International Young Publisher Award in 2007, possesses

The MUT health and safety team continues emergency drills to prepare staff, students, service providers, and guests within the University for any emergency. This initiative is supported by Council and University management, who advocate the ‘safety first’ culture. Lizwi Masondo, Safety, Health and Environment Officer and team leader, said they were conducting the drills so that everyone within the University would have the necessary information and develop the required habits to deal with emergency situations. The latest drill was conducted in the Student Centre on 12 November 2025. Both staff and students responded well; they left the building and waited at the designated assembly point, where Masondo addressed them. Pinky Gwala, of the Financial Aid Office, set the example. She was one of the first staff members to rush out, wait on the spot, listen to the message from Masondo, and was among the last to return to the office

In efforts to create strong ties with national and international partners, the University has at the forefront of its internationalisation programme its students and its immediate communities as the direct beneficiaries. To this end, the organisers of the two-day meeting between MUT and the US’s Sacramento State University decided to include students from the BB Campus’ Coastal College and learners from some local high schools. On 5 November 2025, at MUT’s Student Centre, together with MUT staff and students, the Coastal College students and the learners had a great opportunity to listen and learn from the President of Sacramento State University, Dr Luke Wood. Dr Wood, who achieved his academic qualifications at a very young age – wrote his first book while he was studying towards his PhD, used his life to illustrate to the listeners that a person’s life should not determine their future. This is a familiar phrase

An academic from the Department of Agriculture, specialising in Animal Production, has been selected as one of the academics to join the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) Future Professors Programme (FPP). Dr Ndumiso Ncobela, a Lecturer in the department, has just received news that he was among those in line for a professorship in the near future. Dr Ncobela’s application is one of the nominations submitted by 26 universities for the 2025/2026 Cohort 4 of the first phase of the FPP. A selection committee “rigorously” reviewed all nominations with the aim of selecting the most suitable candidates, said Dr Nkosinathi Sishi, Director-General of DHET.  In a letter to MUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Nokuthula Sibiya, Dr Sishi said, “I am pleased to inform you that Dr Ndumiso Ncobela has been selected to participate in the programme. I would like to congratulate the University and Dr Ncobela on his