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The MUT staff are now breathing a sigh of relief when they think about their finances, now and in the future.  The University staff benefited a lot from a presentation from Asogan Naicker, a financial advisor with many years of experience. Naicker is renowned for his expertise in Estate Planning, Retirement Planning and Taxation. He has been in the financial services industry for the last 36 years. He is the Business Principal at Platinum Consulting in the last 20 years. The kind of responses that staff showed indicated that they needed the presentation, and that they learnt a lot from it. Staff needed clarification on a lot of finance-related issues. The financial empowerment staff received will give them solid footing post their working days. Naicker made a very informative presentation to staff on 12 March 2024 online. His presentation was on ‘retirement planning and wills’.  Among others, Naicker talked about

The University’s Risk and Internal Audit continues with auditing the University departments. Mbali Khumalo, Internal Auditor: Risk and Internal Audit, said they started auditing the departments towards the end of 2023. Khumalo said that “risk assessment is a systematic process of identifying, analysing, and evaluating potential risks that could affect an organisation, project, or activity”. She said the purpose of a risk assessment was to understand the nature and magnitude of various risks and their potential impacts, to develop strategies for managing or mitigating those risks effectively. Khumalo said that so far, they have conducted departmental risks assessments for the Faculty of Engineering, the Department of Information Technology and Networks (IT&N, the Department of Finance, and the Department of Biomedical Sciences. “We have also run a strategic risks workshop with the Executive Management,” Khumalo said. Giving the reasons for conducting the audits, Khumalo said internal auditing is performed for several

Fifty-three students from all three faculties of the university are directly benefiting from the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA). In a meeting that took place at the University on campus on 5 March 2024, Nkululeko Ngcobo, Financial aid Officer, said the bursary from MQA pays for all student’s necessities.  “The bursary pays for tuition fees, books, accommodation and meal allowances,” said Ngcobo. Ngcobo also said that the students must meet 50% minimum pass requirements. MQA Learner Programmes Administrator, Edmont Mabiletsa, said they fund students from all three faculties, starting from the first year up to PhD. However, at MUT they can go up to Master’s, which is the highest offering that the University has.  Mabiletsa added the importance of funding students from families that are struggling with finances. “Through the bursary, the students can pay their registration fee as well. Altogether, the bursary gives some relief to the families of the students. 

In 2024 MUT will add 10 Social Entrepreneurs to the 22 the University has trained in the last few years. These Social Entrepreneurs are from Ugu, Ilembe and eThekwini District Municipalities. The Social Entrepreneurs were chosen through a rigorous interview process. Lead Facilitator from MUT, Ntombifuthi Mthembu, who is responsible for programme’s entrepreneurship skills, said the 2024 programme would run from March to August. This is the third phase of the KZN Regional and Local Economy Development Initiative. Mthembu said the purpose of the initiative was to develop business skills, “especially enterprises that have a social and environmental impact in their communities.” These Social Entrepreneurs are referred to as “Champions”, Mthembu said. On 29 February 2024 and 1 March 2024, MUT ran the first two-days a month classes at University’s main campus. Mthembu said the initiative is a collaboration programme between MUT, the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of

Now a seasoned and respected Human Resources specialist, a far cry from the time he was one of the students at the University in the late 1990s, Velaphi Gumede has penned a book that he says is aimed at closing a gap between what students learn in the lecture rooms, and what they encounter at the workplace. Gumede, an Acting Chief Director: Corporate Management Services, Department of Social Development, KwaZulu-Natal, graduated from MUT with a National Diploma in Municipal Administration in 1998. Gumede went on to study an advanced diploma in Human Resources Management with UNISA, and a Master of Business Administration with Regent Business School. Gumede said what motivated him to write the book was what he observed at the workplace and decided to do something to close the gap. The book is called ‘I’m Ready to be Hired – Graduate Career Guidebook’. Gumede was troubled by what was

The University’s Department of Environmental Health is inviting staff and students to join it on 19 March 2024 at the Faculty of Natural Sciences. The celebration is part of the national celebration of National Water Week, whose high point will be 22 March 2024, the day on which the whole world will be celebrating World Water Day. Dr Thobile Poswa, the Head of the Department, said the annual observance was established by the Department of Water and Sanitation to underscore the significance of water as an essential natural resource. The department is thus appealing to the university community to use water sparingly to ensure “Water For All”, which is a theme for 2024. Dr Poswa said the National Water Week presents a crucial opportunity to highlight the intersection between water conservation and environmental health. “Water is a fundamental resource that sustains life and plays a pivotal role in maintaining ecological

Two weeks ago, Sr. Nomsa Mkhwanazi, Head of the Health Services at MUT, issued a warning about the MUT Clinic identifying a Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) outbreak among MUT students staying in some external residences. Without waiting for new cases, Sr. Mkhwanazi issued a communication plan to prevent further Conjunctivitis spread.  This communication plan spread Pink Eye management and prevention tips using all the available communication platforms. Messages were communicated via flyers and social media. Sr Mkhwanazi herself did a live interview on MUT Radio, where she gave detailed information about the ‘Pink Eye’. Her message was picked up by national media, including the Sunday Times. On Monday this week, KZN’s Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, issued a formal statement about the Pink Eye. The MEC also advised on what needed to be done when dealing with the problem. A big thank you goes to the Health Services and the Housing Department

The 7th of March 2024 is sure to be one of the most important days of an MUT staff’s history at the University. Not feeling well in the early hours, Mbali Mkhize, Senior Director: Department of Marketing and Communications, went to the Health Services on the lower ground of the West Building to check what was wrong. “I went to the clinic feeling sick from a strange headache, and boom, I was there for the whole morning getting stabilised. The staff welcomed me well. They checked and found out that indeed I had a problem. They informed me that I would have to stay a little longer to give me some treatment,” Mkhize said. Mkhize said without the Health Services’ intervention and quick actions, worse things could have happened. “I owe my life to the entire Clinic staff. It was a great experience for me to watch how efficient the

While the whole world was reeling under the yoke of Covid-19, the University’s Student Recruitment division still communicated with schools at different locations to deliver a consistent and vital message to learners – how to plan for their future after grade 12. One such learner was Sithandiwe Mthimkhulu, from Empangeni’s Ngwelezane, in the north of KwaZulu-Natal. Mthimkhulu came to the Department of Marketing and Communications to personally thank Ayanda Bulose, Schools Liaison Assistant, for the important message Bulose gave them as learners of Khombindlela Secondary School in Ngwelezane, under King Cetshwayo District, in 2020. Bulose told the learners how to apply for enrolment in the post-matric schools in the province. “Bulose said he understood that most learners were under the impression that only Engineering programmes were offered at MUT. Bulose said that was not the case. He went on to say that there were programmes offered by the Faculties of

The recently inaugurated President of Amabhinca, Ngizwe Mchunu, has appealed to South Africans to look after their indigenous languages and protect their cultures. Mchunu was speaking on MUT Radio on 7 March 2024. Responding to questions from the host of Hlanganani Midday Show, Nontuthuko Khanyile, Mchunu said he was going to intensify his efforts at retaining and protecting the Zulu culture. Mchunu said he was going to give a directive later in the day as to how the Zulu culture should be used with the care it deserves. Mchunu appealed to all to take advantage of social media and do what is right with the way they deal with the various cultures. Mchunu pointed out that there was no longer any respect for cultures, and that the IsiZulu, as a language, was in danger as there was no direction of how the language should be handled. Those using the language