The recent Farmer’s Field Day, held in Umzimkhulu and jointly organised by the Department of Agriculture at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (KZN DARD), highlighted inspiring evidence of MUT’s growing impact in agricultural education and leadership.
During the event, staff and students were delighted to discover that a significant number of MUT Agriculture alumni are now serving as lecturers and senior lecturers at various TVET colleges, including Esayidi TVET College, which hosted the event. Dr Farayi Murungu, the Head of MUT’s Department of Agriculture, said the presence of alumni in these institutions underscores MUT’s important role in producing competent graduates who contribute directly to agricultural training and capacity development in the province.
Dr Murungu, who was very excited about this development, said that equally noteworthy, one of the department’s former students is now serving as a Deputy Director within the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development at the Umzimkhulu District Office. Adding a national dimension to this success, a lecturer from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), Dr Jabulani Ngcobo, who participated in Farmers’ Day, is also an alumnus of MUT Agriculture. “Dr Ngcobo’s presence and input demonstrate how MUT’s influence extends well beyond KwaZulu-Natal, with its graduates now contributing to agricultural education and research in institutions across South Africa,” said Dr Murungu.
Dr Murungu said that “seeing our graduates teaching at TVET colleges, working as senior government officials, and representing institutions like TUT affirms the strength and relevance of our programmes. Our alumni are living proof that MUT is shaping professionals who are transforming the agricultural sector from the classroom to the field.”