MUT has officially announced the launch of its inaugural Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards for Administrative and Support Staff. This is a historic milestone in the Institution’s commitment to recognising operational staff.
Professor Bhekisipho Twala, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Resources and Planning, said the flagship initiative aims to shine a spotlight on non-academic staff who drive operational excellence, elevate student support, and lead service innovation across the University. MUT management framed the new awards as a celebration of “excellence in action,” designed to honour staff members who embody the University’s core values through exceptional dedication and daily impact.
The awards span seven distinct categories, with three winners to be selected in each of these. These categories are ‘Leadership, Governance, and Institutional Citizenship’; ‘Student Success and Support’; ‘Technical and Technology Innovation’; ‘Innovation and Operational Efficiency’; ‘Quality Management and Institutional Effectiveness’; ‘Professional, Administrative, and Support Services’; ‘Excellence in Quality Management and Institutional Effectiveness’; and ‘Nomination Eligibility and Guidelines’.
According to Professor Twala, the nomination process is open to all MUT staff and students, and self-nominations are explicitly welcomed. “To qualify, nominees must be permanent, or on a fixed-term, with at least three years of continuous service at MUT. Candidates must sign the official acceptance form, and their line managers must verify and endorse the submitted motivation,” said Professor Twala.
Completed forms and detailed motivations must be emailed to vcadminawards@mut.ac.za by 8 September 2026. Once accepted, nominees and their respective line managers must complete a category-specific questionnaire by 30 September 2026.
University leadership described the event as a proud milestone intended to elevate the visibility and value of professional support teams whose efforts frequently power the University behind the scenes.