A delegation of nine SRC members and three staff members from Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), led by Dr Xolile Ngubane, Senior Director in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, returned from Rwanda with renewed perspectives on student leadership, internationalisation and the possibilities that global partnerships can create for MUT students.
The delegation participated in a Global Engagement Programme hosted by the University of Kigali (UoK) from 20 to 24 September 2026. The programme exposed MUT’s student leaders to international approaches to student leadership, institutional development, entrepreneurship, and global citizenship.
For the MUT delegation, the visit represented much more than an international study tour. It gave the University’s student leadership an opportunity to engage with counterparts in another African higher education environment, explore different approaches to leadership, and consider how some lessons could strengthen student governance and development at MUT.
Dr Ngubane said the programme demonstrated the importance of creating opportunities for students to learn beyond the boundaries of their own institution and country.
The nine SRC members, including SRC President Mdumiseni Chonco, thanked the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Rushiella Songca, for approving the leadership engagement programme, and enabling them to participate in an international learning experience. He said, “We were deeply moved by a visit to the Genocide Memorial. It is a visit that everyone must make so we can learn to love and care for each other. What happened in Rwanda in 1994 must never ever happen again. No child or family member should witness their families being maimed like that”.
The programme began with high-level engagement with UoK Vice-Chancellor Professor George Kimathi; Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement Professor Ogechi Adeola; and the Directorate of International Student Services and Partnerships, led by CPA Dorcas Kamau.
The discussions also entailed a session with the UoK student leaders. There is a greater room to exchange ideas and to get the UoK students to also visit MUT.
The MUT delegation also had an opportunity to engage Professor Taygeti Michalakea, Professor of Law at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, who was visiting UoK through the Erasmus+ programme. With the University of Nicosia delegate sharing parts of the programme with MUT, the engagement created an unexpected but valuable third dimension to the visit, connecting institutions from South Africa, Rwanda and Cyprus. “We have commenced discussions with Professor Michalakea as she has shown great interest on MUT”, said Mbali Mkhize, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications.