With restrictions on new academic programmes lifted, Interim Vice-Chancellor Professor Rushiella Songca who played a pivotal role in this accomplishment, is turning her attention to institutional readiness, strengthening academic capacity, and building a culture of accountability that will translate new opportunities into meaningful results. This was her message at the Council’s Institutional Excellence and Recognition Gala Dinner on 23 October 2026.
The lifting of the moratorium on the development of new academic programmes at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) has been celebrated as a major institutional achievement. But for Interim Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Rushiella Songca, the more pressing question is: Now that the moratorium has been lifted, what happens next?
Professor Songca affirmed that the answer goes far beyond introducing new qualifications. She wants a university that is ready to deliver on its academic ambitions, where support departments work alongside academics, institutional processes enable rather than frustrate progress, and every employee understands how their work contributes to MUT’s future.
Reflecting on the University’s recent achievements, including its improved audit outcome and the lifting of the moratorium, Professor Songca emphasised that these milestones should not become an end in themselves. Instead, they must serve as a foundation for the next phase of institutional transformation.
The lifting of the moratorium must now translate into tangible academic growth, stronger research and innovation, and the development of qualifications that respond to emerging technologies, industry needs and the changing world of work.