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S P I R I T

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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

Natural Sciences Vice-Chancellor’s Award winner set to

conquer the world

If it were not for the unprecedented COVID-19

restrictions in the country, Mxolisi Zondi, who hails from

Mzumbe near Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu-Natal

south coast, would have been one of three students

to receive the loudest applause from a full house at his

graduation ceremony on 27 June. Mxolisi would have

ascended the stage and received his trophy, a cheque

for this sterling performance as the top achiever in the

Faculty of Natural Sciences. His family would have led

the ululation as they would have been watching the first

individual among them to attend a university. This was

not to be – but his family was very happy when he told

them he had received a Vice-Chancellor’s Award as the

top student in his faculty. They are going to celebrate

his achievement, he said.

In 2018 Mxolisi put everyone at the University on

notice. He was one of the students that won the

Academic Excellence Award from the Teaching and

Learning Development Centre (TLDC). He was only

21 years of age at the time, but some members of

the Department of Information and Communication

Technology (ICT) had noticed the youngster.

Mxolisi, who is now a teaching assistant at MUT,

said the reason for his success was the support he

received from his family. “Their support inspired me

to work hard. Also working with people that I share

similar goals with helped me to achieve this good

result.” He added that the 2018 Academic Excellence

Mxolisi Zondi

Zamamvubu Samukelisiwe Ndlovu

Engineering award recipient makes her mark in a

male-dominated industry

The Vice-Chancellor’s Award recipient in the Faculty

of Engineering, Zamamvubu Samukelisiwe Ndlovu,

quietly worked her way to the top of her faculty with the

aim of making a mark on the so-called ‘men’s world’.

When she enrolled for the Diploma in Construction

Management and Quantity Surveying, Samukelisiwe

knew that she would have to double her effort once she

had obtained her qualification. She is doing just that

now: she is employed, and also has her own business.

Samukeliwe lives in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga Province,

with her family. At just 23 years of age, Samukelisiwe

Award from the TLDC also motivated him to continue

doing better in his studies.

Mxolisi’s stay at MUT was not easy. He described it

as “a hard journey with lots of ups and downs” but

said that “our ICT lecturers supported us through this

journey. Being a part of the MUT family has been an

honour and privilege that I will always remember and

cherish. Coming from a rural area in KwaZulu-Natal, I

always find a very welcoming and vibrant atmosphere

at MUT,” said Mxolisi.

Mxolisi advises school learners who would like to enrol

withMUT to “attend all lectures, and don’t forget why you

came to MUT. Work hard as much as you can on your

studies; it’s not going to be easy but believe in yourself”.

He still wants to continue his studies up to PhD level, and

will get a job and help his family while studying.