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9

M U T

S P I R I T

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

The University’s Department of Marketing and

Communications (MarComms) regarded the shutdown

of the University as a challenge to be faced head-on.

While away from the University, staff and students still

needed to be updated with news on the spread of

the virus and how this impacts the University. Mbali

Mkhize, Senior Director of the department, said that

this kind of work is not always easy.

“Everyone leading a communications division knows

that without the relevant information, the stakeholders

are vulnerable. They can’t take the right decisions. A

simple statement such as telling staff and students

via an SMS that there is protest action at a particular

place and that they must avoid it, can go a long way

in saving lives and property. The same is true of the

dissemination of messages about the coronavirus,”

said Mkhize.

The coronavirus situation has been one of the biggest

challenges for her division so far. “While others

correctly see this situation as a challenge, we consider

it as a chance to save lives, and the academic year.

My team and I have continued to hold meetings via

Microsoft Teams. In these meetings we brainstorm

and find out the best ways to take the vital messages

to staff, students and the general public. Since the

advent of the coronavirus, and the introduction of the

country-wide lockdown, my department has added

several communication platforms. We are currently

sitting at 25 platforms,” she said.

Mkhize added that, just as governments have to

readjust their budgets when faced with a massive

crisis, the University has had to adjust its budget so as

to deal with the pandemic. “On a number of occasions

my department has met to look at how we could

modify our budget so that we can finance the new

campaigns. My department now resembles a war time

cabinet where so much effort is directed at winning

the war. This is war of a different kind,” she said.

The campaigns she was referring to are all over the 25

platforms her department has created in the last five

months. While its initial focus was on keeping staff and

students informed, the department decided to expand

its vision to include the general public, particularly that

of Umlazi Township where the University is located.

Said Mkhize: “We have always considered ourselves

as part of the township and its people. What affects

us affects them, and vice versa. Lately we put up a

giant billboard on the side of our Faculty of Natural

Sciences building. The board’s message is simple –

we are asking people to continue taking precautionary

measures against the pandemic. Wash your hands

thoroughly with soap. Sanitise them when you cannot

wash them. Keep the required distance between you

and the next person. Wear your mask properly at

all times. And only leave home when it is absolutely

necessary.”

She explained that the billboard was one of the

University’s ways of dealing with the challenges it was

facing under Level 3 of the lockdown. “The University

has to continue to remind staff and students of the

threat of COVID-19 because it is very easy to revert

to old habits. Given that our students had not seen

each other since the lockdown, we thought this would

pose a challenge to social distancing – but this has

not been the case. Our students have responded

positively to the health protocols to be followed to

keep themselves safe,” she said with pride.

As she spoke, the University was getting ready to

welcome more students onto campus. “MUT will

continue to be guided by the Department of Higher

Education and Training (DHET) in terms of the phased

approach to returning students. The University

has taken all the necessary precautions and health

protocols to ensure that students come back to a safe

campus. MUT is ready to welcome more students

should the DHET decide to allow more students back

to campus,” said Mkhize in closing.

“Everyone leading a

communications division

knows that without the

relevant information, the

stakeholders are vulnerable.”

– Mbali Mkhize, Senior

Director, Marketing and

Communications