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Mangosuthu University of Technology Annual Report
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3.3 Council Statement
DECLARATION OF INTEREST BY COUNCIL MEMBERS
To prevent conflict of interest among Council members,
all Council members were required to sign an annual
Declaration of Interest form for members of Council and
at each meeting to declare any conflict of interest in items
on the agenda. All Council members completed and
submitted the forms on declaration of interests.
MUT STATUTE
Council considered the revised MUT Statute with
recommendations by the DHET, the Task Team, the
Executive Management as well as the EXCO. Council
approved the revised draft Statute for re-submission to
the DHET subject to incorporation of the recommended
changes and any additional comments forwarded, before
the end of June 2015. The MUT Statute was finally
approved by the Minister of Higher Education & Training
for publication in the Government Gazette, subject to
amendments on pages 26 and 27, Section 51(2) (d). The
estimated cost for placing a notice in the Government
Gazette would be R40 000.
Council members were urged to familiarize themselves
with the MUT Statute as gazzeted in October 2015, in
particular, the requirements on what constitutes the
Council. Some senior management staff members attend
Council meetings by invitation; namely the CFO, the
Senior Director: Human Resources, and the Executive
Director in the office of the Vice Chancellor.
MUT’S STRATEGIC PLAN 2015- 2019 MUT’S 2015
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLAN
Council considered the MUT’s Strategic Plan 2015–2017
and the MUT’s 2015 Annual Performance Plan which had
been approved by EXCO at a special meeting held on
14 January 2015. The documents were then submitted to
the DHET on 15 January 2015. Council acknowledged the
amount of work done to be able to submit the documents
to DHET on time and ratified approval of the MUT’s
Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plan.
After deliberations the meeting recommended that
Section 4: Ministerial Approved Student Enrolment
Targets should include the baseline and performance
targets for 2016. The report should be aligned to the
baseline numbers in all the sections of the document.
There should be coherence on the figures for each quarter.
Subsequently Council adopted the Strategic Plan and the
Annual Performance Plan for 2016 with amendments.
CONSIDERATION OF PROTOCOLS IN NAMING NEW
BUILDINGS
As the University is constructing new buildings, Council
was requested to develop a draft document for the
University structures to consider what protocol to follow in
naming the new buildings.
COMBINED ASSURANCE FRAMEWORK
Council considered and approved the Combined
Assurance Framework. The framework was prepared in
terms of the King III Report on Corporate Governance
Principle 3.5. The Framework aims to optimize the
assurance coverage obtained from Management as
well as internal and external assurance providers on the
strategic risk areas affecting the University.
3.4 Governance Structures
Improvement of Governance continued as more policies
and processes were approved and control frameworks
were implemented.
INSTITUTIONAL FORUM (IF)
The Chairperson of the Institutional Forum attended a
meeting of Chairpersons of Institutional Forum where the
role of the forum was clarified. Other stakeholders would
be apprised of role of the IF.
GOVERNANCE OF RISK
Enhancing knowledge and innovation as well as
implementing strategic development and goals will
always have risks. Effective risk management increases
the probability of successful outcomes, whilst protecting
the reputation and sustainability of the University. At
Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) Council
is responsible for overseeing the total process of risk
management.
The 2015 Risk Register was presented to Council for
approval as recommended by the Audit & Risk Committee.
The risks identified in the Risk Register as well as the
format used were noted and discussed. A new a template
would be provided.
GOVERNING STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS
MUT fully supports the ideas of widening access, redress
and success as articulated in the National Plan for Higher
Education. Therefore, it promotes ‘equity of access and
outcomes’. Being located in a disadvantaged area,
MUT attracts a majority of students who come from
disadvantaged communities and schools. As a result,
many of the students are poor and often cannot afford