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On Saturday, 8 February 2025, the University will host a Vice-Chancellor and Principal-Parent meeting at the Student Centre’s Seminar room. According to the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University, Professor Nokuthula Sibiya, the primary aim of the meeting will be to establish a relationship of trust and open communication between parents and the University. Parents, as key stakeholders in the lives of MUT students, will get the opportunity to engage with Professor Sibiya and members of the Executive Management on critical academic and psycho-social issues impacting student life. Professor Sibiya further intends to reassure parents that MUT is committed to student safety and holistic well-being and that this strategic objective requires the active participation of both parents and the University as a collective. Professor Sibiya strives to be approachable and accessible to students, staff, parents, and the community at large. Such a relationship is especially important for first-year students who

“So far, so good! The plan is to conclude the registration as planned.” This is how the Deputy Registrar: Academic Administration, Zolisa Gqamane responded when he was asked to give an update on the 2025 academic registration that began on 27 January 2025 and is expected to end on 7 February 2025. Until 6 February 2025, the University had registered 9 831 students. This includes both returning and first-year students. The Faculty of Management Sciences is leading with an intake of 5 269 students, followed by the Faculty of Engineering, with 3 068 students. The Faculty of Applied and Health Sciences has enrolled 1 494 students. Gqamane said they have set aside a week of 10-14 February 2025, for late registration, which will run alongside the lectures, which commence on 10 February 2025. The new students include two very lucky students. Mbali Ntuli, from Mpumalanga Province, has registered for a BSc in Environmental

Trevor Govender, a lecturer from the Department of Nature Conservation in the Faculty of Applied and Health Sciences, has been officially appointed as an Honorary Officer at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. Govender is the first MUT staff member to be appointed to such a position. Govender is Biodiversity and Research Coordinator for the North Durban entity of KZN Wildlife. Honorary officers form an integral part of KZN Wildlife as they work voluntarily to ensure that the conservation efforts of the province are met. These individuals come with various skills and professional qualifications to support Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in executing its function of preserving natural resources. Govender has a BSc and Masters in Nature Conservation. He is a PhD candidate. Govender’s interests are in Nature Conservation and biotechnology. He has a special interest in carbon sequestration and sustainable mitigation for Climatic Change and Global Warming.  He is very glad that he can

The MUT Deputy Director in the Sports Department, Siyabulela Mkwalo, has been elected Vice-President of the African Boxing Confederation (AFBC).  Mkwalo was nominated during the Confederation’s meeting on 18 January 2025. This was a meeting of the Board of Directors that convened to discuss ‘critical matters’; with the filling of the vacant Vice-President post as one of such matters.  Mkwalo replaces General Luyoyo Ferdinand. The responsibilities of the Vice-President of AFBC are assisting the president of AFBC and the Board of Directors in managing the Confederation and supporting its goals which includes building unity and boxing development in Africa. The Vice-President also must ensure that the boxers are respected and that they benefit from their efforts in the ring. Mkwalo’s appointment is expected to strengthen AFBC’s leadership and reinforce its mission to promote the sport of boxing across the African continent. The Board of Directors was motivated by Mkwalo’s commitment

The MUT’s Head of the Department of Environmental Health, Dr Thobile Tobius Poswa has been appointed by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to the inaugural Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC). The intent to establish the committee was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 15 November 2024, to provide expert advice, guidance and recommendations to the minister and government to enable informed and evidence-based decision-making. The government was responding after the unfortunate incidents that claimed the lives of school children in the country. The 15-member MAC was appointed in the first week of December 2024. Department of Health spokesperson, Sello Lediga, said the committee is composed of distinguished doctors, scientists, and academics.  Dr Poswa has confirmed that they have held two meetings with the minister to develop a plan of action. It is also envisaged that the MAC will inform the government of any need for policy refinement, and development

MUT is yet again bidding farewell to another senior staff member who spent a decade at MUT.  On Thursday, 30 January 2025, Dr Bheka Ntshangase, acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching & Learning hosted a farewell for Dr Fundiswa Nofemela, the outgoing Director of Co-Operative Education. Dr Nofemela is embarking on a new journey after spending almost 10 years at the University’s Cooperative Education Directorate.  Having joined MUT from CPUT, all who attended her farewell function commended her contribution to the University’s Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) mandate. In his address, Dr Bheka Ntshangase lauded the significant strides that Dr Nofemela made to the University. This included halving the number of students struggling with job placements. “Dr Nofemela’s relentless pursuit of excellence was often seen in her countless emails and firm decision-making. She is living an undeniable legacy,” said Dr Ntshangase.  Messages from speaker to speaker confirmed the strides achieved by Dr Nofemela who

The University’s section of the Department of Student Affairs, the Student Counselling Unit is providing means to ensure that new and returning students with disabilities receive the assistance they require as they register for the 2025 academic year. Lindiwe Chamane, the Student Counsellor and Disability Coordinator at the Student Counselling Unit, said they have set up a tent at the gate, main campus, to provide information and the help they need. “We have eight Peer Helpers that are posted to do the following roles during registration: identify and escort new and returning students with disabilities (SWD’s) to different registration stations; attend to students with temporal disabilities, for instance, those who return from University recess with limb fractures; diarize cases for follow-up and capturing daily statistics; identify areas of improvement in the SWD registration support process and registration process overall; and establish a good working relationship with the staff,” said Chamane.

The University students, and staff, are going to directly benefit from the pro-activeness of its Protection Services. Jackson Rammala, Head of Protection Services, said they now have a partnership with Umlazi Community Police Forum, to ensure a safer environment, particularly for prospective students. The initiative is supported by the KwaZulu-Natal government who donated a vehicle to the Umlazi Community Forum. The directorate, with their partner, is running a high visibility campaign to raise awareness of the current crime trends in the Umlazi area. Rammala said that the University is part of the forum’s area of responsibility. The forum will also patrol residences near MUT where MUT students are residing. Rammala added that the forum is “on the ground and arrives faster where they are required”. Siphelele Mthembu, Deputy Secretary, Umlazi Community Police Forum executive, agreed with Rammala. He said they were concerned about MUT students residing in private residences around

The curtain is coming down on one of the University’s longest serving employees.  Dr Mthokozisi Emmanuel Ntuli, the Student Development Officer, has had an association with the University for 33 years, having been its student from 1992 to 1994. Young Ntuli became a student leader during this period. A year later he did off-campus work. From 1996 to 2003, Dr Ntuli worked at the Department of Information Technology and Networks (IT&N). In 2003 he joined the Financial Aid Bureau when he worked until 2009. From 2009 Dr Ntuli joined the Department of Student Affairs, where he has been a Student Development Officer for the last 16 years. Dr Ntuli, the energetic student development officer, has made a telling impact. Throughout his tenure as a member of the Student Affairs department, he has been a pillar of strength for student development. MUT is well known for being a stable university, a

The farmers of Rietsdale, Umzimkhulu, in KwaZulu-Natal, are likely to see a huge revolution in their cattle stock. A MUT staff member is running a project that will make it possible for the cows of 33 farmers to streamline the birth of their calves. The project, titled Application of Assisted Reproductive Technologies to improve reproductive performance of beef cattle and small stock animals in the smallholder/communal farming Sector of KZN, is funded by the CEAD (Community Engagement and Development) directorate. Its objective is to address the low reproductive rates and introduce superior livestock genetics in communal farming sector through advanced farming technologies. Project leader, and one of the few registered female reproductive operators in the country, Helen Mapeka, said that the project, called Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), was launched in August 2024. “The project began with a two-week knowledge and skills transfer workshop for Rietsdale farmers in Umzimkhulu, in the