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When she decided to organise an entrepreneurship seminar for her Information Technology students, Slindile Luthuli, a Lecturer in the Department of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) wanted to grow the number of students in her department that are doing business while they are studying. One of these students is Mzamo Mbuyazi, a third-year student. Mbuyazi has a clothing business called Luminary Wear. He founded the business in 2023. Mbuyazi sells track pants, sweaters, t-shirts, hats, sidebags, hoodies, and golf shirts. “The business started as an online project. My shirt was popular. I then decided to start a business,” Mbuyazi said. He advertises on social media and is on Google Maps.  Mbuyazi’s message online is that the brand operates under the philosophy that ‘Beauty begins within yourself,’ promoting self-confidence and individuality through fashion. With a strong emphasis on craftsmanship, design, and affordability, Luminary Wear Clothing aims to provide stylish, trendy, and

On 10 March 2025, approximately 150 MUT NATESA branch members, like the rest of the Nazareth Baptist Church, acknowledged the founding of the church by Prophet Isaiah Mloyiswa Mdliwamafa Shembe, 115 years ago. Present at the gathering at the Faculty of Applied and Health Sciences were NATESA national leaders Thulebona Cele, Chairperson; Qinisani Mlambo, Advisory Board Member; Nokubonga Hadebe, Treasurer; and Mlungisi Hlabisa, former Chairperson. Fanele Tembe, a member of NATESA, said they were “very happy” to have the opportunity to meet as members of the Nazareth Baptist Church, and learn about the history of their church from guest speakers like Mshumayeli Buhle Gcwensa, National Secretary General of the Nazareth Baptist Church Youth (NABACHU); Nkululeko Xaba, MUT staff member and NATESA alumni. Tembe also spoke at the event. Tembe said the purpose of the occasion was to educate one another about the establishment of the church, the arrival of its

On 13 March 2025, MUT welcomed a Premier Soccer League club, AmaZulu Football Club. The club’s Public Relations Officer, Philani Ndlela, said they came to the University to do an activation. “We also wanted to inform the students and staff that we are going to have a match with TS Galaxy on 14 March 2025 at 7.30pm, at King Zwelithini Stadium, next door to the University,” said Ndlela. Ndlela said that as a club, they know that the fans are a vital cog in the AmaZulu FC machine. The club is on seventh position in the league table. A win will catapult them to the fourth position. During the activation some lucky students won free tickets for the Mazulu vs TS Galaxy match.

MUT is on record for its views on student entrepreneurship. Two of the University management staff have been recognised for their efforts in encouraging students and staff to get involved in entrepreneurship. Professor Marcus Ramogale, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Learning and Teaching, won an award for his role in inculcating business into the minds of the students. The seed that has been planted is sure to germinate well and quickly after a visit by a man who firmly believes that student business is a way of life, and this is how the high rate of unemployed youth and graduates should be dealt with. Professor Michael Twum-Darko, National South African Entrepreneurship Venture Builder (SAEVB) manager from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), while addressing students and staff at the University, said the visit to MUT on 6 March 2025, was part of the THENSA South African SAEVB Roadshow.  The purpose of the

The state of the environment keeps getting highlighted in different ways. At present, there is a lot said about climate change and human beings’ role in this change. It is not a nice story to tell, given the damage that the human species is responsible for. A week-long meeting that took place from 24-28 February 2025, in Durban, highlighted the state of the environment in a different but familiar way. The atmosphere and the urgency of the situation were just as serious as in talks about climate change. The 2025 National Land Reform and Biodiversity Stewardship Initiative (LRBSI) Learning Exchange, hosted by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), attracted speakers from a wide range of places, all coming to share information about anything that has to do with biodiversity, which is part of the climate. The event theme was ‘Biodiversity stewardship: a catalyst for transformation in conservation.  The initiative

The Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA) has once again come to the aid of MUT students. Thirty students – 80% from the Faculty of Engineering and 20% from the other faculties met the MQA staff at the Student Centre to sign contracts and listen to MQA staff as they gave the students an orientation. The MQA has been financially supporting the University students for more than 10 years and adjusting conditions along the way. The Authority also supports students from other universities of technology, traditional universities, and the TVETs. MQA pays a full bursary to students. Cynthia Nkosi, Senior Officer: Bursaries at the University’s Financial Aid Office, said the bursary was for books, meals, and transport to the students who are living at their homes. These students receive cash for transport. MQA is supporting both new and old funding recipients. The funds will be deposited directly into the students’ accounts.  The

This week Community Engagement Directorate (CEAD) ran a third edition of the Community Engagement Day. Professor Busisiwe Nkonki-Mandleni, the Director of the CEAD, said the 2025 annual Community Engagement Day that took place at the University’s Seme Hall, on 5 March, was an opportunity to showcase the projects that are run by the University staff at different locations in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. “The event also encourages others to take community engagement seriously and have a better view of what happens in our communities,” said Professor Nkonki-Mandleni, adding that community engagement has some far reaching consequences; it improves the lives of the affected communities, and gives MUT staff a chance to record what they are doing with communities, and in some cases publish academic papers.  The projects are also an opportunity for the students to learn about communities and get to know about research at a very early stage. The

The annual Community Engagement Day held on 5 March 2025 included a very strong student element. One of these elements was a story reading by pupils from Ngelosi Primary School in Umlazi Township and by a pupil from Marian Ridge Primary School near Pinetown, in Durban. The highlight of the student participation was a reading by three MUT students who wrote essays. The winner was Nofezile Jali, a third-year Accounting student. Jali won a laptop.  The other participants were Thembelihle Ngwana, a Nature Conservation student in the Faculty of Applied and Health Sciences, and Inan Ndayi, a first-year Construction Management and Quantity Surveying student. While reading her piece, Ndayi was overcome by the event and started to weep.

The University has conceptualised initiatives to shield its female students from one of the dangerous types of cancer, cervical cancer. This type of cancer remains one of the most preventable yet prevalent cancers affecting women worldwide. In South Africa, more than 5000 women succumb to cervical cancer annually. MUT’s Department of Biomedical Sciences is taking proactive steps to raise awareness about human papillomavirus (HPV), its link to cervical cancer, and the importance of early detection and vaccination. In collaboration with the MUT Health Services, an HPV awareness drive will take place on 4 March 2025, which is International HPV Awareness Day. Rajendrie Govender, Senior Lecturer in the department, said the initiative was a vital step toward reducing cervical cancer cases and safeguarding the health of young women. Govender said South Africa reports a high incidence of cervical cancer, with many cases diagnosed at an advanced stage due to lack of

Several MUT academic departments were among some of the higher education institutions that empowered learners from over 40 schools that attended the grade 12 Career Symposium at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban from 26-28 February 2025. The event gave MUT and other public and private higher education providers a chance to inform the learners what they offer. The Central Applications Office (CAO) was also there to provide the learners with the information they will need when they apply for post-secondary education studies. Some of the MUT departments that empowered the learners with vital knowledge were the Department of Chemistry, Department of Public Administration and Economics, Department of Civil Engineering, Department of Agriculture, Department of Marketing and Communications, and Department of Mechanical Engineering. The host, eThekwini Municipality, said their vision was to assist the province’s grade 12 learners to succeed. Head of Engineering in the Municipality, Simphiwe Xulu, told