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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

MUT Analytical Chemistry department wowed grade 12 leaners with a science experiment during the grade 12 Career Symposium organised by eThekwini Municipality at the Durban ICC.  Some of the learners that benefited from attending the event were Phiwayinkosi Dlamini, from Kwajabula High School, in Umbumbulu, southwest of Durban. Dlamini does Science at school. Now she knows she can confidently choose a qualification in STEM after grade 12, thanks to a Chemistry presentation by Mfundo Makhanya, a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at MUT. Makhanya’s demonstration confirmed to the learners that studying science subjects at school was the right decision. Khethelo Makhathini from Vumandaba High School, Mfume, south of Durban, is also planning to study Science further. Makhathini wants to study Petroleum Engineering after grade 12.  Petroleum Engineering is the science and technology of extracting, producing, and exploring oil and natural gas. It is a field that uses Physics, Chemistry,

The Department of Information Technology and Networks (IT&N) has empowered staff with the necessary know-how to deal with IT-related issues without calling the department. IT&N Service Desk Supervisor, Thembeka Mkhize said they were conducting the training “to ensure that all support staff are proficient in using the HALO service desk system.” A Halo Service Desk is a cloud-based helpdesk system that helps businesses manage workflows, automate operations, and engage with customers and employees. Mkhize’s training covered creating and submitting service requests, automated categorization and prioritizing tickets, assigning them to appropriate teams, understanding ticket resolution workflow, escalation procedures, and the use of reporting. The training also included internal communication, collaboration with other departments, and keeping stakeholders informed about ticket status. The training aims to provide an understanding of the service desk. Mkhize said that the training would enhance operational efficiency and improve overall service delivery for IT resources and services. “The

The University, through the CEAD directorate, has entered a partnership with Jonoka Development Solutions to drive socio-economic development and entrepreneurship support through anchor projects which are Asset Mobilisation, Circular Economy projects, Agriculture Value Chain maximization projects and Internationalisation, as directed by the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that the two parties have signed. CEAD Director, Professor Busisiwe Nkonki-Mandleni said this partnership would contribute to addressing employment of MUT graduates by offering entrepreneurship skills to students while servicing the community on entrepreneurship development. Jonoka Development Solutions combines innovative project management with capacity-building expertise to drive sustainable rural, local, and township economic growth. Their innovative solutions are based on asset-based community development (ABCD) approach, helping communities solve their challenges from food security, waste management, youth development, and others. These projects were expected to expose students to hands-on experience in entrepreneurship and abilities to empower local communities while engaging in partnerships with the international community. Given