The Durban University of Technology Midlands Entrepreneurship Centre and Student Desk, in conjunction with the University Green Campus Initiative (GCI), Msunduzi Municipality, Local Councillor and Local Community Members on Wednesday, 11 July 2018 launched the Cleanup Campaign.

The DUT Midlands Entrepreneurship Centre & Student Desk under the office of DVC: Research, Innovation and Engagement, Professor Sibusiso Moyo will jointly work with the local community surrounding the Indumiso campus and Msunduzi Municipality towards making the surrounding townships clean and safe through this campaign initiated by Ms Nontokozo Ngcobo, the Centre’s Manager.

This Cleanup campaign has been warmly welcomed by the local municipality, Imbali’s Unit 1 Councillor, Mr Siphiwe Ndawonde and its community members. According to Ngcobo, the DUT Management recently approved the Midlands Entrepreneurship Centre as an official department of the University.

” It is very important that we start by cleaning our environment before talking business, hence the Cleanup Campaign. As our Vice Chancellor : Prof  Thandwa Mthembu, would say ‘The university should take leadership with its city, region and local community to establish a single and shared purpose of engagement through looking around  its environment and finding something that  is a challenge and bring a solution.’ This initiative was just to do that”, said Ms Ngcobo.

The Midlands Entrepreneurship Centre, to be officially launched in August, aims to provide both theoretical and practical entrepreneurial learning, support and activities to Midlands based students as well as the surrounding community and local industries. The Centre also seeks to build engagement platforms with communities of entrepreneurs, where students, entrepreneurs, community leaders and other stakeholders will share ideas, knowledge and opportunities, and also collaborate with each other to solve problems. Therefore, with its objectives, the Centre saw it fit that such an initiative be launched involving not only the municipality but the community as well.

The stakeholders will gather for three days (11 – 13 July) this week and dedicate a day every month towards maintaining the cleanliness of our environment.

Pictured: DUT students and some Imbali Township community members cleanup during day 1 of the Cleanup Campaign.

Noxolo Memela