“Treat these facilities as it is yours, as it is truly yours,” these were the words echoed by the Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) Council Chairperson, Mr Wiseman Madinane, at the official inauguration of the new buildings and facilities at DUT’s Riverside and Indumiso campuses on Friday, 22 June 2018.

DUT unveiled its new high-tech buildings, eco-friendly library and modern classroom facilities at both their Midlands campuses, which were a culmination of a major, refurbish process, which had occurred over the past five years, costs to the tune of below two Million Rand.

The event was well-attended by the DUT staff and student community and external stakeholders, who came along to witness the official opening and unveiling of plaques and went on a guided tour of the buildings and facilities.

Speaking at the event, Madinane added that the inauguration of the new buildings and facilities at DUT was the culmination of a vision and was very much encrypted in the DUT 2.0 strategic plan around student-centeredness and engagement.

“I like the youthfulness of the buildings and I think they are very modern.  Both projects were delivered on time and within budget, costing roughly below two million rands for both projects. I wish to come back in five years along the time and find that these facilities are still intact, clean and are not vandalised,” he said.

He also thanked the organisers of the event, DUT Council and the Director of the Midlands campuses, Dr Martin Mandew, for the leadership that he had provided during the construction period.

Vice-Chancellor and principal of DUT, Professor Thandwa Mthembu, also gave thanks to the former predecessor, Professor Ahmed Bawa, who was deeply involved in getting the funds together with the Council and had played a critical role in getting the University to where it is today.

The general consensus from Pietermaritzburg students are that the new state of the art buildings and facilities made them feel like they are studying at a University.

Riverside Eco-tourism student, Muziwandile Nkosi, said the new venues make him feel the atmosphere of being in University which is what he had dreamt about since he was in High School.  “The new venues are so comfortable that you can spend the whole day inside studying, learning and meeting for a group assignment.  In the old venues so much time was spent on connecting a projector but in the new venues none of that happens.”

Public Relations student, Sanelisiwe Mboto, said: “The renovations that have been made at Riverside campus along with the new lecturer theatres that are now available for us to use – have made a significant contribution to our learning experience.  As a student, walking into a room that is of such a great stand makes you feel important and eager to learn.  Thank you to the DUT management team for this great initiative. You have really uplifted the quality of our education,” he said proudly.

The project was built in phases: The lecture venues were completed in June 2017. The library was then relocated to a temporary venue, whilst the new library and computer labs were constructed. The computer lab was completed in December 2017 and the library was completed in February 2018.

All three buildings were built simultaneously and were completed in December 2017 (Civil Engineering Block) and February 2018 (Library and lecture venues).

The new buildings unveiled at Riverside Campus consists of four, new raked 200 seater lecture venues with a lift and ablution facilities, extending the old library, creating three levels of library space. A mezzanine level was also added to the old hall to create computer labs, study space, social space and group rooms. The old test venue was converted into a computer lab.

At the Indumiso Campus, there is a new three-level eco-friendly Library, two 250 seater raked lecture venues. A new Civil Engineering Block that consisted of new offices, labs, workshops and student spaces. There is an outdoor paving seating area and new parking areas.

Reiterating more on the new facilities, Manager –Physical Planning at DUT, Mr Len Rosenberg, said the building works of phase two is now complete and the University is currently waiting for the Department of Education to respond to DUT regarding funding for phase three.

“This entails a building near the civil engineering building with five new lecture venues and this will mark the completion of the third phase.  We (DUT) are also planning to build some new sports facilities later in the year, and we (DUT) are hoping to build a basketball, netball and two tennis courts. So in two years’ time, Indumiso will be a brand new campus compared to what it was in the 80s,” he said excitedly.

Pictured: DUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Thandwa Mthembu and DUT Council Chairperson cuts the ribbon at the official inauguration of the new buildings and facilities at DUT’s Riverside and Indumiso campuses.

Waheeda Peters