Fine dining, exceptional service, and a luxurious ambiance marked the Department of Hospitality and Tourism’s celebration of its 2025 Student Excellence Awards Ceremony at the Durban University of Technology (DUT)’s Hotel School and Conference Centre on October 24, 2025.
The event celebrated outstanding student achievements and academic excellence. Ronelle Lyson, Alumni Relations Coordinator at the DUT Advancement and Alumni Relations Unit, directed the programme, which was well attended by the DUT Community, including the Director of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Professor Oswald Mhlanga, Director of the DUT Business School Professor Pfano Mashau, and Joseph Mgobhozi, General Manager for the Coastlands Musgrave Hotel who delivered a keynote address.
Prof Mhlanga officially welcomed all and kicked off the event with insightful remarks on the context of the celebration and the continued department’s vision to empower students.
“This is more than just handing out certificates; it is a profound celebration of dedication, passion, and unparalleled achievement. It is one of the key highlights of our academic calendar in the department,” he said.
Mhlanga stated that there are celebrating excellence in an industry that is nurtured by human connections, experiences, and service, and applauded the students for demonstrating the high standards of academic rigor, professional aptitude, and personal integrity.
Sharing the Academic Excellence Speech, Prof Mashau echoed to the students that their achievements are not by accident but a product of determination, late nights, and moments of discipline over comforts.
“You have excelled in one of the most dynamic and human-centered areas of study in the whole world… you have become part of the industry that connects culture, thriving economies, and turns simple interactions into lifelong memories,” said Prof Mashau.
He urged students not only to be job seekers but job creators, highlighting and importance and possibility of entrepreneurship through the countless opportunities in the hospitality and tourism industry.
In his keynote address, Mr Mgobhozi gave a moving talk on the practicality of the industry and how to succeed in the modern-day era of the hospitality and tourism sector. He told his own personal experience from being a backroom staff member washing dishes at a hotel to eventually being a manager.
Mgobhozi encouraged students to use their education to a better future through entrepreneurship and innovation, and to prosper through life’s adversities, like the advent of unexpected circumstances like COVID-19 and the developments that are brought by Artificial Intelligence and technological evolutions.
The programme culminated with the awarding of students, which was separated into multiple categories: the level and specific awards category, the Best Achievement in each programme category, the Student Leadership awards category for class representatives, and the Agent of Change Award for students who have embodied the values of the department inside and outside the lecture hall.
Lecturer Mrs. Raeesah Khan gave a congratulatory message and vote of thanks, recognising all the students who were awarded, alongside everyone who participated and made the event a success.
Pictured: Awardees at the event.
Thulasizwe Nkomo
