It is better late than never for Mrs Elaine Giddings, a dedicated secretary for the Department of Applied Management at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Riverside Campus in Pietermaritzburg. She has achieved her Diploma in Management Sciences: Public Relations and Communication Management after 35 years of service and she will be among the first cohort of the Faculty of Management Sciences graduands who will be celebrated at the 2026 DUT Autumn Graduation ceremony at the Indumiso Campus Hall in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday, 12 May 2026.
Having spent over three decades supporting academic staff and students, Mrs Giddings (57) has now stepped into the spotlight as a graduand. Her remarkable journey of resilience, determination and commitment to personal growth has proven that it is never too late to pursue one’s dreams. She joined DUT in June 1991 where she was based in Durban and then later moved to the Riverside Campus in Pietermaritzburg from September 1998.
“I was inspired to further my studies later in life after working many years at DUT and after dedicating myself to raising my children as a single parent. For a long time my priority was my children, which meant I did not have the opportunity to pursue my own academic goals. Now that my children are grown and independent, I felt it was time to invest in myself and achieve a personal goal that I had put aside for many years. This journey was more about personal achievement, and proving to myself that I could do it as I am almost at retirement age,” shared Mrs Giddings.
Looking back, Mrs Giddings shared that she matriculated in 1985 and then did a one year administration course in 1986, at the then Technikon Natal. It had been many years since she had studied and she was not sure she would manage with her diploma studies.
“At first it was very challenging as I had no idea what I was doing, but I got into it after a while and ended up enjoying it. I have taken a break this year from studying but I am contemplating doing the Advanced Diploma in 2027,” she added.
As a secretary for the Department of Applied Management some of her duties include assisting students and staff on a daily basis with any queries, handling registration for the department, assisting with organising students awards, class representative excursions, staff excursions, departmental meetings, doing graduation processing for all students that are eligible to graduate, keeping track of yearly budget expenditure and ordering of stationery and equipment for the department.
According to her, balancing work and studies was very challenging and required a high level of discipline and consistency. She had to stay on top of her academic work by studying regularly rather than leaving everything until the last minute.
“I tried to do some work on my studies every night in order to keep up, but I would use the weekends to do the majority of the work. This was not easy as it meant sacrificing my weekends, especially when all I wanted to do was relax after a hectic week at work, but at the end of the day it was worth it,” shared Mrs Giddings.
The Public Relations and Communication Management programme was her choice of study. She has been applying some of the skills she learnt when interacting with students, staff and external stakeholders on a daily basis.
Her advice to those wishing to to follow in her footsteps was to stay focused, committed and disciplined. She urged them to manage their time effectively and take advantage of all resources available to them, and remember to ask for help if needed.
Professor Bongani Dlamini, Head of Department of Applied Management applauded Mrs Giddings for her exceptional dedication and commitment to her studies. Prof Dlamini said despite her professional responsibilities, she consistently demonstrated discipline and perseverance by balancing her work commitments with her academic obligations. He believes her ability to manage these competing demands reflects a strong work ethic and admirable determination.
As she celebrates this milestone, Mrs Giddings hopes her story will inspire others to take that step forward, especially those who may have postponed their educational goals.
Pictured: Mrs Elaine Giddings, secretary for the Department of Applied Management at DUT.
Simangele Zuma
