Durban University of Technology (DUT) has officially launched the ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework, which is anchored in five core values: transparency, honesty, integrity, respect and accountability. These values are further supported by the principles of fairness, professionalism, commitment, compassion and excellence.
DUT Faculty of Accounting and Informatics team member Sinamile Sithole recently engaged in a conversation with Dr Thandukwazi Ncube, Acting Head of Department in the Department of Finance and Information Management, to explore the ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework and how it relates to his role at DUT.
Q: Kindly tell us about your role at DUT?
A: “I am an academic in the Department of Finance and Information Management, specialising in Business and Information Management. My academic portfolio encompasses undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, research and scholarship, curriculum renewal, academic development, and comprehensive student support. Beyond my core academic responsibilities, I have contributed to institutional governance and academic stewardship through roles such as Programme Coordinator and Acting Head of Department. These leadership experiences have provided opportunities to contribute to quality assurance, academic planning, staff development, curriculum enhancement, and the broader strategic advancement of the department.”
Q: How long have you been part of the DUT family?
A: “I have been part of the DUT community for several years, and my journey has been characterised by scholarly development, professional growth, institutional service, and meaningful engagement with students and colleagues. My experience at DUT has exposed me to the multidimensional nature of higher education, from teaching and scholarship to governance, quality assurance, academic leadership, curriculum development, and student-centred support. More importantly, it has allowed me to work alongside and learn from people with diverse experiences, perspectives, and aspirations.”
Q: Of the ENVISION2030 Living Values and Principles, which ones do you most identify with and why?
A: “I identify strongly with respect and honesty. For me, these values are deeply interconnected: respect is about recognising the dignity and worth of others, while honesty is about engaging with people with truthfulness, integrity and authenticity. My understanding of both values is deeply influenced by Ubuntu, the belief that “I am because we are.” I also personally reflect on U-Ntu, where “U” evokes “I am” and “Ntu” evokes being, personhood and the deeper essence of humanity. For me, this connects with the belief that human beings are created in the image of God and therefore possess inherent dignity, worth and God-given potential. This understanding shapes how I engage with students and colleagues. Respect means listening, valuing others and recognising their potential, while honesty means speaking truthfully while remaining compassionate and respectful.”
Q: What are your views on the DUT tagline, Creative, Distinctive, Impactful?
A: I regard “Creative, Distinctive, Impactful” as a powerful expression of the ethos of an agile, contemporary, and socially responsive university of technology. Creative challenges us to move beyond conventional approaches. It encourages intellectual agility, innovative thinking, adaptive problem-solving, and progressive approaches to teaching, research, technology, and institutional practice. Distinctive calls on DUT to cultivate a strong and differentiated institutional identity, one that does not simply replicate traditional university models but confidently embraces its identity as a university of technology within the African and global socio-economic context. Impactful provides an important measure of institutional relevance. It challenges our research, curriculum, teaching, innovation, and community engagement to generate meaningful and tangible value for society.”
Q: How do you plan to keep abreast of the ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework?
A: “I intend to engage continuously with the University’s strategic documentation, institutional dialogues, symposia, professional development opportunities, and capacity-building initiatives aligned with ENVISION2030. However, strategic frameworks achieve their greatest value when they move beyond documents and become visible in everyday practice. I therefore intend to consciously operationalise the University’s values within my daily academic work by embedding them in my teaching, research ethics, curriculum development, academic leadership, governance, and relationships with colleagues and students.”
Q: In your opinion, how does the ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework benefit DUT?
A: “The ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework provides an important moral and strategic compass for building an intentional, high-performing, inclusive, and people-centred institutional culture. When translated into everyday practice, the framework can help connect individual behaviour and decision-making with broader institutional objectives. When embraced across academic and professional support environments, it can contribute to a culture characterised by accountability, trust, psychological safety, collaboration, respect, innovation, and scholarly integrity. Most importantly, a values-driven institutional culture can strengthen the University’s ability to develop and retain talent, support student success, encourage innovation, and produce graduates who possess not only technical competence but also a strong sense of social responsibility and human dignity.”
Q: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
A: “I enjoy reading and writing about emerging trends in digital business, information management, technology, and contemporary higher education. My intellectual curiosity therefore extends beyond my formal academic responsibilities. Equally important to me is spending quality time with my family. One of my favourite activities is fishing with my family. Beyond the quietness and connection with nature, I have come to see fishing as a wonderful metaphor for academic life and mentorship. It requires patience, careful preparation, an ability to read subtle currents, perseverance, and an acceptance that meaningful outcomes do not always happen immediately.”
Q: What is the one thing that most people do not know about you?
A: “Beyond my formal academic responsibilities, I have a deep and enduring commitment to pastoral mentorship, student development, and graduate employability. Throughout my career, I have dedicated considerable personal effort to supporting students, particularly those from historically disadvantaged and under-resourced backgrounds. This has included individual mentoring, academic and career guidance, personal coaching, and facilitating connections to opportunities beyond the University.”
Q: How do you plan to make a positive impact at DUT?
A: “I plan to make a sustained contribution through generative academic leadership, rigorous scholarship, student development, mentorship, and deliberate capacity-building within my sphere of influence. A central part of this contribution is supporting early-career academics and colleagues. Having navigated various academic and institutional structures, I value mentoring colleagues in areas such as curriculum development, research, academic administration, quality assurance, leadership, and professional growth.”
Q: What is your daily motivation?
A: “My primary motivation is the conviction that higher education remains one of the most powerful instruments for human development, socio-economic mobility, and societal transformation. Each day presents an opportunity to help bridge systemic gaps for students who see university education as a pathway to broader possibilities. Watching students master complex concepts, develop professional confidence, discover their capabilities, and ultimately exceed their own expectations provides profound professional purpose. I am also motivated by intellectual curiosity, the desire to keep learning, questioning, researching, and understanding an increasingly complex world.”
Q: What are your future goals at DUT?
A: “My future goals encompass the continued advancement of my research, curriculum innovation, postgraduate development, academic mentorship, and institutional contribution. I aspire to produce interdisciplinary and high-impact scholarship at the intersection of business systems, information management, technology, and societal development, while strengthening my contribution to postgraduate research supervision and academic capacity-building. I also hope to continue drawing on my experience in academic coordination and leadership to contribute meaningfully to institutional policy development, quality assurance, curriculum transformation, digital transformation, and inter-faculty initiatives. Ultimately, my aspiration is to contribute to a sustained legacy of academic excellence, institutional stewardship, innovation, and student empowerment.”
Q: If you were granted one wish, what would it be?
A: “My wish would be for DUT to fully realise an institutional ecosystem in which every student and staff member, regardless of their socio-economic or structural circumstances, has access to the enabling resources, equitable opportunities, and appropriate support necessary to realise their fullest potential. I believe a university reaches its greatest potential when systemic barriers are progressively dismantled and people are given the opportunity to exercise their agency, pursue their intellectual curiosity, develop their capabilities, and contribute meaningfully to society.”
