REGISTRATION
INFORMATION
World University Rankings - Top 600

Respected SA Motor Industry Icon Pledges Support To DUT

Respected SA Motor Industry Icon Pledges Support To DUT

The Durban University of Technology yesterday (Tuesday April 16, 2013) hosted a celebratory dinner for South African motor industry icon, Brand Pretorius, who had earlier in the day received an honorary Doctor of Technology Degree in Marketing in recognition of his excellent standing in the country’s motor industry as well as in the marketing and manufacturing sectors.

The honorary doctorate was also in recognition of Pretorius’s longstanding record and ongoing significant commitment to education and literacy development in South Africa. The dinner was hosted at the Coastlands Hotel on the Ridge, Musgrave, where high profile guests including DUT Chancellor, Judge Vuka Tshabalala; Xoliswa Kakana, ICT Works Founder and Managing Director and DUT Chair of Council, Dr Jairam Reddy were in attendance.

“I’m looking forward to discussions about my role in this institution (DUT). I’m ready to talk to you about leadership. If I can make a difference, I’m volunteering my services. Thank you so much for honoring me in this way. I do not deserve it but I do appreciate it,” said Pretorius who was accompanied by his wife Tillie.

DUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Ahmed Bawa said graduation was also an opportunity to celebrate a new member of the University family, in this case that newest member being Pretorius. He said the University was deeply honored that that Pretorius had accepted the award.

“There’s a way in which DUT has to connect with the wider world. It’s important to show students that DUT is not an island; that it’s connected to the rest of the world, (and) one way of doing that is by conferring these awards,” said Prof Bawa.

He said he was recently in talks with Sizwe Nxasana, FirstRand Limited CEO, who last year received an honorary Doctor of Technology Degree in Accounting for his contributions to the transformation of the Accounting profession, as well as his significant community engagement efforts focusing on education and rural development. With FNB having had performed beyond expectation, Nxasana and Prof Bawa discussed the possibility of a team from FirstRand Limited which would talk to students about how to compete internationally.

“DUT has its ups and downs. However, during graduations, you have to say that the down are worth it seeing the avalanche of hope as it moves down the (graduation) stage. We distributed R300million in NSFAS funding this year. Rhodes University only distributed R8million. We received 76 000 (first-year) applications for 6000 spaces. Pretoria University received about 28 000. This tells you that students see us (DUT) as a place of hope. If I had a chance to be a Vice-Chancellor at DUT or UCT, I’d choose DUT. Your connection with DUT is vital in that sense”, said Prof Bawa.

– Sinegugu Ndlovu

Pictured: Dr Jairam Reddy, DUT Chair of Council; Brand Pretorius, the latest DUT honorary doctorate recipient and DUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Ahmed Bawa at the Coastlands Hotel on the Ridge, Musgrave, during Pretorius’s celebratory dinner yesterday (Tuesday April 16, 2013). The dinner started at 8pm.

No comments