To celebrate, empower, and honour the end of Women’s Month, the Durban University of Technology (DUT) hosted the DUT Women’s Day Celebration 2025 at the Brahman Hills in Midlands on Friday, 29 August 2025.
This year’s event was themed: “Empowered to Elevate: Celebrating the Spirit of DUT Women”. A large group of glamorous DUT women gathered in beautiful shades of nude to honour the achievements and contributions of women throughout history and in the present day.
The Programme Director was Ms Hlamarisa Kubayi, the Director of Facilities and Maintenanceat DUT. Throughout the event, she encouraged the women to support one another and to find ways to celebrate each other.
Rendering a special welcome address was Ms Lungile Sikhakhane, Director of Management Accounting and Reporting at DUT. She shared that this year marked the 69th anniversary of the historic 1956 Women’s March to the Union Buildings to protest the extension of pass laws to Black women. She urged women to support one another as the struggles against women continue, even though they might be different from those in 1956. Ms Sikhakhane said women of today face social ills such as Gender-Based Violence and gender inequality which makes women’s rights vulnerable, hindering their ability to engage fully in all aspects of society.
DUT Midlands Campus Director, Dr Nonhlanhla Mthiyane with Ms Hlamarisa Kubayi, Director of Facilities and Maintenance at DUT.
The DUT Midlands Campus Director, Dr Nonhlanhla Mthiyane shared the purpose of the event. She share a glimpse on her traumatic experience she had faced during the early stages of her teaching career. Dr Mthiyane revealed she started teaching in one of the high schools situated in a deep rural area in KwaZulu-Natal. At one stage she saw an older boy cheating during an exam and when she had confronted him, he had pulled out a knife, threatening to stab her.
“This event was about celebrating ourselves, our journeys and victories. We gathered to celebrate our struggles that have shaped the women that we have become. We have all conquered. Women tend to take care of the whole world except for themselves. The day was about reminding each women that they are important and that they need to take time off to pause and take self care,” shared Dr Mthiyane.
She further urged the DUT women to reflect on their contribution to DUT’s success and implementation of ENVISION2030 as the university celebrates 21 years of its existence as DUT. She commended DUT for creating an environment where women feel safe, valued, supported and empowered to lead. She inspired the women to reimagine their future as each has the potential to lead and innovate at DUT. Dr Mthiyane shared that DUT cannot be ‘Creative, Distinctive and Impactful’ without its women who are making strides in their departments and units.
Ms Busi Matube, the newly appointed Chief Information Officer at DUT.
Being formally introduced to the DUT women was Ms Busi Matube, the newly appointed Chief Information Officer. She was ecstatic to meet the beautiful women who she will be working closely with. Ms Matube facilitated the lucky draw segment which was exciting and had the women in high spirits after many became winners of some amazing prizes. She mentioned that she is big on women empowerment and believes leadership is rooted in empowerment and not ego.
The lucky draws were followed by a singing competition, scrumptious lunch and a networking session.
Another highlight of the event was a relaxing Sip and Paint session set out for the women to create their own artwork, while enjoying a glass of their favourite drinks. The creative time combined the sheer joy of painting with the pleasure of sipping a drink, creating an enjoyable atmosphere. The aim of this segment of the day was not just to create art but for the women to enjoy the process, regardless of their artistic skill levels.
Giving her feedback on the day and the sip and paint experience was Ms Ronelle Lyson, Alumni Relations Coordinator at DUT. “I had such a wonderful time at the Women’s Day event. The venue was absolutely stunning and made the day feel extra special. My favourite part of the event was the Sip and Paint session, I painted a pot that I’ve now repurposed as a pencil holder on my desk. It was also truly lovely being surrounded by strong and empowered women, which made the day even more memorable and inspiring,” she expressed delightfully.
Culminating more on the sterling benefits on women and health focusing on lifestyles and mental wellness was Ms Sarojini Doyle, who is from DUT Real Estate Management.
“We as women need to understand we are different, we react differently, we react emotionally to trauma, we are wired differently. So let’s embrace the difference as we as women are resilient and are different,” she said.
She emphasised that practising good lifestyle habits formed a vital aspect in one’s day to day living. Ms Doyle relayed on creating harmony in health which entails aligning one’s physical, mental, and spiritual well-being through self-awareness, and cultivating self-compassion to find a balanced and fulfilling state of health.
Giving the vote of thanks was Ms Kubayi, who said: “As we come to the end of the event, there is still more events to enjoy and to celebrate. I would like to say thank you to our DUT executives in their absentia who sponsored this function for us to enjoy, to get to know each other, to connect, to relax. I would like to thank Dr Matheakuena Mohale, the Director of Special Projects in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Theo Andrew, who is from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor as well as Mr Victor Mothobi, Interim Senior Director, Human Capital Services, for their contributions to this event.”
She further gave thanks to the DUT organising team who were the brains behind the event. She shared her special gratitude to Ms Asanda Gibisela, Ms Zinhle Madela and Ms Thuli Hlengwa for their hard work that made the event a success.
“I would like to thank all of you for joining us to celebrate your strength, to celebrate the spirit of women. As you can see we are multifaceted, we can draw, we can paint, teach, dance and act, so a special thanks to you beautiful ladies,” she said.
She further lauded the inspirational speakers and urged everyone to carry the inspiration forward and to support and empower each other every day.
Pictured: DUT women excited to be part of the Women’s Day Celebration 2025.
Photographer: Khulasande Tshayile
Simangele Zuma/Waheeda Peters
