Dr Maditsane Nkonoane, Registrar at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) was largely applauded for his immense support of not only the Vuna Leadership Academy (VunaLA) but also for his investments towards and dedication to student governance matters.
The charismatic Dr Nkonoane addressed students from both Midlands and Durban during a Vuna Leadership Academy Lecture on Friday, 9 September 2022 at the Riverside Campus. An overwhelming turnout saw students from the Durban campuses travel to Pietermaritzburg to be part of the session that was going to be addressed by Dr Nkonoane.
In his opening remarks, Mr Sihle Mbanjwa, Riverside Campus Acting Director labelled Dr Nkonoane as not just a leader to the entire University but a father whom they admired.
“We are honoured to be led by you and we must admit that as Student Governance, we have learnt a great deal from you. It is for this reason that we find this Vuna leadership session as being one of the best that we will have,” said Mbanjwa.
Student Governance Manager, Masiza Ngculu echoed the same sentiments as Mbanjwa, applauding Dr Nkonoane for being a great champion of the Vuna Leadership Academy.
“The success of the Vuna Leadership Academy is also made possible by your support and guidance, we are truly grateful that at any given time we extend our pleas for direction, you do not hesitate to guide us,” said Ngculu.
Dr Nkonoane who was greatly elated and elevated to be able to host the lecture on Transformation and the Legislative Framework on Higher Education and the Way forward, said the Riverside Campus was not only his home but one of the campuses where he continues to gain strength. He reflected on his arrival at the University in 2019, where he recalled that although his office might be in Durban, the warmth he received from the Midlands, Riverside Campus was nothing compared to the treatment he was in receipt of at the Durban Campuses, therefore the Midlands was his home.
Dr Nkonoane said the vision behind developing the Vuna Leadership Academy with colleagues from Student Governance was to ensure it becomes a vehicle to develop students who will be future leaders, who are well-grounded, who are not merely highly politicized but profoundly politicized. Zoning into his lecture, Dr Nkonoane said that higher education is one of the most important activities organised in modern societies to create a demanding but rewarding environment in which individuals may realise their creative and intellectual potential.
“Through high level training across the disciplines it equips people with necessary knowledge, skills, and values to play a wide range of social roles and to become effective and dare I say ethical citizens. Through research and production of knowledge, higher education provides the society with the capacity to innovate, to adapt and to advance. In fact, the ability of any higher education system is to discharge its functions to meet peoples’ learning needs, to develop and to transmit appropriate skills and to create relevant and useful knowledge which is a key index of societies cultural, social and economic vitality and well-being,” said Dr Nkonoane.
He said that in South Africa the crucial challenge was to ensure that higher education can play its role and that it can succeed in stimulating, directing, and utilising the creative and intellectual energies of the entire population. He also highlighted that Transformation at the University needed the entire DUT population to participate in the transformation agenda.
“The white paper argues that institutional governance requires that we recognise the existence of different interests between staff, management and students and the inevitability of contestation among them,” he said.
He also highlighted that he has always identified the important need to engage student leaders and acknowledge that both parties agree to disagree. On the way forward for the DUT community, Dr Nkonoane quoted from the first edition of Iminingo which was written by the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Thandwa Mthembu on 31st October 2016, where the Vice-Chancellor wrote: “I always strive for greatness, if we wish to be great we cannot end at just being good. Greatness is like a mirage you can only pursue it tirelessly and endlessly. You should not be content with being good and rest on your laurels, your competitors will soon overtake you.”
Furthermore, Dr Nkonoane pleaded with all the attendees that they should take note of the quote, transformation of higher education as well as DUT, and not dare rest on their laurels. He said that the only way for DUT to be great was the DUT way, which is to be Creative, Distinctive and Impactful.
As the students provided feedback, concerns were also raised about the slow transformation of services provided to the higher education sector such as the National Student Financial Aid Services (NSFAS), as well as the lack of sufficient student housing. However, the students extended their gratitude as well to Dr Nkonoane for taking the time to engage with them through the lecture, while pleading with him to share his and the Vice-Chancellor’s readings on leadership. Nico Siga, 2021/22 DUT Student Representative Council (SRC) Treasurer-General, said although they had faced challenges as student leaders, they were pleased to know that they were always able to sharpen their leadership skills by teachings they received now and then from the office of the Registrar. He also acknowledged that they were aware that some frustrations students experienced were outside of the University managements control. In addition to Siga’s remarks, Njabulo ‘Kalushi’ Ntshaba, 2021/22 Midlands SRC Education and Transformation Officer said the fruits sowed by the Vuna Leadership Academy were evident and encouraged the involvement of student events in hosting lectures.
Pictured: DUT Registrar, Dr Maditsane Nkonoane receives a token of appreciation from Student Life Officer, Thobeka Shozi-Nxumalo.
Noxolo Memela
