For Asanda Manqoba Ndimande, receiving the news that he had obtained the prestigious Dean’s Merit Award in his Master of Engineering: Mechanical Engineering, was a dream come true.

“I was completely flabbergasted to hear it. I screamed and cried at the same time. It is such an honour to have received it, so much that I cannot really explain it. I feel like this is not just an achievement, but a legacy left for generations in the lineage of my family. I am now not looking forward to the Master’s certificate, but rather the Dean’s Merit Certificate, that how much this achievement means,” he said happily.

The bubbly Ndimande will be graduating with the Dean’s Merit Award at the Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) Virtual Graduation ceremony on Wednesday, 10 June 2020.

For the charismatic graduand, the choice to do Engineering was always his passion. “When I completed my matric, I was offered an Electrical Engineering Light Current bursary by Telkom, of which I declined, because I knew that I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer, not any other,” he said. He further added that in terms of the accolades he had received, having a higher degree than the Bachelor’s was his main motivation, as he also enjoys having the competitive edge.

“This honour does not just belong to me, I would have not achieved it, if it was not for the most important people in my life. I was under the misapprehension that my accomplishments were mine alone, nothing could be further from the truth. I have been assisted, encouraged, sustained, inspired, developed and tolerated by a number of people throughout my life. I am grateful to all for the support,” he said.

Ndimande gave more insight into his Master’s dissertation titled: Title: Heat Recovery in a Milk Powder Spray-Drying Process. He stressed that he witnessed a gap in relation to selection and design of equipment for waste heat recovery in many process industries. “I wanted to explore barriers by looking at readily available methods of heat recovery and also educate users on the different range and benefits of waste heat recovery techniques,” he said.

His study recommends that the most, simple and economical way to use the recovered heat in spray-drying processes is to pre-heat the incoming fresh air. The study also recommends that the heat recovery systems should be well-designed and energy-saving-oriented to achieve the desired results. “The capital cost of adopting an exhaust heat recovery system is high; however, the return on investment renders the investment lucrative,” he said.

Currently, he is working as a Factory Engineering Manager (HOD Engineering) for Nestlé in Pretoria, responsible for coordination of all engineering and production activities through-out the entire factory through the engineering team. Going forward, his aim is to contribute sustainable Engineering knowledge in industries.

Ndimande advises future student Engineers is to be courageous.

“The saying goes, ‘he who seeks for honey, must have the courage to face the bees’. The journey will not be easy, it is full of bees, but if you are courageous enough, you will find the sweetest honey in the end, and nothing compares to it,” he said.

Pictured: Asanda Manqoba Ndimande

Waheeda Peters