Interim Director: Special Projects in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), Dr Thobeka Shozi-Nxumalo, speaks about her role in translating strategy from intention into action and ultimately, lasting impact.
Serving in a dynamic role, Dr Shozi-Nxumalo supports DUT’s ENVISION2030 strategic agenda by coordinating institutional priorities, facilitating high-level strategic initiatives and helping to ensure that key projects translate into meaningful outcomes.
She provides strategic support to the DUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Thandwa Mthembu. She also tracks strategic decisions and actions to ensure appropriate follow-through, coordinate matters that cut across different portfolios and stakeholders, support sensitive or urgent institutional interventions, and help translate strategic priorities into clear projects and actions that can be monitored through to implementation.
“Working from the Vice-Chancellor’s Office gives me the privilege of seeing the University as a whole. It constantly reminds me that even the smallest project or decision forms part of a much bigger institutional story,” she said.
Reflecting on her DUT journey, Dr Shozi-Nxumalo first joined DUT in 2015 and remained at the University until 2022, before taking the opportunity to gain experience outside the institution. In January 2026, she returned to DUT with new experiences and perspectives.
For her returning to the University has provided an opportunity to see DUT through a different lens.
“I returned to a University that I knew, but also one that had changed and I had changed too. The time away gave me different experiences and perspectives, which have allowed me to see and appreciate DUT differently. Sometimes distance gives you perspective. Returning has made me appreciate the opportunities DUT has given me over the years, the people I have encountered along the way, and the different versions of myself that this institution has allowed me to become,” shared Dr Shozi-Nxumalo.
Among the ENVISION2030 Living Values and Principles, compassion resonates most strongly with her. However, she believes that compassion cannot be separated from accountability.
“Compassion is foundational because it asks us to recognise the humanity of the person in front of us. Accountability, on the other hand, reminds us that while we must respect the individual, we also have a responsibility to the University and to the standards we have collectively committed ourselves to,” said Dr Shozi-Nxumalo.
She emphasised that compassion should never be mistaken for an absence of accountability.
“Sometimes the most compassionate thing we can do is to be honest, to have the difficult conversation and to hold ourselves and one another accountable, but to do so without losing our humanity,” she added.
Ultimately, Dr Shozi-Nxumalo believes that while strategy determines where DUT wants to go, its values will determine how it gets there.
“Strategies may tell us where DUT wants to go, but our values will determine how we get there and who we become along the way,” she said.
Her approach to making a positive impact at DUT is grounded in personal responsibility.
“I believe impact begins with how we show up every day. For me, it is about doing my work with purpose, being willing to ask difficult questions when necessary, and leaving every space I occupy a little better than I found it,” she explained.
She believes institutional transformation happens when individuals take responsibility for the spaces they can influence.
“I may not be able to change everything, but I can always take responsibility for the difference I make within my own sphere of influence. Institutions change when enough people take responsibility for the spaces they can influence,” said Dr Shozi-Nxumalo.
Rather than measuring a successful day only by the volume of work completed, she focuses on whether her presence contributed to progress.
“I try not to measure a day only by how much I have done, but by whether something moved forward because I was there,” she said.
Looking ahead, Dr Shozi Nxumalo hopes to continue growing professionally while ensuring that personal growth translates into greater institutional value.
“I want to continue growing, but not simply for the sake of progression. I want my growth to increase my capacity to contribute meaningfully to the University. For me, growth becomes meaningful when the institution grows because we grew within it,” she explained.
She envisions workplaces where high standards and humanity can coexist, where people can hold one another accountable without diminishing one another, disagree without disrespect and pursue success without losing sight of people.
“I am particularly grateful that, in my own workspace, I get to witness this every day, the possibility of pursuing excellence while still making room for kindness, respect and humanity. Perhaps that is what makes a workplace truly meaningful: not only what we are able to achieve together, but who we allow one another to be while achieving it.”
Outside the workplace, the Interim Director enjoys spending quality time with family, reading, hiking and being outdoors, she described these activities as those that provide her an opportunity to slow down, reflect and reconnect.
Through her work, leadership philosophy and commitment to the ENVISION2030 strategy, the Interim Director embodies a belief that meaningful institutional impact is not achieved through strategy alone, but through the people who bring that strategy to life every day.
Pictured: Interim Director: Special Projects in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and Principal at DUT, Dr Thobeka Shozi-Nxumalo.
Simangele Zuma
