Page 2 - DUT The Edge - Aug/Sept 2021

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VC's message to students
UPDATES ON KEY DEVELOPMENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY
I will share some news on the appointment of new Durban University of Technology (DUT) stewards, DUT’s Business School going live and some key achievements.
Dr Maditsane Nkonoane has been appointed by Coun- cil as our new Registrar from 1 September 2021. Dr Nkonoane joined DUT as Dean of Students from 1 February 2019. He has spent more than 25 years in the higher education sector, 15 years of which were at mid- dle and senior management. Professor Runette Kruger joined DUT as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design from 1 August 2021. She has over 25 years of experience in the higher education teaching and learn- ing sector, 14 of which were spent focusing on research and publications. Dr Kavita Beemsen is the new Director: Institutional Planning from 1 July 2021. Mr Maletjane Pha- ladi (soon to be Dr Phaladi) Dr Phaladi joined DUT from 1 September 2021 as Director: Library Services. Please join me in welcoming them to DUT!
I am proud to announce that we nally launched the DUT Business School in July 2021 after years of conceptualisa- tion, with online classes starting in August.This is a bold move for DUT in an environment where there are many reputable business schools; none of which caters for uni- versity of technology graduates with their workplace- focused training. I wish to congratulate all colleagues who worked tirelessly, especially Prof Netswera, who joined
us relatively recently as our Executive Dean: Management Sciences and ensured that the school was launched.
We can all be immensely proud of the accolades we have received since last year as we continue to implement our ENVISION2030 strategy. Just recently, DUT earned an- other global ranking when we featured in the Top 100 for Ethical Value and in the Top 300 of all institutions of high- er learning, in the World’s Universities with Real Impact (WURI) 2021 rankings. A few weeks before, the WURI global rankings were released; we were ecstatic to learn that DUT was ranked second in South Africa and 102nd in the world by the Times Higher Education’s Young Uni- versity Rankings 2021. This was the third instance that Times Higher Education had recognised the international standards at DUT. In March this year, DUT was ranked in the Top 100 universities in emerging economies by the Times Higher Education Emerging Economies World Uni- versity Rankings 2021.
Nationally, DUT has also won two awards from the Marketing, Advancement, Communication in Education (MACE) Awards, which include public and private univer- sities and colleges. Our alumni magazine, DUT Connect, won the bronze award.The second award (gold) is for the
DUT television/cinema advert. Congratulations to our colleagues who work behind the scenes to keep every- one informed about us.The accolades and international ratings continue to raise our national and global pro les and they speak directly to ENVISION2030. Excellence is one of the principles we commit to live by.These achieve- ments are indicative of our capacity to make our ‘Lived Values’ a reality of our lives and practices.
Despite online engagements seeming to be ceaseless and all-intrusive sometimes, we need to take care of our bodies, minds and souls. It is important that we rest to recharge, re-energise, and rekindle our relationships with our families, friends and colleagues.
We started the year with the loss of many of our students. While we are blessed to be alive, we have been affected by the loss of our loved ones, be it family, friends or neighbours.
I wish to appeal to students to take care of their health. It allows us to think and innovate in our collective quest to contribute towards improving the lives and livelihoods of our people. Let us do whatever is necessary to replenish our bodies and protect our lives. It is my prayer that we should nish the course of 2021 together.
Editor's Note
Professor Moyo, Deputy Vice- Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement
I pray for all our DUT families and community members who have suffered loss in the pandemic and those who have been impacted by the recent looting and violent incidences. May you nd the strength, guidance and healing that is needed to start again and continue thriving despite all odds!
Losing my mother on 30 June 2021 taught me a lot about statistics. Ironically, as a mathematician, statistics are easy to read about or analyse if they are about something you have not personally experienced! The impact of the pandemic will stay with us for a long time but we must push on and contribute to preventative measures in our different spaces and focus on rebuilding ourselves and our communities!
August is when we celebrate women in South Africa because of the 1956 march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria “to protest against the abusive pass laws”. The march comprised women from diverse backgrounds and professional classes. Women have had to ght for their rights over many decades, both within South Africa and globally. In the United States of America, for instance, the ght for women’s rights and suffrage movements had already started in the mid-nineteenth century. History teaches us a lot from real-time case studies of how women can organise themselves, break racial and class barriers and ght for common causes that help address gender inequalities and eradicate discrimination.After all, women enjoy freedom and access today thanks to these women who fought for our rights and freedoms that we must not take for granted.
We are also beginning to see more women break the traditional barriers to women’s success at DUT. At a strategic level, the University has an approved strategy, ENVISION2030, that promotes certain values and
principles. As part of our living values, the University aspires to see its people living, practising and promoting Transparency, Honesty, Integrity, Respect and Accountability Underpinned by the principles of Fairness, Professionalism, Commitment, Compassion and Excellence! We are inspired then by our Editor’s focus on excellence and breakthroughs being led by women in research and innovation through our Institute for Water and Waste Water Technology (IWWT), which is a leading Institute in this sector, both locally and globally. Prof Sheena Kumari continues to mentor our students and leaders of the future in this area, which addresses Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 on ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’. DUT also hosts a number of key strategic focus areas that are led by prominent academics at the University, that is, the Gender Justice, Health and Human Development (GJHHD), focusing on SDG 3 and 5 and led by Professor Cheryl Potgieter; and the DUT Urban Futures Centre (UFC), focusing on SDG 1, 7 and 11, led by Professor Monique Marks.
As our people become entrepreneurial and innovative,we must not forget vulnerable groups and underrepresented people within our communities. To this end, I wish to congratulate our students and alumni who have excelled in a context where there are still barriers both from an infrastructural point of view and practice in terms of unequal employment opportunities for people who are differently-abled. Congratulations to Nqobile Nomfundo Khuzwayo and Nosipho Mansi, who continue to excel as entrepreneurs.The work being done by Lindani Buthelezi, Differently Abled Students Association (DASA) President, is acknowledged as we need to ensure access both in terms of physical infrastructure and support systems and practical policies and implementation plans for adequate teaching and learning using different technologies and access to studying in the Science, Engineering and Technology areas.
We congratulate all our staff, students and alumni who continue to y the DUT ag positively as we continue to receive a number of accolades in terms of our excellence and impact globally! We as the DUT Team wish you well in all your endeavours as we journey through the next phases of our entrepreneurial and innovative lives!
Noxolo Memela, Communications Manager
To say that life and our society have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic would be an understatement: the virus has detrimentally restructured lives and industries, most of them for the worse.
As if the pandemic was not enough, some KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng residents decided to loot already affected sectors of the economy. The tragedy sent the nation reeling while revealing yet another example of an underbelly lled with hate, spite and disregard for the disenfranchised.
Through it all, our health workers, DUT essential services staff and the entire DUT community have continued their valuable work in their respective roles, albeit through different means, whether working from home or diving right into the storm.Through our research and various projects, our results of excellence have again spoken for us as we continue to be ranked high in world rankings.
I must stress that it is not easy to stay positive when so much negativity is taking place, however, our great achievements are a beacon of hope for the Institution and for the entire community surrounding us and our stakeholders. While the work of excellence continues and our name shines among the best of the best, we need not forget that the pandemic is still very much alive and it is each one of us who can ght it through taking the vaccine and adhering to stipulated regulations.
It is also everyone’s responsibility to preserve and protect our society. Should we see any wrongdoers, we must report them – not be part of the problem but provide solutions.We do not grow by pointing ngers or sitting back and not even trying to work towards a better tomorrow.
Tomorrow is not guaranteed but today is an opportunity to do right and to claim your mark. Help us ght the pandemic and improve our society.There is no small act that goes unnoticed. Vaccinate, wear your mask, wash your hands, sanitise and social distance. Most importantly, as the late Mahatma Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. On 1 November 2021, go and make your mark by voting.
How to contact us:
Mr Alan Khan: alank@dut.ac.za or 031 373 2906/2106
Miss Bongiwe Chiliza: bongiwec@dut.ac.za or 031 373 2106 Miss Noxolo Memela: noxolom@dut.ac.za or 031 373 2845 Mrs Waheeda Peters: waheedap@dut.ac.za or 031 373 2113 Miss Simangele Zuma: simangelez1@dut.ac.za or 031 373 2899 Mr Aman Mahomed: amanullahm@dut.ac.za or 031 373 2339 Mr Nkululeko Mbatha: nkululekom4@dut.ac.za or 031 373 2107 Mr Theo Mhlangu: nkanyisom1@dut.ac.za or 031 373 6529
Miss Nikiwe Sukazi: caadmin2@dut.ac.za or 031 373 6529