DUT Principal appointed to the board of Umgeni Water
Professor Thandwa Mthembu says his appointment to serve as the Board Member of Umgeni Water is a great opportunity for deepening DUT’s partnerships with the government.
DURBAN University of Technology (DUT) Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Thandwa Mthembu says being appointed to serve as a Board Member of Umgeni Water is a great opportunity for DUT to deepen it’s partnerships with government, its agencies and enterprises.
Mthembu was appointed to the board of the second-largest water board in the country, alongside 11 other new members of the board.
The new board will serve a term of four years.
“Quad-Helix of partnerships are about universities entering into partnerships with government (and its agencies and enterprises), business/industry and the broader society. This appointment demonstrates just that. DUT already has a partnership with Umgeni Water, a state owned entity. A number of our teaching-learning and research-innovation programmes actually serve the interests of Umgeni Water and various other entities. Thus, being on the Board is just one way of strengthening this partnership and it allows us to demonstrate the impact we are making in the water sector, especially through our Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology,” he said.
ALSO READ: Academic to serve on transport panel
Prof Mthembu said he hopes to use his extensive experience in executive management to contribute towards sound management of the institution.
“I hope to contribute to, amongst others, good corporate governance, strategic management, organisational sustainability, and efficiency and effectiveness of service to Umgeni Water’s stakeholders,” he said. Mthembu further added that it is important for leaders in academia to contribute towards the development of various structures of our society including government entities. “For optimal impact, academics should be out there where they want to make a mark. We also need specialists in government and industry to engage with academia all for the benefit of our broader society.”
Do you want to receive news alerts on this and many other stories relevant to the Durban area via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
