University of Mpumalanga a beacon of hope for the province

The University of Mpumalanga will soon be home to over 25 000 students once it has been 100% completed. This came to light during an exclusive sit-down session with the university’s vice chancellor, Prof Thoko Mayekiso, on Thursday November 16.

The university recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, and Mayekiso describes it as a decade of excellence and creating opportunities.

She said they had 169 students in 2014, and now, in 2023, they registered 8 442 students.

“We started with three programmes and now we have 65. They range from higher certificates to doctoral degrees, which means we have postgraduate and undergraduate students. If you look at our policies, when you start a new university, you have to put in place policies and procedures. We believe we have succeeded in implementing policies that create a conducive learning and teaching environment. We have researchers who are rated by the National Researching Foundation, and that is important in higher education,” Mayekiso said.

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“In 2022, we received an Excelleration Award from the National Research Foundation [NRF], and in 2023, it was followed by the NRF CEO’s Special Recognition Award. This is awarded to institutions with good research performance. In the past 10 years, we have excelled in a number of ways. We have state-of-the-art infrastructure and iconic buildings, and when you move around our campus, you can see them,” said Mayekiso.
Responding to critics who said her role was a man’s role back when she started out, she said one of the most important factors when leading in higher education is that one must have the necessary experience, knowledge and leadership skills.

“I believe when I started, I had the experience required, because I have been in higher education my whole life. I have moved through the ranks. I have been a senior lecturer, an associate professor, a full professor, a dean and a deputy vice chancellor, and that is what provides you with the necessary experience. I have studied in Germany and I have worked overseas.

“If you put that experience together, it is what you need, especially for a new institution. My background in clinical psychology gives me an understanding of human behaviour. You know what to say when engaging with students and what is important when speaking to organised labour, and you use that background to be part of your leadership skills. When I started out, I had no doubt that I had the necessary experience and that I would exceed expectations. I worked at the University of Walter Sisulu, at Wits and at Nelson Mandela University, which gave me a varied experience.”

In her address during the university’s anniversary celebrations, Mayekiso paid homage to the visionaries who took the steps towards the establishment of the institution; Dr Enos Mabuza, Dr William Ndlala, Prof David Mabunda, Prof Selby Ripinga, Prof JP Shongwe, David D Mabuza, Dr Mathews Phosa, Irvin Phenyane and many others.

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“We are also grateful to Prof Andy Mogotlane, the head of the strategic team, who contributed to the noble efforts to set up the university. This task could not have been performed by one person alone. I would therefore like to thank the council, especially the first chairperson of council, Prof David Mabunda, for the support and guidance as we embarked on the pioneering journey – luhambo lwemhlahlandlela. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the minister for higher education, science and innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, and the Department of Higher Education and Training for the support they have provided over the years. It is through this support that we were able to put together the most daring infrastructure building programme, which led to us to create the most iconic and modern infrastructure at our university. We are also grateful for the goodwill of the province of Mpumalanga,” she said.

Mayekiso said she felt honoured to have been tasked with the responsibility of giving concrete and material expression to that vision.

Strategically located in Mbombela, the university attracts not only students from South Africa, but also from eSwatini, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and India.
“The road ahead beckons. We will revisit and revise our initial strategies against the backdrop of the lessons learnt along the way. We need to remain forever vigilant to ensure that we do not become oblivious to new opportunities. Agility, flexibility and openness to embrace change should always be what we strive for,” she concluded.