Engineering faculty introduced at University of Zululand
Applications for the programme are open until 21 January 2021
THE University of Zululand (UniZulu) will offer bachelor degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering at its Richards Bay campus, starting in 2021.
Applications for the programme are open until 21 January 2021, and prospective students require a National Senior Certificate (NSC) qualification with maths and physics at level 5, and English at level 4, to be considered.
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The faculty is headed by Cyril Gamede, the former chairperson of the UniZulu council and current CEO of the Construction Industry Development Board.
The faculty’s external team included Thembinkosi Madikane, president of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE), and Professor Barry Downing from the University of Cape Town’s Department of Electrical Engineering, while the internal team was led by UniZulu Vice Chancellor, Professor Xoliswa Mtose.
A decade in the making
‘This is the culmination of a planning process that started nearly a decade ago,’ said Gamede, who served on the UniZulu council from 2015 to 2017.
‘We recognised the need to graduate more engineers in South Africa to meet the needs of our developing economy.’
He explained that the concept was to develop engineering programmes from historically black universities, with UniZulu chosen as a test case.
‘This will help produce young professionals who can lead the country’s investment in construction and infrastructure,’ he said.
The initiative is also aimed at giving local youngsters the opportunity to realise their dreams, without excessive travel.
However, UniZulu Vice-Chancellor, Professor Xoliswa Mtose, said the faculty will require significant investment over the next decade, to develop the relevant infrastructure.
‘This requires the adoption of an integrated district model which creates inter-dependencies and strong collaboration between the university, government, and private industries in Richards Bay,’ she said.
Mtose explained the infrastructure would also be used by local and provincial government agencies, the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone, and local firms to generate research for economic development.
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