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PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION, SCIENCE & INNOVATION OVERSIGHT VISIT AT UNIZULU

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, led by the chairperson Honourable, Nompendulo Thobile Mkhatshwa, visited the University of Zululand at its Richards Bay campus. The purpose of this occasion was two-fold, the first being a walkabout to see progress on the construction of infrastructure projects and the second being a discussion around these assignments and other institutional matters.  

The event was graced by the presence of UNIZULU’s Chairperson of Council Ms  Nomarashiya Caluza, members of the portfolio committee, DHET, and UNIZULU’s executives, led by the Vice-Chancellor, to mention but a few.  

The help of government funding and internal financial resources at UNIZULU has enabled the institution to respond to a number of imperatives aimed at advancing and accelerating its vision to be a leading comprehensive university that thrives on quality and fosters innovative and collaborative cultures on both its rural and urban campuses. The infrastructural projects include but are not limited to classrooms, laboratories, equipment, student residences, security facilities and systems, and the full range of underlying infrastructure to support digital systems.

Hon. Mkhatshwa touched on several issues and also addressed the reasons behind the visit. “This is not the first time we have visited the institution. We have engaged with the council and the executive on a number of issues and the day-to-day running of the institution, and we are glad to be back for this visit. I was very impressed by the work that you have done so far. We are here to see the progress of the infrastructure.  We thought we cannot see progress virtually, hence we planned this visit so that we can see how funds are spent and what is the development thereof,” she said.

In her presentation, Ms Caluza expressed her love and gratitude for the engagement and discussions that happen between the portfolio committee and the UNIZULU executives every time they meet. “These visits make us, our Board, and our leaders stronger. Every time you visit as part of your oversight responsibilities as a committee, I get excited. I also value the decisions, commitments, reports, and presentations the University makes at the operational and governance levels. It aims to improve communication between organizations, but it also raises questions about clarity. This leads me to conclude that these are the best options or methods for resolving the particular problems you may encounter”.

In her address, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Xoliswa Mtose, introduced the UNIZULU team and shared the programme for the campus tour. “We will go to the engineering computer and lecture halls and go to the site where we are busy with engineering building phase 1. This year, we are in our third year of engineering and it is important that we move forward with this project of building so that in their fourth year, students can be able to use the building once everything is done.

Further in her presentation the Vice- Chancellor gave an outline of the state of readiness for 2022 Institutional readiness and touched on the Strategic map of UNIZULU and Highlights of 2022 and important aspects of the State of governance and management; Registration and Enrolment Process, Teaching and Learning readiness; Management and stakeholder relations; Plans on funding of new and returning students and Status of institution finances.

After the walkabout, there was a high-level engagement, the deliberations, and recommendations of which will be presented to the Department of Higher Education and Training and parliament.  The UNIZULU Vice-Chancellor and her team were commended for their visionary approach and progressive management of the institution.

  • Siyanda Mntambo –

Caption: L-R: UNIZULU’s Chairperson of Council and Management, Ms Nomarashiya Caluza, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Xoliswa Mtose and the Chairperson of the portfolio committee on Higher Education, Science, and Innovation; Hon Nompendulo Thobile Mkhatshwa during the visit.

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