The University of Mpumalanga has honoured individuals who have excelled in research. Among these was Vice-Chancellor Professor Thoko Mayekiso, a National Research Foundation (NRF) rated researcher who was awarded for maintaining her 2018 C3 rating.

Opening the intimate ceremony Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic Professor Richard Bernard said: “A celebration of this nature is to acknowledge those who offer to go the extra mile to distinguish themselves. “It is the responsibility of one individual to ensure they foster the holistic development of students through teaching, learning and research.”

The University of Mpumalanga has a strategic plan for 2015-2022, which is to create and support an environment that fosters research quality and productivity; to develop and sustain the research capacity of staff and students and; to conduct research that contributes to local, regional, national and global sustainability.

Director Research Management, Professor Phindile Lukhele-Olorunju said UMP aims to increase the number of NRF rated researchers because, “researchers of such standing will be able to generate more funding for the university from NRF and other funding agencies.”

Other recipients of awards included: Dr Ferdinand Niyimbanira who was honoured with the UMP Engagement Award, while Dr Liaan Minnie was awarded for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

More researchers recognised
Last year two other researchers, Professor Tarombera Mwabvu and Dr Oswald Mhlanga were recognised by the university for their outstanding research in their fields of expertise. Professor Mwabvu from the Faculty of Biology and Sciences’ research was on the diversity of soil and invertebrates.

“This research has contributed to our understanding of the diversity and distribution of soil organisms and their important ecological role in the environment.”

Professor Mwabvu’s research has led to worldwide recognition. It has seen him collaborate with researchers from Belgium, Serbia, Denmark and Mozambique. Before this recognition Professor Mwabvu was also awarded a C2 rating by NRF.

“Among the top taxonomic journals that I have reviewed for includes the European Journal of Taxonomy and Zootaxa,” said Professor Mwabvu. Among his many accolades is being appointed as an external examiner by the University of KwaZulu- Natal, North West University and Midlands State University in Zimbabwe.

Dr Mhlanga from the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, has designed models for improving restaurant efficiency. Currently he is a board member of the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights and the African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure and Acta Commercii.

@ Story by Lisa Thabethe. Pictures by Cleopatra Makhaga

UMP student turned entrepreneur, Sandile Mkhabela, rescued his family from poverty by farming chickens and selling eggs to supplement his family’s income.

The student, who holds a diploma in Agriculture in Plant Production, says it was poverty that motivated him to venture into business. However, it was his education at UMP that gave him the idea and equipped him with ideas to start an egg selling  business.

Hailing from a small rural village in Schoemansdal in Nkomazi, Mkhabela is today the founder of Sucseed Investments, a thriving poultry farm business. Talking about his humble beginnings he says:

“Before I came to UMP I had a few chickens that were roaming around at home. I had no idea that we could make money from them, let alone start a business. When I came to UMP, while studying agriculture, I took advantage and did internet research, which, together with my course, assisted me to come up with ideas of using my chickens to start an egg production business.”

Mkhabela started small. He bought 14 laying hens, which together laid about 11 eggs per day. He sold some of the eggs, and some went to feed his family.

“I started selling eggs to neighbours to get money to maintain my 14 hens. It was a wonderful experience for me to wake up in the morning and find fresh laid eggs. I developed more love and passion for farming.”

Mkhabela says he continued to research more about the poultry industry and one day came across information about egg incubation. “I was mind-blown on how chicks were produced. I then did a bit of DIY (do it yourself) experiment and used an old disposed refrigerator to build a homemade incubator that accommodated 88 eggs,” adds Mkhabela.

“As the business was progressing I realised that I needed to make a few sacrifices such as using my food allowance to buy more chicks. I also needed to raise money to buy a bigger incubator, which I got and it hatched 1056 eggs. That was an upgrade for my business.”

Growing the business
To grow the business even further, Mkhabela took out a R10 000 loan which he used to buy 720 fertile broiler eggs to hatch and 200 broiler chicks. 

“I am looking forward to having more incubators and more chickens. If I can produce about 2 000 chicks every week and more eggs every month, that would be great.”

When the Dean of Students, Dr Paul Maminza and the UMP Enactus coordinator Dr Ferdinand Niyimbanira heard about the good work Mkhabela was doing back at home, they paid him a surprise visit. Mkhabela says he was beyond amazed.

They loved his work and expressed pride in him since he could implement his learning at UMP. The department  agriculture at UMP sponsored Mkhabela with 50 hens and also built him a good coop. This was a great boost to the growth of the business.

“I would like to encourage all young people in our country to stop waiting and complaining to the government. We have to start being entrepreneurial regardless of your education and financial status. We can see that the 4IR is taking place in the working industry. This should be an eye-opening experience for us to start our own businesses," he added.

“We should also learn to teach ourselves about economics and financial management, so we can run those businesses. As young people we are the future of this country, let us be prepared for this future we are talking about. Let us hustle and find ways to make money so we can be employers not employees.” 

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures Supplied.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Thoko Mayekiso celebrates five years at the helm of the world-class University of Mpumalanga, which offers a variety of study options. Under her sterling leadership the university has shown exceptional growth, producing over 400 graduates and more achievements in the last five years. 

This year the number has doubled with 408 learners having graduated from nine qualifications and 16 were awarded Cum Laude (Distinctions). Three qualifications were conferred for the first time at the last graduation ceremony.

Q: The Commission for Gender Equality has applauded your commitment to addressing gender transformation on campus. How was this achieved?
The commission recommended that we develop a gender policy that has an operational plan with clear allocation of responsibilities, time for monitoring and evaluation of transformation. Because we’ve always had a gender equality policy, we could simply review it and make the necessary changes. We also have a gender transformation manager, which impressed the commission. We’ve hosted several workshops and dialogues to raise awareness and will continue to do more.

Q: New programmes have been introduced this year. Tell us more.
We are growing in leaps and bounds. We started with three programmes; now have 20 and will be adding five more to our curriculum: Diploma in Animal Production, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, Bachelor of Administration, Advanced Diploma in Information Communication Technology in Applications, and two postgraduate degrees: Master’s in Development Studies and Science in Agriculture. These programmes will see us reaching even higher levels and more graduates.

Q: Forming strong partnerships has been key for UMP; tell us about these and what are the benefits?
Yes! Partnerships have opened doors for both students and staff. Most of our partnerships are formed in aid of developing our students and broadening their horizons. We have partnered with several international universities from Switzerland to China in a bid to better our curriculum and offer our students learning opportunities abroad. We’ve also partnered with local entities such as the Department of Water and Sanitation, the Lapalala Wilderness, and Sanlam, to name a few.

Q: The first Alumni Chapter has been launched. What does this mean?
It means that the alumni and the university now have a structure through which to engage, collaborate, and promote the interests and welfare of the university. Alumni play a very important role in advancing the vision of the institution.

Q: What is your secret to success?
I always strive for excellence, and lead by example. When it comes to leading I’ve learnt that the key to being a responsive Vice-Chancellor are the so-called three L’s: Listen, Learn and Lead. The challenge is to balance the act of listening and learning with acting. It is a bruising job, but at the same time it is also unbelievably rewarding.

Q: What are the challenges facing tertiary institutions today and how are you addressing these?
New technology boasts tremendous opportunity to increase student success and yet threatens the very model of higher education. We have a responsibility to develop leaders of digital technology and spark creativity and innovation or be left behind. The environment of higher education is quite complex and, therefore, requires collective leadership, strong partnerships and wisdom to ensure delivery on all the strategic objectives that we have set for ourselves.

Q: What do the next five years look like?
Whereas the first five years were largely about pioneering and establishing the foundations of our institution, the next five years will be characterised by adaptability, growth, development, consolidation and innovation.

@ Story By Lisa Thabethe. Pictures Cleopatra Makhaga

Former graduate Floyd Ndhlovu who works as farm manager shares some valuable tips about the job market, what employers are looking for in candidates and how graduates can use grab the opportunities presented to them.    

Q: How did you get your breakthrough? 
After I graduated at the University of Mpumalanga for the Advanced Diploma in Agriculture in 2017, I started applying for jobs while working as a student assistant at UMP during the registration period. Then I was awarded another opportunity to do assert verifications and also data capturing. My big break came when the university partnered with Ehlanzeni District. I was one of the two students selected to go and assist as consultants in their adopted farms. That's when I entered the agricultural field as an employee.

Q: How did you find the job market? 
It's not easy. You have to prove yourself as employers are looking for hard working people, who are creative but can also follow the rules and processes. They are looking for someone who knows what they are doing: a person who can think out of the box and come up with new innovative ways of doing things.

Q: What are employers looking for in candidates?
Most of the time they are looking for experienced people, so going through an internship programme is very important. It can help you gain the necessary experience required and you have the opportunity to mingle with field veterans. It is also important that while there you add your input and mostly try to prove yourself in terms of your capabilities even though you are not a permanent employee.

Q: How can you prepare for your future career? 
In order to prepare for your future career, you need to familiarise your self with latest job trends within your field of study, be willing to learn from others, worker hard and lastly: love what you do.

Q: What are the job related challenges?
Most challenges we face, is that, some companies need years and years of experience and graduates find themselves unemployed because of such reason. So experience is a stumbling block for most graduates in terms of not getting employment.

Q: How was it like moving from student to employee? 
Migrating from student to a working professional can be a bit of a challenge, as we are used to being told what to do, and now in the workplace you are being put on the spotlight.

But again, the little experience we receive from internships and working hand in hand with seniors within the field, made it a bit easier to transcend. In the workplace you are expected to execute tasks and report back. I guess internship is also vital as it can prepare you for the workplace. Whereas the first five years were largely about pioneering and establishing the foundations of our institution, the next five years will be characterised by adaptability, growth, development, consolidation and innovation.

Q: What was your biggest challenge?
Having to adapt to the day-to-day demands of the workplace. The challenge is that you enter into a job being comfortable and relaxed, only to find that, there's no one (lecturer) there to assist you as everyone else have their own job to do.

You find yourself under a lot of pressure and stress to perform. At some point I felt like giving up, but then through proper planning, drafting my own working schedule, I was able to plan, execute and evaluate myself on task completed, and that’s when I realised that I was no longer a student. I had to adapt, be independent and do my thing.

Q: Any advice to graduates? 
I mingled a lot especially with my former superiors, I volunteered for tasks, and I did my best to deliver. I was given the benefit of the doubt and I got a chance to actually prove my self.

@ Story by Cleopatra Makhaga. Pictures Supplied.

UMP students and staff are continuing to respond positively to the Love My Campus campaign, which aims to promote an environmentally friendly and clean campus.

Launched by the university in 2017 and headed by the Student Affairs office, the Love My Campus is an initiative that strives to make both staff and students aware of their environmental surroundings. It encourages them to take deliberate steps to love and protect university assets.

The campaign was revived with a competition that kept both Siyabuswa and Mbombela campuses busy, where students and staff need to do an initiative that supports the campaign. To say both students and staff were excited and hopeful to win the prize money is an understatement. Everyone got involved, gaining the campaign more momentum.

Student housing manager Boipelo Motswane says the Love My Campus campaign focuses on different attributes, which demonstrate the love and pride one has for their campus.

“Under the hash tag #IProtectMyCampus, students are encouraged to look after university assets such as computer labs, residence spaces, lecture halls, sports centres and other facilities.

Motswane adds that appreciation and respect of campus resources is visible in both UMP campuses. “We put up numerous number of bins throughout the campuses, that prompted the correct disposal of waste to avoid littering around our campuses.”

Normally, campaigns start out with a lot of momentum but then slow down with time. Motswane says that the competition was created to increase the interest of reminding both staff and students to continue the good job of caring for their environment.

The first prize winners were six students who turned the challenge of cleaning the campus swimming pool in Mbombela campus, into a project. They each won R1000.”

Isaac Ndlovu and Simon Mashile were among the six students who won. After winning Ndlovu said: “I heard that someone was cleaning the pool and needed help. I volunteered, not knowing we would be rewarded at the end.”

Mashile said the idea to clean the pool came about when he saw one general worker cleaning the pool alone. "I was motivated to help him. I asked other students to assist. The response was overwhelming. Six of us cleaned the pool and we won," he said excitedly.

Motswane says that since the six won, more students have started their own projects and the Love My Campus campaign is gaining more momentum.

“Students have become champions of excellence, upholding the university values and carrying them out well. The Love My Campus and #IamAnAmbassador for my campus campaigns have inspired other students to come up with ideas on how to keep the campus clean and protect university assets.”

@ Story and Pictures by Cleopatra Makhaga