The University of Mpumalanga Vice-Chancellor, Prof Thoko Mayekiso

Creating Opportunities

By Fiona Wakelin

The University of Mpumalanga (UMP) is situated in the scenic province of the rising sun, a context for staff and students’ inspiration. UMP was established in 2013, and enrolled the first cohort of 169 students in February 2014 in three programmes, namely Bachelor of Education (Foundation Phase Teaching), Bachelor of Agriculture in Agricultural Extension and Rural Resource Development and Diploma in ICT. Rapid and gratifying growth has been experienced since the establishment of the University. The University now offers 78 qualifications, to a total of 11,885 students in 2025.

The year 2025 marked the 10th graduation ceremony of the University of Mpumalanga. Two thousand and thirty five degrees/diplomas were conferred including 61 Master’s degrees from 60 qualifications. UMP conferred the first doctoral degree - a Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Sciences - to Dr Khumbelo Mabadahanye. One hundred and seventy qualifications were awarded cum laude and 45 students were recipients of the Vice-Chancellor Scholarship. Ten qualifications were awarded for the first time, with graduates coming from South Africa, eSwatini and Zimbabwe.

We asked our cover icon, founding Vice Chancellor Prof Thoko Mayekiso, to dive deeper into the journey of this trailblazing university:

The pioneering journey captures the fact that we started UMP from scratch, sod- turning and laying the foundation, to the now iconic structure which can be seen from afar perched on the hill on 31 October 2013. The statement “Pioneers have to build a firm foundation, mindful that what they are creating should be durable, marketable, sustainable and enduring” - Prof Mayekiso (2015) - captures the essence of the pioneering journey (luhambo lwemhlahlandlela).

This speaks indeed to our trailblazing journey. We started with 169 students in 2014 , and now have 11 885 students in the current year. Academic offerings increased from 3 to 81 in 2025. Our qualifications range from Higher Certificate to Doctoral degree in the true typology of a comprehensive institution. Six of the qualifications are doctoral programmes.

When we started with a few qualifications, we did not have faculties and operated at the programme-level. The first faculty was established in 2016 - the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, with Prof Moses Mbewe, as the Founding Dean. The next faculty to be established was the Faculty of Education in 2019, with Prof Hilda Israel, as the Founding Dean. The last faculty to be established was the Faculty of Economics, Development and Business Sciences in 2020, with Prof Vusi Gumede as the Founding Dean.

In addition to the three faculties, the University has established 8 Schools: The Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences has four Schools, namely the School of Agricultural Sciences; the School of Biology and Environmental Sciences; the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences and the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences.

The Faculty of Education has the School of Early Childhood Education and the Faculty of Economics, Development and Business Sciences has the School of Development Studies; the School of Social Sciences and the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

“Creating Opportunities” Through The Vision, Mission and Values

The University has created a number of opportunities for staff and students in line with its Vision, Mission and Values. The University committed itself through its mission to the holistic development of students. Students are developed cognitively, physically, socially, personally and aesthetically, thereby maximising their potential to benefit from the opportunities the University creates for them. Students are exposed to a number of opportunities through the relevant programmes that are offered at the University and the conducive ecology in why they study.

The content of our offerings at UMP makes it easy to be fully prepared for employment opportunities or opportunities for further studies. The innovative and entrepreneurial inclination of UMP enables our students to create opportunities – whilst being equally ready to grab opportunities that exist out there. Our staff and students have benefitted from the partnerships the University has established nationally and internationally. Students have benefitted from Study Abroad opportunities which have contributed to their academic development.

ENACTUS: A Flagship Project

ENACTUS is a global organisation that uses entrepreneurial action to create social and economic impact. UMP ENACTUS Society is one of the flagship student societies at UMP showing creativity and innovation. The team has won 39 trophies since they started participating in the national competition in 2017. UMP ENACTUS was crowned national champions at the ENACTUS national championships held in Sandton, Johannesburg on 17 July 2025.

Prof Thoko Mayekiso, received the 2025 ENACTUS Champion Award as a recognition of her extraordinary leadership, unwavering passion and commitment to the ENACTUS movement - the first recipient of the award in higher education. Only four such awards have been made in the past and one of them went to Dr Patrice Motsepe. The UMP ENACTUS Team will represent South Africa at the ENACTUS World Cup Competition in Bangkok, Thailand, from 26 – 28 September 2025.

The Ireland Entrepreneurship Tour

The University of Mpumalanga continues to make strides in student entrepreneurship on both national and international platforms. Through its commitment to fostering innovation and business acumen, UMP proudly participated in the THENSA Entrepreneurship Training, held from 28 July to 2 August 2024 in partnership with Munster University of Technology (Ireland) and funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI). This intensive in-person five-day programme provided Studentpreneurs with critical skills in market research, financial management, business model development, sales strategies, and public speaking, empowering them to refine and sustain their business ventures.

Among the 50 participants from six universities, five outstanding UMPCFERI Studentpreneurs attended the training. Following their exceptional performance, three of them were selected to represent UMP and South Africa together with five students from other universities on the 2025 Ireland Entrepreneurship Tour [16 May – 24 May 2025]. The UMP students on the tour were:

1. Mr Sandile Tyrant Nhuvunga: (Master’s in Development Studies: 2nd year)

2. Mr Mcolisi Austine Shongwe: (Master’s in Development Studies: 2nd year)

3. Ms Ndiwanga Murena Overcome Muravha: (BSc Agric: 4th year)

Ireland tour programme proceeding:

• Each site visit during the study tour was carefully selected to match the business interests of the Studentpreneurs from UMP who attended. These visits helped them to reflect on their current business models and provided ideas on how to improve them to be more competitive in global markets. They had the chance to engage with business owners, support institutions, and educational institutions, all of which contributed valuable insights.

• The tour gave them a clear understanding of how Ireland supports entrepreneurship especially in rural areas through innovation, technology, and collaboration. They saw how businesses are built around sustainability, creativity, and community involvement. The three Studentpreneurs also learned how support structures such as incubators, enterprise offices, and universities play a big role in helping entrepreneurs succeed.

• Furthermore, the programme gave them practical exposure to real businesses and support systems. The tour opened up their minds to new possibilities and showed them that entrepreneurship is not only about making profit, but also about solving problems, creating opportunities for others, and building businesses that can grow and last.

The Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony

The Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony is an annual event which takes place during the Graduation Ceremonies as a separate ceremony. These awards are given to students who have excelled academically during the previous year. We celebrate students who have excelled in each of the faculties at first year level, diploma level and degree level. We also recognise the top students overall and they are awarded the ViceChancellor Award for the Best Diploma Graduate and Vice-Chancellor Award for the Best Degree Graduate. Some of the awards are sponsored externally by the Robert Gumede Keni Foundation ( Best Student in ICT), Halls and Sons (Best Student in Agriculture) and Sanlam (Best Student in Nature Conservation).

UMP and The G20

The University of Mpumalanga, in collaboration with the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, cohosted the 2nd G20 Research and Innovation Working Group meeting from 25 – 27 May 2025 at the Mbombela Campus. The meeting focussed on three priority areas, namely Open Innovation for Development; Biodiversity for Sustainable Development and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in Science, Technology and Innovation.

The University will co-host, in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education and Training, the G20 Outreach for the Education Working Group at the Mbombela Campus, on 9 October 2025.

World-renowned Professors At UMP

UMP has a number of established researchers and professors in various fields of study. At present, UMP has 21 NRF rated scientists ranging from C1 to P2. Three of our professors are members of the prestigious Academy of Science South Africa, namely Prof Ndiko Ludidi, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and Professor in Food Technology; Prof Victor Mlambo, Professor in Animal Science and Programme Leader for Animal Production; and Prof Thoko Mayekiso, Professor in Psychology and Vice-Chancellor.

Three of our professors have recently presented their Professorial Inauguration Lectures. Prof Funso Kutu, Head of School of Agricultural Sciences and Professor in Agronomy presented his Inauguration Lecture on, “Life Beyond Our Daily Bread: Unravelling Soil Health Myths”, on 10 June 2025. This was followed by the Professorial Inauguration Lecture by Prof Tarombera Mwambvu, Programme Leader for the Bachelor of Science and Professor in Biology on “Life on Land: Why Soil Macroinvertebrates?” on 11 August 2025. The third Professorial Inauguration Lecture was delivered by Prof Victor Mlambo, on “Towards Sustainable Animal Food Systems: Keeping Up with Shifting Consumer Expectations” on 20 August 2025.

Key Local and International Collaborations and Partnerships

UMP has an extensive list of partners and collaborators locally, nationally and internationally. Nationally, we work closely with a number of SETAS, TVETs and a number of organisations/industries including those that provide Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) to our students studying Agriculture (Crop Production), Nature Conservation, Animal Production and Hospitality Management. We also collaborate with Science Councils such as the Agricultural Research Council and a number of higher education institutions nationally especially in the area of Curriculum Development such as the University of Johannesburg.

We currently have 41 partnerships with international higher education institutions in Europe (14); Africa (10); Asia (11); Australia (2) and North America (4). UMP is a member of international associations such as the Southern African-Nordic Center (SANORD), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), Australia – Africa Universities Network (AAUN) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

Inspiration

I am inspired by the hard-working and committed people who put their all on their calling across all fields of human endeavour. People who faultlessly ensure that what they promised to do and deliver in the form of programmes or services, have a stamp of excellence.

If You Had An Extra Hour In The Day, How Would You Spend It?

I would spend the extra hour thinking and planning for the following day. At the same time, reflecting about the day and evaluating it are equally important – if only to ensure self-improvement and safeguarding total wellness. The last few minutes of the hour would be to unwind and relax.

Future Plans

There is a lot going on around developments in technology – AI and ChatGPT. I would like to delve deeper into understanding these, especially their impact on mental health, whilst simultaneously rethinking and re-imagining the future, and how one could continue making contributions to advance our country and its people. I am looking forward to writing a book and sharing the experience I have gained over forty years in higher education both as an academic and a leader.

A Message of Inspiration

It is important to identify our purpose in life, and pursue it ceaselessly. The path to success is not smooth, but never allow distractions to take you away from your goals. Focus, determination and dedication will take you to achievements beyond your dreams. As the adage goes, the reward for something well done, is to have done it.