UMP’s Closing Ceremony for the 10-Year Celebrations

The university has over the last decade achieved in a number of areas that are of strategic importance for its development

The University of Mpumalanga was established on 22 August 2013 and the first cohort of students was enrolled on 19 February 2014, when the doors of learning were first opened. The celebration of the 10 years since the establishment of UMP took place on 3 November 2023 under the theme “A Decade of Excellence and Creating Opportunities.” This theme was informed by the outstanding achievements of the university during the 10-year period and its slogan of “Creating Opportunities”.  

The anniversary celebration was preceded by a number of build-up events involving both staff and students, namely, a Public Lecture on “South Africa still the Epicentre of and for Reconstruction of Africa”, held on 3 August 2023 and presented by Prof Joseph Diescho; a Seminar on “Luhambo Lwemhlahlandlela – a Pioneering Journey” held on 25 August 2023 and presented by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Thoko Mayekiso; a Poetry Friday & Heritage Day Celebration on 29 September 2023; a Sports Day event on 30 September 2023; a Drama Day on 6 October 2023; a Music Friday on 13 October 2023; a Fun Walk/Run Friday on 20 October 2023; and a Panel Discussion on “UMP Creating Opportunities” moderated by Prof Ferdinand Niyimbanira on 27 October 2023. 

The public lecture and the seminar were intended to provide a historical perspective of the development of the university, highlighting the role played by the Province of Mpumalanga, towards the establishment of UMP. Our challenge was to give the country a sense of what a post-apartheid institution would look like. We were lucky that we were not encumbered by the legacy of apartheid. Creating a new society requires new institutions that inculcate different habits and a new consciousness. The University of Mpumalanga is committed to the holistic development of students and enabling them to realise their potential in the full spectrum of cognitive, social, aesthetic, physical, and personal dimensions in pursuit of democratic citizenship. There is a clear commitment to offer our students a life-changing experience through high-quality curricula and co-curricular programmes that promote the principles of excellence, free enquiry and academic integrity.  

The celebration on 3 November 2023 was a high-profile event, which was attended by dignitaries, traditional leaders and our partners, both local and international. This event provided the university with an opportunity to reflect on the journey over the past 10 years and derive inspiration for the future.   

It was followed by a social event held on 4 November 2023 at the sports fields, which displayed the cultural successes that the university had achieved during its 10-year period. A number of students, staff cultural groups performed on this fun-filled day. The UMP Value of Diversity, which is described as “Diversity is valued and celebrated in unlocking a range of interaction and enhancing exposure to a wide range of diverse cultures, backgrounds, views and opinions”, was the driver for the activities that unified the UMP community on the day.  

The second part of the Decade of Excellence and Creating Opportunities was the 10-year milestone since the opening of doors of learning at UMP on 19 February 2014, when the first cohort of students attended lectures. To mark this milestone, the university celebrated 10 years of academic activities on 23 February 2024. This event was academic in nature due to its purpose and, thus, consisted of:

• the conferment of a Professor Emeritus title to Prof David Mabunda, the former Chairperson of Council; 
• the Inaugural Enos Mabuza Annual Lecture on Education, which was presented by Prof David Mabunda, Professor Emeritus; and 
• the Naming of the Library Building after Prof Thoko Mayekiso, the first and current Vice Chancellor of the University of Mpumalanga.  This event was also attended by the first cohort of students who registered in 2014. 

The university continued with some celebratory activities, which included a Fun Walk/Run which was held on 19 April 2024 at both campuses and was followed by a Sports Day held on 20 April 2024 at the Siyabuswa Campus.

The university has, over the 10 year period, achieved in a number of areas that are of strategic importance for its development. Some of the highlights include:

• The opening of the 4-star Thokomala Hotel and Conference Centre at Mbombela Campus, which provides experiential learning opportunities for students registered for the Diploma in Hospitality Management and the Diploma in Culinary Arts.
• Student numbers increased from 169 in 2014 to 10 191 in 2024.
• The increase in academic programmes from three in 2014 to 75 in 2024 (two Higher Certificates, six Diplomas, seven Advanced Diplomas, four Postgraduate Diplomas, 15 Bachelor’s Degrees, 20 Honours Degrees, 16 Master’s Degrees, and five Doctoral Degrees).
• Our research performance was recognised by the National Research Foundation (NRF) through the NRF Acceleration Awards in 2022 and the NRF CEO’s Special Recognition Award in 2023.
• We won the Standard Bank Top Women Business Icons 2022 – An Honorary Legend of Empowerment and Transformation.
• We received the Built Environment Award from the Council for the Built Environment in 2023 in the category, “State-Owned Entity That Implemented Infrastructure Projects Timeously”.
• We have received unqualified (clean) audit opinions from the External Auditors for nine consecutive years since inception in 2014.
• Our pass rate has consistently been between 80% and 85%. 
• We have produced 6 000 graduates, with 223 awarded cum laude.
• The percentage of academic staff with doctoral degrees has increased from 5% in 2014 to 55% in 2024.
• The number of NRF-rated researchers has increased from one in 2014 to 16 in 2024. 
• We have created iconic infrastructure and state of the art facilities. Our tartan track is rated by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) as Class B and is evidence of the state-of-the-art facilities we provide for our students.
• We received accolades for a spruce clean campus, — where design and nature have coalesced to produce the spectacular water features, streaming water, evergreen plants and a cool breeze, allowing for souls on campus to experience peace and tranquil surroundings. The intellect functions optimally where it can switch off and on unperturbed, and also recharge and re-fire.

The Closing Ceremony of the 10 Year Celebration was held on 23 August 2024. The date of 23 August was chosen because it was a Friday that was closer to 22 August, the date on which UMP was established in 2013. 

The event was graced by the presence of the UMP Chancellor, the Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa Designate, Justice Mandisa Maya. The Chancellor delivered a moving Welcoming Address where she hailed the role that has been played by Prof Thoko Mayekiso, the Founding Vice Chancellor of UMP for leading the Management Team and UMP Community on the establishment and growth of the university to the phenomenal institution it has become today.  

“Universities play a crucial role in promoting democratic values, fostering public debate, and nurturing responsible citizenship among their students and the wider community,” said Justice Maya. “They must produce professionals equipped with the skills to drive economic growth and contribute to building a cohesive and progressive society. Protecting this precious institution is a shared responsibility that requires collaboration and active participation from all sectors of society.”

She added: “As the youngest university in the country, UMP has made tremendous strides in just one decade. It was conceived as a premier hub of knowledge and education. Its innovative approaches and commitment to excellence have produced a new generation of exceptionally skilled leaders who are making meaningful contributions in their respective fields.”

UMP Vice Chancellor, Prof Thoko Mayekiso, addressed the audience on “A Decade that Was — Foresight, Insights and Hindsight”. She gave a comprehensive account of the pioneering journey travelled over the past decade. “As a new university, there was no yardstick to measure our success. There is the saying in isiXhosa that, ‘inyathi ibuzwa kwabaphambili”; in Siswati, ‘indlela ibutwa ku labaphambili”, which means, ‘Directions on a path are sought from those who have already walked/travelled the path and have arrived at the destination’. As pioneers, we had to find the path ourselves. We were, so to speak, given a blank cheque. We had to stay the course through turbulence, storms and rough seas”, highlighted Prof Mayekiso. 

The Vice Chancellor briefly explained what made her and the team succeed in the task at hand. She said: “The first task was to craft a vision, mission, strategic goals and objectives to guide us to success. We crafted Vision 2022 and later Vision 2030 as ‘imikhomba ndlela’ (direction setters). Our values of excellence, integrity, diversity, collaboration, adaptability, relevance and inspiration were the guardrails that ensured a sense of pride and belonging. These values were engendered among staff and students. Our success depended to a great extent on these values.  We had to create habits of great performance.” 

The Vice Chancellor also mentioned the importance of collaborations. She said: “We understood from the beginning the importance of global perspectives in guiding our path to success and prioritised the establishment of North-South and South-South partnerships. We started with our neighbouring states, eSwatini and Mozambique, and created collaborations which are mutually beneficial to our institutions. We broadened our horizons and reached out on the continent to Botswana, Malawi and Uganda. 

“Our wings spread to Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, the UK and the USA. We expanded our reach-out efforts even further and established connections with universities in Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore and Laos. Our staff and students were taken along on these journeys and intellectual capital was exchanged. Reciprocal visits took place and deep engagements ensued, resulting in the willingness to consider alternative viewpoints and being receptive to diverse experiences and perspectives. Our institutions are far much richer and better because of these collaborations.”

In conclusion, Prof Mayekiso emphasised: “We are building a relevant, creative, innovative and entrepreneurial university, which will serve the needs of this province, those of South Africa, and indeed, those of the world generally. We have established a yardstick from which future new institutions will be measured. The bar has been set very high.”

The last part of the formalities was the address by the Chairperson of Council, Sabelo Mahlalela. He presented the Council’s reflection of the achievements of UMP over the past 10 years of its existence. He echoed the words of the Chancellor and thanked the Vice Chancellor for her visionary leadership that has ensured that the Province of Mpumalanga and South Africa as a whole could proudly have one of the new universities established post the 1994 democratic dispensation. The visible growth of UMP over the years was key to the Chairperson’s speech. “Today, the University of Mpumalanga is a comprehensive university that offers a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate studies in the fields of Agriculture, Nature Conservation, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Information Communication Technology, Development Studies, Early childhood Education, Arts, Administration, Law, and Economics. UMP offers qualifications from Higher Certificates to Doctoral Degrees. UMP enrolments have increased from 169 students in 2014 to 10 191 in 2024,” related Mahlalela. 

He also emphasised that the council will focus on the future growth of the university. “In six years’ time, we will have the opportunity to review on how much of our Vision 2030 would have been actualised. During that period, the UMP Council together with Management will set new priorities for the university,” emphasised Mahlalela.  

The celebratory part of the event started when the different cultural groups from both staff and students rendered their performances in line with the theme for the closing ceremony, namely, “Embracing Cultural Diversity”. A number of cultural groups, namely, the SiSwati Group; XiTsonga Group; Amandebele Group; Bapedi; Balobedu; Mapulane; AmaXhosa; AmaZulu; VhaVenda; and Setswana Groups rendered performances of high quality, showcasing the different cultures as embraced at UMP. These performances celebrated UMP’s Value of Diversity.   

The ceremony saw the multitudes in attendance celebrating through music and dance, which closed the celebrations in high spirits. In the words of Prof Mayekiso, “We are ending our 10-Year Celebrations with evidence on the ground that the opportunity to pioneer was fully embraced and optimally embarked upon.”

The conclusion of the celebrations ushered in the next decade with enthusiasm and passion. 

For more details, visit: https://www.ump.ac.za/