Dear CUT Community

During the month of June, we commemorate the youth and their contribution to the fight against the social injustices and the advancement of women in Engineering. Whilst we all are still staggering from the COVID-19 pandemic effects, it is important to maintain a balanced approach in how we view the world. On the one hand, we mourn losses, but on the other hand, we still have so much to celebrate.

The Unit for Institutional Renewal and Transformation at CUT hosted a Virtual Youth Day Summit 2020, themed “The role of youth in advancing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Post COVID-19 Era”, on 24 June 2020. Speakers included Ms Nneile Nkholise, our CUT alumnus and award-winning businesswoman, SRC representatives, representatives from the National University of Lesotho, the South African Union of Students, and Foundation Kenya. While the youth forms our core business, they are also our core passion. It is a humbling privilege to be a part of the process that shapes the next generation. Each generation brings with them different skills and approaches that are required for tomorrow.

Furthermore, we have also celebrated International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June 2020, to commemorate the contribution of women to the Engineering field, and to the struggle for advancement of women both in academia and within the professional landscape in South Africa and globally, as well as the progress that has been made with regard to their empowerment. At CUT, we are fortunate to have some of the best current and upcoming women in the field of Engineering working or studying at our Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment, and Information Technology. We continue to support women who pursue a research or practical career in Engineering. Ms Nneile Nkholise is a perfect leading example as a CUT alumnus and businesswoman in a male-dominated industry. She was the co-founder of iMed Tech, a biotech company specialising in custom-made medical solutions. In 2016, she was recognised as Africa’s top female innovator in Africa by the World Economic Forum.

May we also never forget the youth and women who suffered in order to create a more comfortable future for us. As an institution, we also urge all our stakeholders to be responsible citizens in addressing the harm done to our vulnerable, and highly valuable groups – women and the youth. We look forward to being a part of the way in which women in Engineering and the youth of South Africa shape an improved world for us all.

Kind regards / Ditumediso tse mofuthu / Vriendelike groete

Prof. Henk de Jager

Vice-Chancellor and Principal

Download the VC communique, 26 June 2020 (PDF)