Durban University of Technology

The Durban University of Technology is a result of the merger, in April 2002, of two technikons, ML Sultan and Technikon Natal. It was named the Durban Institute of Technology and later became the Durban University of Technology in 2007.[1]

KwaZulu-Natal's Indian population began arriving in the 1860s to primarily work as indentured labourers on the sugar plantations. In 1927, those with no formal educational qualifications were threatened with repatriation. This threat stimulated adult classes in literacy, as well as a range of commercial subjects, held in a mission school and a Hindu Institute, but it was not until after the Second World War, and thanks to substantial financial support from the public, that ML Sultan College came into being. It would be another decade, however, before the City Council, now preoccupied with the structures of the first Group Areas Act of 1950, allocated suitable land for a permanent campus.[1]

The Natal Technical College was founded in 1907 and immediately began providing tuition to more than 350 part-time students. The structures of apartheid as it was codified through legislation weighed heavily on this institution as well. In 1955 the college was taken over by national education authorities; and in 1967 it became an exclusively white institution.[1]

In 2019, Mlungisi Madonsela, a business administration student, was shot and killed during a protest, allegedly by private security guards.[2]

The new logo of the Durban University of Technology

• Mr Wiseman Madinane is the Chairperson of the University Council.
• Ms Dudu Hlatshwayo is the Deputy Chairperson of the University Council.

The DUT student body elects a Student Representative Council annually.

• Brickfield Campus, Durban
• City Campus, Durban
• Indumiso Campus, Pietermaritzburg
• ML Sultan Campus, Durban
• Ritson Campus, Durban
• Riverside Campus, Pietermaritzburg
• Steve Biko Campus, Durban

In 2019, the university employed 841 academic staff, 51 percent of them female and 48 percent holding masters and 43 percent doctoral degrees.[1]

Professor Thandwa Mthembu is the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of DUT. Some of the other senior members of the leadership team include:

• Professor Thandi Gwele, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching & Learning
• Professor Sibusiso Moyo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation & Engagement
• Dr Isaac Machi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, People & Operations
• Dr Thiru Pillay, Registrar

The six faculties include:

• Faculty of Accounting & Informatics
• Faculty of Applied Sciences
• Faculty of Arts & Design
• Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Faculty of Management Sciences

Each Faculty is led by an Executive Dean. The academic ambit of DUT resides under the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching & Learning.

DUT Business School

The Durban University of Technology launches its Business School in 2021. The School offers its new Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programme, Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PDBA) programmes, Higher Certificates programmes and a variety of Executive Education and short learning programmes. The DUT Business School also designs tailor-made, in-house programmes and collaborates with corporate, public and non-profit organisations to develop and capacitate employees in various areas.

In 2020, the university was ranked by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the first time in its history. It ranked within the top 500 universities in the world, and within the top 5 in South Africa. It was also the first time in history that the province had two universities rank within the top 5 in the country.[4][5]

The University has a large Alumni body. Mr Wiseman Madinane is the current President of the Convocation and Chairperson of the Convocation Executive. The University has a list of famous Alumni, including Gordon Murray, Mpume Langa, Jeremy Maggs, Sphelele Ngubane, Alan Khan, Sean Wisedale, Donovan Prinsloo, Nokuthula Sibiya, Siphumelele Zondi, Deena Naidoo, Aakash Bramdeo, Maud Blose, Keeolin Naicker, Thabo Dlamini, Schabir Shaik, and Lance Klusener amongst many others.

• Nthati Moshesh - Actress
• Celeste Ntuli - comedienne and actress
• Black Coffee (DJ) - DJ, record producer, singer and songwriter
• Zakes Bantwini - Multi-award-winning singer, record producer and businessman
• Sarah Richards - Sculptor
• Bongiwe Msomi - South Africa national netball team player
• Candice Forword - Field hockey forward for the South Africa women's national field hockey team
• Billy Nair - Politician, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa, an Anti-Apartheid Movement activist and a political prisoner in Robben Island.
• Berry Bickle - Artist
• Zwakele Mncwango - Politician, Provincial Leader of KwaZulu-Natal Democratic Alliance (South Africa) (DA)
• Babalo Madikizela - Politician, Eastern Cape MEC for Public Works since May 2019 and a Member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature since November 2018, provincial treasurer of the African National Congress (ANC) since October 2017.
• Mandisa Mashego - Politician, A member of the Economic Freedom Fighters, party's provincial chairperson in Gauteng from 2018 to 2020, Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature from 2014 to 2020.