Durban University of Technology (DUT) officially launched the ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework, comprising five core values: transparency, honesty, integrity, respect and accountability. These values are underpinned by the principles of fairness, professionalism, commitment, compassion and excellence. DUT Communications member Waheeda Peters, recently engaged in a conversation with Wendy Ndimande, Faculty Marketing Officer: Faculty of Applied Sciences, at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), to delve deeper into the Living Values Framework and ENVISION2030.

Q: Kindly tell me about your role at DUT?

A: “I am the faculty marketing officer (Faculty of Applied Sciences), I ensure the faculty social media platforms are updated and that the DUT brand as such is known within the social media space.”

Q: How long have you been a member of the DUT family?  

A: “I have been a DUT member since high school as I fell in love with the institution when I had the opportunity to attend one of the career exhibitions from the district. I enrolled for my National Diploma in Marketing in 2013 and continued with my B-Tech in 2016, I would say say it’s five years including the one I completed yesterday as a staff member.”

Q: Amongst the mentioned ENVISION2030 Living Values and Principles, which one do you mostly associate with and why?  

A: “We spend most of the day at work so a healthy environment is a necessity. I associate well with compassion as I believe that as much as we are in a work force, almost everyone is going through something and a drop of kindness can be what your colleague needed to just get through the day.”

Q: What are your views on the new DUT tagline: Creative, Distinctive, Impactful? 

A: “I am a firm believer of growth, in any sphere of life, having a creative mind catalyses growth which leads to you being a remarkable individual. The growth acquired needs to be shared to make an impact in the lives of the students, the staff members and the society at large. To me the tagline is a day to day motto that drives me to make an impact on every chance given.”

Q: How are you planning to keep abreast with the ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework?  

A: “By living and practising them daily not only when I enter the DUT gates. The living values do not only apply to my work, personally, I hold them in high regard as they also forge my character to a more noble one.”

Q: What is the one thing that most people do not know about you?  

A: “Most people assume because I am friendly and a bubbly person I like going out, which is a complete opposite. I am a home body, I enjoy my thoughts and being alone more than being with people.”

Q: In your opinion, how will the ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework benefit DUT? 

A: “This will benefit the DUT institution by creating more distinct students and impactful staff members who not only go to work and service but live the service to better achieve the ENVISION2030 objective.”

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?  

A: “I meditate and think of ideas that can make my life easier. I am a curious person so I also visit the internet and do a research on random facts that I know will develop my knowledge on things most people don’t know.”

Q: How do you plan to make a positive impact at DUT?  

A: “By doing my best and being my best in my work, my relations and practising the DUT values.”

Q: What is your daily motivation?  

A: “Unless you wish to do harm, power is a necessity, otherwise love is enough to do anything. I wake up everyday to work because I love my career choice, I love marketing and love is the only motivation I need to get my daily tasks done.”

Q: What are your future goals at DUT? 

A: “To grow and mature within my field and if I ever happen to leave the institution, I wish to have grown so much that I leave a good and positive mark within my faculty and institution.”

Q: If you were granted one wish, what would it be?

A: “It would be the wish to heal, I love healthy environments and if I had the gift to heal people, I would have given them the privilege to do more than they ever imagined and not worrying about what they can’t heal from.”