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 Marketing Public Relations and Events Assistant Snethemba Shozi, recently engaged in a conversation with DUT student, Samkelo Ngubo, who is enrolled in the Advanced Diploma in Management Sciences: specialising in Business Administration 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 a student at DUT who is enrolled in the Advanced Diploma in Management Sciences: specialising in Business Administration.”

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

A: “I have been a member of DUT for a relatively long time, with my first registration dating back to year 2019, just a year before the inception of the ENVISION2030.”

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

A: “Amongst the outlined ENVISION2030 living values and principles, I associate mostly with excellence. I am an ardent believer of excellence; I abhor not excelling in what I do. I work hard, I want to be satisfied with the results of progress I pursue.”

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

A: “I resonate a lot with the university tagline: Creative, Distinctive and Impactful. DUT has a major role in impacting the growth whether its socially, economically and from all paths of society. For this to be realised, the university must strive to break new grounds through being creative with the purpose of responding to societal problems, that is the major task of this university. In all its operations, it must stress itself with how best it can impact society for the greater good of all. While the university may accept these two tasks outlined above, it must equally strive to be distinctive from the rest.”

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

A: “DUT’s ENVISION2030 living values framework is essential in developing good individuals who will add immediate value to society beyond the university; transparency, honesty, integrity, respect and accountability are pillars of existence. There is no human being who can strive for excellence outside internalising these values as an integral part of his or her daily existence-whether in education, and even at a social aspect.”

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

A:  “I am a very honest, loving and soft hearted person. Most people who have interacted with me have not witnessed these traits about me, mainly because I am very reserved.”

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

A: “ENVISION2030 living values framework is a systematic method of governing the behaviour of individuals, it creates a sustainable method of having a staff and student personnel that will behave in a specific way. This will benefit the university from many fronts; it will develop and produce graduates who are ready to add immediate value to the working space and contribute to the positive reputation and image of the university. Equally, the university is guaranteed of a staff complement that will behave in a particular way, thus increasing efficiency in how the university approaches its operations.”

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

A: “I am an ardent reader; I utilise most of my spare time to rigorous reading, I equally love to watch football, have family time, and contribute to my personal development. As individuals, we must always strive to develop ourselves, and be comfortable with our present state.”

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

A: “I always wish to contribute positively to the growth trajectory of this university. It must become the task of any student to strive towards increasing the number of Masters and PHD students as university graduates. This underpins the productive outlook of the university. I equally strive towards positively impacting the university by being an adaptative graduate whose excellence, work ethics and creativity will have a positive reflection on the university that contributed to who and what we are.”

Q: What is your daily motivation?  

A: “My daily motivation is to develop and be better than I was today.”

Q: What are your future goals at  DUT? 

A: “My goal is to graduate with a PHD. This is my daily inspiration.”

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

A: “To be a contributor in our country’s social, economic, and political growth path.”