Durban University of Technology


The Durban University of Technology is a University in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. It was formed in 2002 following the merger of Technikon Natal and ML Sultan Technikon and it was initially known as the Durban Institute of Technology. It has five campuses in Durban, and two in Pietermaritzburg. In July 2019, approximately 33932 students were enrolled to study at DUT. The University is one of 5 technical institutions on the African continent to offer Doctoral Degrees. The current Chancellor is Ms Nonkululeko Nyembezi.

History

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

Councils

The DUT student body elects a Student Representative Council annually.

Campuses


Academics

In 2019, the university employed 841 academic staff, 51 percent of them female and 48 percent holding masters and 43 percent doctoral degrees.
Professor Thandwa Mthembu is the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of DUT. Some of the other senior members of the leadership team include:
The six faculties include:
Each Faculty is led by an Executive Dean. The academic ambit of DUT resides under the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching & Learning.

Research

Student enrolment

Whilst the Durban University of Technology offers contact learning, DUT is also a member of COIL, which is the Collaborative Online International Learning consortium.
In 2017, there were 29,496 contact students, 24,545 of whom were full-time and 4,951 were part-time. Of these, 28,905 were South African citizens, 426 from other SADC countries, and 165 from non-SADC countries.

Notable Alumni

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, Schabir Shaik, and Lance Klusener amongst many others.