CELEBRATING OUR STAFF AND STUDENTS
A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE Students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) have been able to access our services on their path to success. Helping them along the way is Student Development and Support (SDS) staff members who go beyond the call of duty, work hard and make sacrifices to fulfill their responsibilities. We celebrate our students and staff for their commitment to excellence.
“lifelong friends while playing recreational sport” at UWC. “This university will always be home, no matter where I go or who I become in the world,” he says.
Rodwell Ndlovu
University will always be home When Rodwell Ndlovu started studying at UWC he was nervous, but soon found a home at the Sports Department. “When I walked into UWC, I was very scared. The Sports Department became a place of refuge,” he recalls. Ndlovu, who moved with his family from Zimbabwe to South Africa, says he has since made
Ndlovu says he was inspired by the Sports Department’s motto: “Excellence through Sport”. It was this sporting motto that led him to complete his Master’s degree, cum laude. He completed a BA degree in 2013 and a BSc Honours degree in Statistics in 2014. He then enrolled simultaneously for two master’s degrees; one in Astrophysics-Statistics that he completed in 2016 through the University of Roma, and the other in Population Studies and Statistics at UWC. Ndlovu is now pursuing Doctoral studies in Sports Development. Beyond his academics, Ndlovu’s sporting achievements stand out. He proudly wore UWC’s sports colours when he won nine Western Province Athletics 400m titles, the South African Open 400m title and he was a regular finalist at the South African Championships in the 400m race. Ndlovu
often competed against Olympic medallist Wayde van Niekerk, the current world record holder for the 400m race. Ndlovu has also represented Zimbabwe in various continental championships and European tours. And he remains confident that he will qualify for the Olympic Games in 2021. It certainly has been an interesting journey since the start of his sporting aspirations at Muizenburg High School where his coach, Hadley Volkwyn, introduced him to the UWC Athletics Club. Ndlovu has meanwhile taken a keen interest in being involved in sports administration at the university level, where he was active at the UWC Athletics Club. He was a member of the Sports Council, serving as Chairperson from 2013 to 2016. He also represented UWC at national meetings and served in an administrative capacity at University Sport South Africa. Ndlovu shows a keen interest in developing himself holistically. “Numbers can define you; measure your height, weight, speed and life expectancy. However, numbers cannot measure the size of your dreams,” he says. “Don’t let numbers define you. Know that there is no mountain too high and no dream too big. Believe in yourself.”
Division of Student Development and Support
19
