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PROF MATETE MADIBA, DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR FOR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT, UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE

IT IS MY HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE to be given the opportunity to write for the Blue and Gold magazine and I write this article overflowing with joy and a sense of pride. As you know, I joined UWC in February this year, at the height of the registration period. Joining the university at this busy time allowed me to witness many different divisions, faculties and student leaders working hard to assist and guide new first-year students as they begin their journey at this esteemed institution.

THE WARM WELCOME I RECEIVED reminded me that I have come back home, to my alma mater. Joining the procession to welcome first-years brought sweet memories of my PhD graduation here at Udubs, many years ago. To all the 2023 first-years, I will always cherish this connection I have with you as we start our journeys together here. I look forward to a great time of service and may yours be an experience of success from year to year as you work towards your own graduation day. Being part of UWC is a commitment I take seriously and I am surely bringing my A game. I hope you are doing the same.

I DRAW INSPIRATION from sportspeople and athletes. I learned that victorious sportspeople display several distinguishing attributes including that they are goal-oriented; they commit to a strict routine that requires serious discipline to build and maintain their fitness; and they allocate time to practice their sport. Being goal- oriented, disciplined and having great time management are some of the critical ingredients to enable academic success too. Perusing previous issues of Blue and Gold, I am encouraged to see that I am joining an institution where champions are made. It warms my heart to read that Director of UWC Sport, Mr Mandla Gagayi’s best memory of 2022 is Banyana Banyana’s AFCON victory in Morocco, where ‘50% of the [Banyana] players were UWC alumni or current UWC students’. Indeed, UWC is becoming a ‘hub of women’s football development in the Western Cape’ with the launch of She-Bobo, the junior girls’ soccer league. I am happy to join an institution with a great vision to fight for gender equity on all fronts. I am persuaded, this is the place to be!

MY PREDECESSOR, Prof Pamela Dube, and the Student Development and Support (SDS) team have achieved great work to date. I have to express my heartfelt appreciation to her and the entire team that I get to join a very strong SDS division, with a clear vision, carefully crafted strategies and plans that have already yielded great success. I am acutely aware of the road SDS has to travel from here into a future that offers no certainties. Fortunately, SDS is firmly anchored in an institution that has a lot going for it. The student experience is solidly located at the core of the institutional strategy.

THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS WORLD-CLASS, with several new buildings and sports facilities that have been added since I was a student on campus. The facilities are well-maintained and as you drive through the entrance, you cannot miss the cleanliness and the well-maintained gardens. I find this environment so inviting and, evidently, so do many student-athletes.

THE CONSISTENT MESSAGE I got from all the staff orientation presentations I joined was that this is a university where governance systems and structures are in place. The passion each presenter displayed for their work made a loud and clear call to us, the new staff members, to join in. The bus tour was my highlight and the tour guide did a great job. Spending time at the Senate hall was so instructive and I suspected if there was still any doubt about whether we made the right choice as new staff members, all of that doubt was cleared.

UWC HAS A VERY RICH HISTORY and much potential to make even richer contributions to South Africa, the continent and the world. I have high expectations and I look forward with much excitement to how we will together shape the future of this great institution. To the many sports teams in this place, you need to know this –I love to be on the winning side and I count on you to make my day.

I WISH ALL OF YOU a successful year as you pursue your winning goals in and outside the classroom.

LET US CONTINUE TO LEARN, BECOME AND THRIVE!