“VUT’s Stakeholder Appreciation Breakfast 2025 brought stakeholders to their feet, celebrating legacy, partnership, and bold transformation. Experience the standout moments and defining quotes from Three Rivers Lodge.”
25 November 2025 | Story by: Qhawekazi Memani and Thabisang Thebeeyapelo | Picture:
4 minutes read time.
The Vaal University of Technology’s Stakeholder Appreciation Breakfast, held on 20 November 2025 at Three Rivers Lodge and Villa, unfolded as a gathering defined by gratitude, purpose, and unmistakable momentum. Professor Nobukhosi Dlodlo, Programme Director and Head of Department for Marketing, Retail Business and Sports Management, steered the morning with polished ease, framing the event as a celebration of partnership and shared intent.
From the first welcome, it was clear that those present, friends, partners and visionaries, form the living architecture of VUT’s journey into its next chapter.
Prof Khehla Ndlovu, Vice Chancellor and Principal, set the tone with a reminder of what truly anchors an institution. “The strength of a university is not measured only by its buildings or its rankings, but by the quality of its relationships,” he affirmed. His powerful reflection, “A university does not rise alone. It rises because those who believe in it refuse to let it fall,” echoed across the room like a pledge to collective progress.
Dr Simphiwe Nelana, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, Commercialisation and Internationalisation, centred the conversation on VUT’s purpose. “The community is at the heart of our relevance… They keep us honest,” he said, envisioning a future shaped by an ecosystem of collaboration, challenge and shared growth.
Capturing the spirit of the morning, VUT Chief Financial Officer, Ms Nthanyiseni Dhumazi, paid homage to nearly six decades of partnership. “We’re here to celebrate you as our stakeholders. VUT did not make this journey on its own. Legacy is not a destination. It is a bridge that connects the excellence of the past to the promise of the future.” She reaffirmed that the Roots to 60 campaign is not a commemoration of history but a living force that carries VUT forward with courage and conviction.
Ms Manini Kganakga, Manager for Short Learning Programmes, brought an urgent optimism to the room. “Our short-term programmes are flexible opportunities designed for immediate workplace application,” she said. “Partner, collaborate, let’s transform
skills and futures, together.” Her message drew attention to the university’s commitment to rapid, relevant, community centred upskilling.
And then, as if to mark this event as something more than institutional formality, musician Mr Xolani Skhosana filled the venue with music that drew guests to their feet. Snatches of laughter, the shuffle of shoes, and the warmth of shared delight transformed the morning into a celebration of connection.
Stakeholders added their own reflections. Councillor Peter Teixeira, Executive Mayor of Midvaal Local Municipality, spoke of a partnership shaped by trust and mutual purpose since 2021. He emphasised VUT’s pivotal role in supporting local development, especially in addressing critical skills shortages that affect communities across the region.
VUT alumnus Mr Selepe Madisha shared his pride in carrying the institution’s name into the world, describing how he encourages learners at high schools to choose VUT as their home for higher learning. His words captured the enduring imprint VUT leaves on its graduates and the legacy they continue to build.
The morning closed with an impactful vote of thanks from Prof Chengedzai Mafini, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences. His remarks stitched together the morning’s themes of partnership, gratitude and ambition, leaving no one untouched by the sense of shared purpose.
If you were in the room, you know: this was more than a breakfast. It was a beginning. A launch of the year that will see VUT mark its diamond jubilee. A moment that honoured decades of achievement while setting the stage for a future written with confidence, community and unstoppable momentum.
The countdown to sixty has begun, promising not just remembrance, but renewal, carried forward by the very people who refuse to let VUT fall, and who rise with it.