{"id":44271,"date":"2026-10-13T12:18:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T12:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/?p=44271"},"modified":"2026-10-13T13:59:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T13:59:44","slug":"meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/","title":{"rendered":"Kopana le bahlolisani: Sechaba sa VUT se tla kgetha mascot ya sona ya pele ya semmuso."},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cHo se ho qalile ho balela morao! VUT e tla senola li-mascot tse tharo tse qothisanang lehlokoa le mabitso a mahlano a ka bang teng. Voutela sefahleho se tla emela boikhohomoso, moea le bokamoso ba VUT.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>13 Mphalane 2026 | Pale ka: Qhawekazi Memani | Set\u0161oant\u0161o: <\/strong> <strong>Siphephelo Dlamini<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure style=\"width: 100%; margin: 0 0 24px; padding: 0; background: #000;\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MASCOT-scaled.webp\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto; display: block;\">\n    <figcaption style=\"width: 100%; margin: 0; padding: 8px 10px; text-align: left; color: #fff; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; background: #000; box-sizing: border-box;\">\n  \n\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ho na le ntho e kholo e tlang VUT, &#x27;me e na le sefahleho.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ka la 16 Mphalane 2026, Univesithi ea Theknoloji ea Vaal (VUT) e tla senola mehopolo e meraro e thabisang ea li-mascot, e fa baithuti, basebetsi le bankakarolo monyetla oa ho thusa ho khetha mascot ea pele ea semmuso ea Univesithi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Empa sena ha se taba feela ea ho khetha sebapali. Ke taba ea ho khetha let\u0161oao le tla emela matla, boikhohomoso, moea le botho ba VUT lilemong tse tlang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ka lekgetlo la pele Univesithing, setjhaba sa VUT se tla kgetha eseng feela moralo oo se o ratang wa mascot, empa hape le lebitso la yona ho tswa dikgethong tse hlano tse sisintsweng. Kgetho e atlehileng e tla ba karolo ya pale ya VUT, e hlaha diketsahalong tsa dipapadi, mesebetsing ya baithuti, meketeng e kgethehileng, diforamong tsa dijithale le matsholong a Univesithi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ho ya ka Motsamaisi wa Papatso le Letshwao la VUT, Mof. Tisch Farrell, morero wa mascot o susumeditse ke boitlamo ba Yunivesithi ba ho matlafatsa boitsebiso ba yona le ho theha dikamano tse tebileng ho phatlalla le setjhaba sa VUT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c&quot;Kenyelletso ea mascot ea pele ea semmuso ea Univesithi e emela ho fetang feela ho thehoa ha sebapali. Ke ho thehoa ha letlotlo le lecha la lebitso le nang le monyetla oa ho kopanya meloko ea baithuti ba VUT, basebetsi, baithuti ba pele le bankakarolo,&quot; ho bolela Mof. Farrell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leha meralo ea li-mascot e ntse e le sephiri se sirelelitsoeng ka tieo, thabo e se e ntse e hola khamphaseng ka bophara ha palo ea matsatsi e ntse e tsoela pele ho isa phatlalatsong ea tsona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Na VUT e tla khetha let\u0161oao le bont\u0161ang boqapi? Le bont\u0161ang mamello? Kapa le ketekang moea o phelang oa baithuti o etsang hore VUT e be e ikhethang?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hajoale, karabo e ntse e le sephiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Se tiileng ke hore kgetho e nngwe le e nngwe e tla thusa ho bopa letshwao leo meloko e tlang ya baithuti e tla le tseba mme ka boikgohomoso e le re ke la bona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c&quot;Qetellong, sepheo sa mascot ena ke hore e be pont\u0161o e arolelanoang ea &#x27;Ena ke VUT ea ka&#x27;, ntho eo sechaba sa Univesithi se ka e bonang, sa e tseba le ho iketsetsa eona,&quot; ho hlalosa Mof. Farrell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Boikitlaetso bona ke karolo ea leeto la VUT kamorao ho mekete ea eona ea sehopotso sa bo 60, bo kopanyang lefa le ruileng la Univesithi le bokamoso bo thabisang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kahoo itokiseng. Tlisang mantswe a lona. Kgetheng. Sieang letshwao la lona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Kgetho ya hao. Lentswe la hao. Lefa la hao.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tlhahiso ea semmuso e tla etsahala ka <strong>Labohlano, 16 Mphalane 2026, ka 12:00 Lebaleng la VUT Amphi Theatre<\/strong>, moo setjhaba sa VUT se tla kopana le bahlolisani ba bararo ba mascot mme se voutele sefahleho le lebitso tse tla ba karolo ya nalane ya VUT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Bokamoso ba rona bo na le sefahleho.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>U tla kgetha efe?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">#VUTMascotVote #ThisIsMyVUT #OurFutureHasAFace<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The countdown is on! VUT will reveal three mascot contenders and five possible names. Vote for the face that will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":44275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 5.0.4 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"&quot;The countdown is on! VUT will reveal three mascot contenders and five possible names. Vote for the face that will represent VUT&#039;s pride, spirit and future.&quot; 13 October 2026 | Story by: Qhawekazi Memani | Picture: Siphephelo Dlamini Something big is coming to VUT, and it has a face. On 16 October 2026, the Vaal\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Esihle\"\/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO Pro (AIOSEO) 5.0.4\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vaal University of Technology \u2013 Inspiring thought, shaping talent\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot \u2013 Vaal University of Technology\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&quot;The countdown is on! VUT will reveal three mascot contenders and five possible names. Vote for the face that will represent VUT&#039;s pride, spirit and future.&quot; 13 October 2026 | Story by: Qhawekazi Memani | Picture: Siphephelo Dlamini Something big is coming to VUT, and it has a face. On 16 October 2026, the Vaal\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Vaal-University-of-Technology-60th-logo-scaled.webp\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:secure_url\" content=\"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Vaal-University-of-Technology-60th-logo-scaled.webp\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-13T12:18:16+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-13T13:59:44+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Vaal-University-of-Technology\/61570177062858\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@VUT_Online\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot \u2013 Vaal University of Technology\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"&quot;The countdown is on! VUT will reveal three mascot contenders and five possible names. Vote for the face that will represent VUT&#039;s pride, spirit and future.&quot; 13 October 2026 | Story by: Qhawekazi Memani | Picture: Siphephelo Dlamini Something big is coming to VUT, and it has a face. On 16 October 2026, the Vaal\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@VUT_Online\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Vaal-University-of-Technology-60th-logo-scaled.webp\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BlogPosting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#blogposting\",\"name\":\"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot \\u2013 Vaal University of Technology\",\"headline\":\"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/author\\\/esihle\\\/#author\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/MASCOT-scaled.webp\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1331,\"caption\":\"Screenshot\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-13T12:18:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-13T13:59:44+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"st\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Latest News - Vaal University of Technology\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/category\\\/latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Latest News - Vaal University of Technology\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/category\\\/latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Latest News - Vaal University of Technology\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/category\\\/latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/category\\\/latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Latest News - Vaal University of Technology\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Vaal University of Technology\",\"description\":\"Vaal University of Technology is a higher education institution in South Africa.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/\",\"telephone\":\"+27169509000\",\"foundingDate\":\"1966-01-03\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":1000,\"maxValue\":1500},\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/cropped-VUT-logo-300x100.png\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#organizationLogo\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#organizationLogo\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/people\\\/Vaal-University-of-Technology\\\/61570177062858\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/VUT_Online\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/vaal.university.of.technology\\\/?hl=en\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@vut_official?_t=ZM-8tzYe1v22J3&_r=1\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCDzwOVrN1e25VLkWkwf-hzw\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/vaal-university-of-technology-vut\\\/\"],\"address\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/#postaladdress\",\"@type\":\"PostalAddress\",\"streetAddress\":\"Andries Potgieter Blvd\",\"postalCode\":\"1911\",\"addressLocality\":\"Vanderbijlpark\",\"addressCountry\":\"ZA\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/author\\\/esihle\\\/#author\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/author\\\/esihle\\\/\",\"name\":\"Esihle\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#authorImage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b0a015ac501a91afd22f431658a6820222441b72b277654b53577273eeb07c9a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"width\":96,\"height\":96,\"caption\":\"Esihle\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/\",\"name\":\"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot \\u2013 Vaal University of Technology\",\"description\":\"\\\"The countdown is on! VUT will reveal three mascot contenders and five possible names. Vote for the face that will represent VUT's pride, spirit and future.\\\" 13 October 2026 | Story by: Qhawekazi Memani | Picture: Siphephelo Dlamini Something big is coming to VUT, and it has a face. On 16 October 2026, the Vaal\",\"inLanguage\":\"st\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#breadcrumblist\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/author\\\/esihle\\\/#author\"},\"creator\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/author\\\/esihle\\\/#author\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/MASCOT-scaled.webp\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1331,\"caption\":\"Screenshot\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\\\/#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-13T12:18:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-13T13:59:44+00:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/\",\"name\":\"Vaal University of Technology\",\"description\":\"Inspiring thought, shaping talent\",\"inLanguage\":\"st\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vut.ac.za\\\/st\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro -->\r\n\t\t<title>Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot \u2013 Vaal University of Technology<\/title>\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"Kopana le bahlolisani: Sechaba sa VUT se tla kgetha mascot ya sona ya pele ya semmuso \u2013 Vaal University of Technology","description":"\"Ho se ho qalile ho balela morao! VUT e tla senola li-mascot tse tharo tse qothisanang lehlokoa le mabitso a mahlano a ka bang teng. Voutela sefahleho se tla emela boikgohomoso, moea le bokamoso ba VUT.&quot; 13 Mphalane 2026 | Pale ke: Qhawekazi Memani | Set\u0161oant\u0161o: Siphephelo Dlamini Ho na le ntho e kholo e tlang VUT, &#x27;me e na le sefahleho. Ka la 16 Mphalane 2026, Vaal","canonical_url":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/","robots":"max-image-preview:large","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#blogposting","name":"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot \u2013 Vaal University of Technology","headline":"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/author\/esihle\/#author"},"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/#organization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MASCOT-scaled.webp","width":2560,"height":1331,"caption":"Screenshot"},"datePublished":"2026-10-13T12:18:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-13T13:59:44+00:00","inLanguage":"st","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#webpage"},"articleSection":"Latest News - Vaal University of Technology"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/category\/latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology\/#listItem","name":"Latest News - Vaal University of Technology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/category\/latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology\/#listItem","position":2,"name":"Latest News - Vaal University of Technology","item":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/category\/latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#listItem","name":"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/category\/latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology\/#listItem","name":"Latest News - Vaal University of Technology"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/#organization","name":"Vaal University of Technology","description":"Vaal University of Technology is a higher education institution in South Africa.","url":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/","telephone":"+27169509000","foundingDate":"1966-01-03","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":1000,"maxValue":1500},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cropped-VUT-logo-300x100.png","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#organizationLogo"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#organizationLogo"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Vaal-University-of-Technology\/61570177062858\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/VUT_Online\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vaal.university.of.technology\/?hl=en","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@vut_official?_t=ZM-8tzYe1v22J3&_r=1","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCDzwOVrN1e25VLkWkwf-hzw","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/vaal-university-of-technology-vut\/"],"address":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/#postaladdress","@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Andries Potgieter Blvd","postalCode":"1911","addressLocality":"Vanderbijlpark","addressCountry":"ZA"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/author\/esihle\/#author","url":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/author\/esihle\/","name":"Esihle","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#authorImage","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b0a015ac501a91afd22f431658a6820222441b72b277654b53577273eeb07c9a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","width":96,"height":96,"caption":"Esihle"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/","name":"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot \u2013 Vaal University of Technology","description":"\"The countdown is on! VUT will reveal three mascot contenders and five possible names. Vote for the face that will represent VUT's pride, spirit and future.\" 13 October 2026 | Story by: Qhawekazi Memani | Picture: Siphephelo Dlamini Something big is coming to VUT, and it has a face. On 16 October 2026, the Vaal","inLanguage":"st","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#breadcrumblist"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/author\/esihle\/#author"},"creator":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/author\/esihle\/#author"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MASCOT-scaled.webp","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#mainImage","width":2560,"height":1331,"caption":"Screenshot"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2026-10-13T12:18:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-13T13:59:44+00:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/#website","url":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/","name":"Vaal University of Technology","description":"Inspiring thought, shaping talent","inLanguage":"st","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/#organization"}}]},"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"Vaal University of Technology \u2013 Inspiring thought, shaping talent","og:type":"article","og:title":"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot \u2013 Vaal University of Technology","og:description":"&quot;The countdown is on! VUT will reveal three mascot contenders and five possible names. Vote for the face that will represent VUT's pride, spirit and future.&quot; 13 October 2026 | Story by: Qhawekazi Memani | Picture: Siphephelo Dlamini Something big is coming to VUT, and it has a face. On 16 October 2026, the Vaal","og:url":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/","og:image":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Vaal-University-of-Technology-60th-logo-scaled.webp","og:image:secure_url":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Vaal-University-of-Technology-60th-logo-scaled.webp","article:published_time":"2026-10-13T12:18:16+00:00","article:modified_time":"2026-10-13T13:59:44+00:00","article:publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Vaal-University-of-Technology\/61570177062858\/","twitter:card":"summary_large_image","twitter:site":"@VUT_Online","twitter:title":"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot \u2013 Vaal University of Technology","twitter:description":"&quot;The countdown is on! VUT will reveal three mascot contenders and five possible names. Vote for the face that will represent VUT's pride, spirit and future.&quot; 13 October 2026 | Story by: Qhawekazi Memani | Picture: Siphephelo Dlamini Something big is coming to VUT, and it has a face. On 16 October 2026, the Vaal","twitter:creator":"@VUT_Online","twitter:image":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Vaal-University-of-Technology-60th-logo-scaled.webp"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"44271","title":null,"description":null,"keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"mascot","score":0,"analysis":[]},"additional":[{"keyphrase":"VUT","score":0}]},"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"BlogPosting","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"seo_analyzer_scan_date":"2026-10-13 14:00:11","breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"open_ai":null,"ai":{"faqs":[],"keyPoints":[],"schemas":[],"titles":[],"descriptions":[],"socialPosts":{"email":{"subject":"","preview":"","content":""},"linkedin":[],"twitter":[],"facebook":[],"instagram":[]}},"created":"2026-10-13 11:52:13","updated":"2026-10-13 14:18:01","focus_keyword":"mascot","additional_keywords":[{"word":"VUT","score":78,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":9},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":0},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}}],"truseo_locale":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/category\/latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology\/\" title=\"Latest News - Vaal University of Technology\">Latest News - Vaal University of Technology<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\tMeet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot\n<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/"},{"label":"Latest News - Vaal University of Technology","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/category\/latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology\/"},{"label":"Meet the contenders: VUT community to vote for first official mascot","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/meet-the-contenders-vut-community-to-vote-for-first-official-mascot\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44271"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44592,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44271\/revisions\/44592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}