By: Qhawekazi Memani – 24 May 2024

Mr. Vido Kungune, the Vaal University of Technology (VUT)’s Head of Recruitment and the Acting Director of Internationalisation,  has been awarded the prestigious title of Academic Administration Manager of the Year for 2023/24.

This was confirmed at the recent 5^th Association for Academic Administration (AAA) Conference and Annual General Meeting held at the Boardwalk Hotel in Gqebera, Eastern Cape.

Theme: “The past, present and the future of academic administration in higher and further education”, the vital annual gathering brings together Academic Administration Practitioners in South and Southern Africa. This, with the primary aim of discussing challenges and solutions, exchanging knowledge, experiences and industry best practices, as well as exploring trends in the field of academic administration in higher and further education to foster growth and improvement of the sector.

The significance of this Conference lies in its status as the only registered association in South Africa dedicated to academic administration in higher and further education. With institutional and individual memberships numbering around 400, the association includes universities and colleges from South Africa and other parts of Africa, and its membership continues to grow exponentially.

For someone whose proven track record in academic administration over the years speaks for itself, this award was no fluke. Kungune was instrumental in the founding of the Association for Academic Administration, for which he has been the chairman for six years, providing leadership and strategic direction. “The association has a registered board that gets elected every three years, and I, for my sins, happened to be elected for the third time this year for the next three years,” he said.

In his tenure, Kungune has provided the association with the last two themes of the Conference: ‘Navigating Academic Administration in VUCA Times’ and ‘The Past, Present, and Future of Academic Administration in the Age of AI, Robotics, and IoT.’ He has also led the registration of the association as a professional body and still working with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and Universities South Africa (USAf) on creating a qualification in the field.

It doesn’t end there, Kungune also previously served as chairperson of similar bodies; the Examination Administration Forum (EXAF) for three years and contributed immensely to the leadership of the Higher Education Faculty Administration Forum (HEFAF) for three years, also.  The multiskilled Kungune was also instrumental in the writing and publication of Best Practices booklets in both higher education exam administration and student enrolments administration.

In addition to its overall success, some of the key highlights of this year’s conference include parallel breakaway workshops on pertinent topics such as corruption-curbing strategies, and the interactive team-building exercises. The conference also offered rare opportunities for benchmarking and creating Communities of Practice (COPs) on topics that require continuous engagement beyond the conferences.

Sharing his feelings about the award, Mr. Kungune said, “In fact, I had already indicated my unavailability for nominations to the board for the third time, as I felt I needed to pass the baton to somebody else, to which the majority was not amenable. I must admit the nomination was unexpected, and I did not see it coming. I was really humbled, and when my brief contribution was outlined, I felt like running away, as I could pick up that what was being read was coming closer home.”

Kungune is now tasked to chair the association for another three years until 2027, over and above other bodies that he serves in, such as the International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA), American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). Internally he sits on the DSS and VUT FM boards and many other internal committees. “I am proud to learn that I am making some difference and adding some value in the sector in my little way.”

VUT congratulates Mr Kungune for the award and wishes him success on this milestone.