By Nontobeko Moimane  24 June 2022

Dr Shogo Mlozi: Chief Executive Officer from NCT

On Wednesday, 15 June 2022 delegates from Tanzania’s National College of Tourism (NCT) visited the Vaal University of Technology’s (VUT) Department of Tourism and Integrated Communication in the Faculty of Human Sciences.

The purpose of the visit was for benchmarking and exploration of possible collaborations between NCT and VUT.

The delegation from NCT comprised of:

Dr Shogo Mlozi: Chief Executive Officer

Dr Florian Mtei: Director of Studies and Professional Activities

Mr Munguabela Kakulima: Director of Finance, Planning and Administration

Ms Elina Makanja: Coordinator of International Relations and Projects

The guests were welcomed by Dr Lazarus Maleho (Acting Executive Dean: Faculty of Human Sciences) and Mr Vido Kungune (Acting Director: Internationalisation).

VUT’s Professor Limpho Lekaota appreciated the recognition received from the NCT delegates.

Chief Executive Officer of NCT, Dr Shogo Mlozi gave a presentation on NCT and explained the college’s wish to expand its programmes and collaborate with the department at VUT. She further mentioned that standard practices within the tourism and hospitality industry could benefit their students.  He also expressed a wish for some NCT academics to enroll for Masters and PhDs at VUT.

Staff from VUT’s Food Service, Tourism and Eco-Tourism departments also presented the course offerings.

The presentations were followed by discussions on how to set plans in motion to ensure a successful collaboration.

VUT and NCT delegates

In his closing remarks, Professor Kaitano Dube (Acting Faculty Research Professor) said Tanzania and South Africa have a long-standing history of brotherhood that dates back to the days of Julius Nyerere as the country hosted many liberation movements. This development was on the Arusha Declaration, which led to Pan-Africanism. “So having you around here is a privilege and a great honour. The visit taps into the long-shared history which needs to be segmented through collaboration,” said Prof Dube.

He further mentioned that the visit comes at an opportune time when the two countries are battling to kick start the tourism industry following the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many lessons that both institutions can learn and share concerning tourism and hospitality as both institutions strive to ensure service excellence and position the region (SADC) as a tourism hub.

“We look forward to a strong, fruitful, and mutual relationship. Thank you very much; we hope to see you again at the Vaal River banks, ” concluded Prof Dube.

The visit closed off with a walk-about  of the VUT Food Service Department.