Opening Remarks on Occasion of TUT Centres, Institutes, Technology Stations, Hubs and Incubators Symposium
by Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, Vice-Chancellor and Principal
On this gorgeous morning, as winter is ebbing away and spring is flowing in, we are gathered at the foot of one of the many hills of Pretoria, a hill that is home to the Pretoria Campus of the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). From this hill, our eyes can go up to the hill of Meintjieskop, on top of which is the Union Buildings, seat of the South African government, and down to Marabastad an old township that dates back to the late eighteen hundreds, a township which is just a stone throw from the Pretoria Campus of the Tshwane University of Technology.
In the 1940s, Marabastad was virtually the only human settlement between the Apies River and Skinner Spruit. Marabastad used to be the heartbeat of black life – African, Coloured and Indian - in the city of Pretoria - the township that gave us the original Amapiano - Marabi music and Marabi culture. It gave us the writer, Can Themba, a writer whom Lewis Nkosi described as the “supreme intellectual tsotsi” who wrote in “vivid imagery [and the] sharp staccato rhythm of the township language of the urban tsotsi” , a writer who took from the rich world of knowledge in order to give voice to the poor and the struggling black people.
And that is not all. Marabastad also gave us the magisterial chronicler and raconteur extraordinaire - Es’kia Mphahlele , who grew up in house number 24 second avenue. The Tshwane University of Technology is the true spiritual child of the vitality, verve, vigour and creativity of Marabastad. How else could you explain the creative energy that pulsates across all TUT campuses in Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga?
We at TUT have put together, a curriculum strategy which is permeated by and premised upon a) the future of work, b) problem-solving innovation, d) artificial intelligence, and e) entrepreneurship – all and each of these orientated towards contributing to the meeting of NDP targets, SDGs and the AU agenda 2063 objectives.
In twenty short years TUT has become an institution of global stature which is changing the skills-acquisition game for more than 60 thousand students each year. As well as the seven faculties, the Tshwane University of Technology is home to up to sixteen centres, institutes, technology stations, hubs and incubators. These constitute the veritable bridge that connects TUT to industry, business, government and society as a whole. It is a bridge which facilitates and enables Work Integrated Learning (WIL) for our students, amongst many other things.
Yes, blue sky research must have its place in all universities if they are to continue to deserve the name. TUT is no exception. Like all universities we continue to search, amongst the thousands of students who register with us, for the next Albert Einstein and the next Gladys West, Marie Curie and Ada Lovelace. We continue to search for scholars who will deepen our knowledge of the universe. Sadly, it is a universe in which humanity is slowly committing mass suicide - unless we play our part in the mitigation of climate change.
Blue sky research has its place, but TUT centres, institutes, technology stations, hubs and incubators have a more immediate and practical reason for existence. In as much as we still need the Einsteins of this world, what we need more immediately are the Richard Maponyas , Judy Dlaminis and the Steve Jobses of this world.
The fundamental and strategic objective of the TUT centres, institutes, technology stations, hubs and incubators is to a) conduct applied research, b) to innovate, c) to invent d) to commercialise, e)to incubate f) to launch start-ups, and g) to create solutions for practical problems. Such creative, innovative and entrepreneurial work done by the centres enhances TUT’s ability to nurture future-ready graduates to turn theory into knowledge that works.
It is therefore my singular pleasure to welcome you to the one University in which the spirit of the capital city resides, a university that is the one true spiritual child of the inventiveness of Marabastad - the Tshwane University of Technology.
Ladies and gentlemen, the creative spirit of Marabastad is upon us!
I invite you to get ready and prepare to be amazed and to be astounded by the fruit of applied research at TUT. Come, take a glimpse at the cutting-edge innovations, inventions, and start-ups of the TUT centres, institutes, technology stations, hubs and incubators.
Click here to view the Symposium livestream.
A showcase of some of the cutting-edge innovations, inventions and start-ups of the TUT Centres, Institutes, Technology Stations, Hubs and Incubators.