During the month of May, then acting vice-chancellor Prof Linda du Plessis hosted multi-campus events to thank the frontline staff members for working hard during the registration period amidst Covid-19 challenges.
Acknowledging the staff contributions at the Vanderbijlpark Campus, where she kicked off the events at the Rugby Club, Prof Linda praised staff for their dedication and commitment in facing the challenges that accompanied the pandemic.
“I am pleased to announce that we have welcomed 12 711 first-entering students into our contact and distance programmes – this is by far the best intake thus far. Such achievements do not come easily, but when we put in extraordinary efforts, we get extraordinary results. We could not have reached these enrolment targets if it were not for staff members who worked so hard in a very difficult time during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Prof Linda, adding that the coronavirus pandemic provided an opportunity for the institution to see how people could work in different ways.
Two events were held on the Potchefstroom Campus, at the Sports Village and Drakenstein restaurants, in order to accommodate all frontline staff. Prof Linda stressed that she remained deeply grateful for the strides that the university had continued to make.
She also said that the frontline workers were the ones who upheld the image of the university.
“The success of the university is the result of all the team efforts of all the various departments in the NWU and we really rely on the work that all the frontline workers do,” she said at the first event at the Sports Village. She added that she was excited about all the future changes, mentioning specifically the implementation of the new student information systems in 2024.
During the second event, which was held at the Drakenstein Restaurant, Prof Daryl Balia, deputy vice-chancellor of the Potchefstroom Campus, and Mr Clement Manoko, executive director of Corporate Relations and Marketing, took the opportunity to present Prof Linda with a bouquet of flowers to thank her for her stellar leadership during her time in office as acting principal and vice-chancellor.
Meanwhile, at the Mahikeng Campus event, which was hosted at the Mmabatho Palms, Prof Linda urged staff to continue pursuing excellence and the NWU values in their day-to-day work.
“You are playing a huge role in the success of the university and are usually not thanked enough,” she told staff.
Frontline staff members were honoured during these events.
Prof Daryl Balia, Prof Linda Du Plessis and Mr Clement Manoko.
