Mangosuthu University of Technology
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Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) is a
university of technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...
situated in
Umlazi Umlazi is a township in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, located south-west of Durban. Organisationally and administratively it forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and its South Municipal Planning Region. It is the fourth largest ...
near the city of
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, on a site overlooking the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
. MUT is located in the academic hub in the eThekwini metropole. It is a residential university.


History

The history of the university begins in 1974 with Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, former Prime Minister in KwaZulu Homeland in apartheid South Africa. At a meeting with the Chairman of the Anglo American Corporation and De Beers Consolidated Mines, Mr Harry F Oppenheimer, Prince Buthelezi first put forward the idea of establishing a tertiary education institution specialising in technical subjects. The proposal was taken up by the Anglo American and De Beers Chairman's Fund, and, although funds were not immediately available to construct such an institution, research was commissioned to investigate the potential in South Africa for the training and employment of black technicians. This work was undertaken by the South African Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) of the
University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
, which analysed the enrolment of the then existing advanced technical education centres and calculated that the output of engineering technicians in 1976 was 1035, whereas there was a demand for 3000 additional technicians per annum. Thus if Black youths were to become available for training, an annual output of 2000 engineering technicians could be considered. SALDRU then ascertained the willingness of employers to employ Black technicians if they were to become available. The response indicated that the categories most in immediate demand were mechanical, civil and construction, electrical, and chemical engineering. As the SALDRU study by Nigel Bloch showed that there was an immediate need and demand for Black technicians, Mr Oppenheimer undertook that The Anglo American and De Beers group Chairman's Fund would provide R5 million to build the necessary facilities. At a later stage, Mobil Oil, AECI and the South African Sugar Millers’ Association agreed to sponsor the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Rembrandt and Distillers Corporation groups provided the establishment of a Commercial and Secretarial Department. LTA Limited added funds for the expansion of the Civil Engineering Department so that Construction Engineering could be included in the curriculum. In mid-1977 the go-ahead was given for the project to begin and it was decided by the KwaZulu Cabinet that the institution would be named ‘Mangosuthu’, the first name of KwaZulu's Chief Minister, Prince Buthelezi, the man who conceived the idea of a technikon in KwaZulu. An eminently suitable site for the technikon was found in Umlazi which, while part of KwaZulu, is also part of the Durban metropolitan area. Umlazi Township is a township developed in 1967 for Black people during the apartheid era. It is located south-west of Durban and it is one of the largest townships in South Africa. The township is about 30 kilometers from the Durban city centre. At the time it was a large and rapidly growing area of some 370 000 people which is close to and easily accessible from the major industrial area as well as the city centre of Durban and the then Louis Botha Airport, later to become Durban International Airport (which has now been relocated to the North Coast and renamed King Shaka International Airport).


See also

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Rankings of universities in South Africa Rankings of universities in South Africa are largely based on international university rankings, since there are no South African rankings as of yet. These international university rankings indicate that South Africa's university system is th ...
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Rankings of business schools in South Africa Financial Times MBA Note: This is the only ranked South African business school in this category. Executive MBA Note: These are the only ranked South African business schools in this category. Executive Education Customised Note: Thes ...


References

{{Authority control Universities in KwaZulu-Natal Public universities in South Africa