Former names | Border Technikon, Eastern Cape Technikon and University of Transkei |
---|---|
Motto | In pursuit of excellence |
Established | 1 July 2005 |
Chairperson | Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi |
Chancellor | Nonkululeko Gobodo |
Vice-Chancellor | Prof Rushiella Songca [1] |
Students | 31,500 |
Undergraduates | Yes |
Postgraduates | Yes |
Location | , , South Africa 31°36′12″S28°45′02″E / 31.60333°S 28.75056°E |
Campus | 4 campuses - Mthatha, East London (Buffalo City), Butterworth, Komani (Queenstown) |
Colours | Black White |
Nickname | WSU |
Website | www |
Walter Sisulu University (WSU) is a university of technology and science located in Mthatha, East London (Buffalo City), Butterworth and Komani (Queenstown) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, which came into existence on 1 July 2005 as a result of a merger between Border Technikon, Eastern Cape Technikon and the University of Transkei. The university is named after Walter Sisulu, a prominent figure in the struggle against apartheid.
The University of the Transkei was established in the homeland of that name in 1976, initially as a branch of the University of Fort Hare at the request of the homeland government. The Border Technikon and Eastern Cape Technikon were established in the late 1980s and early 1990s. [2]
As one of six comprehensive universities in South Africa, WSU is a developmental university, focusing on urban renewal and rural development by responding to the socio-economic needs of community, commerce and industry through science, technology and innovation.
The university is organised by campus and then by faculty:
The university's 175 academic programmes are fully accredited by the Council on Higher Education which monitors higher education quality across South Africa. In addition, many of the programs are also accredited by their respective professional bodies. There are programs offered in the following fields:
The Eastern Cape is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. Due to its climate and nineteenth century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also known for being home to many anti-apartheid activists, the most famous being Nelson Mandela hailing from the province.
The Thembu are Xhosa people who were living in the Thembu Kingdom.
The Great Kei River is a river in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is formed by the confluence of the Black Kei River and White Kei River, northeast of Cathcart. It flows for 320 km (199 mi) and ends in the Great Kei Estuary at the Indian Ocean with the small town Kei Mouth on the west bank. Historically the Great Kei River formed the southwestern border of the Transkei region as was formerly known as the Nciba River.
The R61 is a long provincial route in South Africa that connects Beaufort West with Port Shepstone via Graaff-Reinet, Komani, Mthatha and Port Edward.
A technikon was a post-secondary institute of technology (polytech) in South Africa. It focused on career-oriented vocational training. There were 15 technikons in the 1990s, but they were merged or restructured as universities in the early 2000s.
Queenstown, officially Komani, is a town in the middle of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, roughly halfway between the smaller towns of Cathcart and Sterkstroom on the N6 National Route. The town was established in 1853 and is currently the commercial, administrative, and educational centre of the surrounding farming district.
Mthatha ; Xhosa:[ḿ̩ˈtʰâːtʰà], alternatively rendered Umtata, is the main town of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzima Airport after former leader Kaiser Matanzima. Mthatha derives its name from the nearby Mthatha River which was named after the sneezewood (umtati) trees, famous for their wood and medicinal properties.
The Eastern Cape Technikon was an institution of higher education in South Africa. It was first established as an engineering campus of the University of Transkei in 1985 and received autonomy in 1994. In 2004, almost 9000 students registered at its four campuses.
The University of Transkei was a university in Umtata in the former bantustan of Transkei in South Africa. It was founded in 1976 as a branch of the University of Fort Hare and after the Transkei gained nominal independence in 1977, it became the University of Transkei. On 1 July 2005, the university merged with Border Technikon and Eastern Cape Technikon to become the Walter Sisulu University, named after anti-apartheid activist Walter Sisulu.
Cape Peninsula University of Technology is a university in Cape Town, South Africa. It is the only university of technology in the Western Cape province, and is also the largest university in the province, with over 32,000 students. It was formed by merging the Cape Technikon and Peninsula Technikon as well as a few other independent colleges.
The Chris Hani District Municipality is a landlocked district municipality situated in the centre of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and is made up of eight local municipalities. Most of the communities are in rural areas. The landscape ranges from moist uplands and grassland hills to the arid Karoo scrubland.
Ngcobo, alternatively rendered Engcobo, is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
Butterworth, also known as Gcuwa, is a town in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Butterworth has a population of 45,900 and is situated on the N2 national highway 111 km north of East London.
Whittlesea is a semi-rural town situated on the R67 road in the Hewu district, 37 km south of Komani, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The town is made up of the townships Ekuphumleni, Bhede, Ndlambe, Extension 4, Extension 5 and Sada. The town falls under the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality which is under the Chris Hani District Municipality. Surrounding Whittlesea are 36 villages which make up the Hewu district.
The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 students, including international students from 130 countries worldwide, making it one of the world's mega universities and the only such university in Africa.
Ezibeleni is a township in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It was established in the 1960s and officially recognised in 1974, when black South Africans were not allowed to live, but only to work, in the white-dominated Queenstown. In order to pursue the policy of separate development, the apartheid-era government of the time dictated that, due to its location on the map and the predominant Xhosa ethnicity of its people, Ezibeleni would belong to Transkei, one of ten fragmented batustans, or homelands, scattered across South Africa.
Terence Mncedisi Nombembe is a qualified Chartered accountant who served as Auditor General of South Africa from 2006 to 2013. During his tenure as Auditor General, Nombembe gained a reputation for integrity. An outspoken critic of corruption, he has been called the commercial equivalent of former Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela. In August 2017, Nombembe was re-appointed as Non-Executive Director of the South African Reserve Bank. He is currently the chief executive officer of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Nonkululeko Gobodo became the first black female Chartered Accountant in South Africa in 1987. In 2023 she was appointed Chancellor of Walter Sisulu University.
The South African South East Academic Libraries System, commonly known as SEALS, was conceptualized in 1998 as a regional library cooperative, and fully constituted in 1999 as a regional consortium, under the auspices of the Eastern Cape Higher Education Association (ECHEA) in South Africa.