Matjhabeng Municipality and CUT Sign MoU to Strengthen Social Impact

Matjhabeng Municipality and CUT Sign MoU to Strengthen Social Impact. On 14 October 2023, the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT), and the Matjhabeng Municipality inked a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the CUT Welkom Campus. This partnership underscores CUT commitment to finding solutions and making a meaningful impact through social and technological innovation.

Read Also: Cut Status Check Online 

The Significance of the MoU

Both the Mayor of the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, Mr Nkosinjani Speelman, and the Municipal Manager of Matjhabeng, Ms Zingisa Tindleni, are proud alumni of CUT. This shared connection added a special touch to the occasion. Mayor Speelman emphasized the importance of the partnership for skills development, stating, “This partnership is going to help us with skills development to strengthen the municipality.

Our infrastructure is ageing, but we don’t have skills, we need the new generation to tell us how we can deal with that issue, and we need this university to help us achieve this.”

 Strengthening Impact in Society

Prof. Henk de Jager, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of CUT, highlighted the university’s role in society, saying, “As CUT we are a public university and we are here to serve the people. Our mandate is to produce graduates, research, and produce innovation outputs. But what is the real impact in society? Through empowerment. And that is why this university is partnering with the Matjhabeng Municipality in order to enhance and strengthen our impact in this society.”

Enhancing Academic Offerings and Infrastructure

With the support of the municipality, CUT aims to meet current on-campus student residence demands and expand its academic programs. This expansion will be facilitated through the construction of new buildings and sports grounds.

A Milestone for Development

Ms Morakane Mothekhe, Senior Manager at Matjhabeng Municipality, noted that the MoU represents a significant milestone for the area’s development. “The community has been given a lot of promises and us not achieving or reaching out to them, and now the projects of this mature seek to address exactly that. People see open spaces just as open spaces without knowing how it can revive the economy and help alleviate poverty. We are going to design plans and strategies of maximum utilization of our public open spaces. We are saying come, let us do it together,” said Mothekhe.

Conclusion

The partnership between CUT and the Matjhabeng Municipality signifies a commitment to collaboration for the betterment of society. Through this MoU, both entities aim to empower communities, drive economic growth, and create lasting change.