NW premier welcomes new NWU rector

North West premier Thandi Modise File picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

North West premier Thandi Modise File picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

Published May 5, 2014

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Johannesburg - North West premier Thandi Modise on Monday welcomed the appointment of Mashudu Davhana-Maselesele, the first woman to be appointed rector of the North West University's (NWU) Mahikeng campus.

“As reflected by the strides that the university has made despite the challenge of slow pace of transformation, 20 years of our democracy has advanced us towards non-racialism and non-sexism,” Modise said in a statement.

The appointment also “seeks to reposition the institution to serve as an engine for rural development for the province and the country,” Modise said.

Davhana-Maselesele, who was appointed on Friday, said in her inauguration speech prepared for delivery that the campus had a moral responsibility to address the needs of the community through its programmes.

She said the campus would address the scarcity of skills in the country by focusing on professional degree programmes. These included BComm law, agricultural engineering, honours in chartered accountancy, primary health care, nursing education, and health care management.

Davhana-Maselesele said the campus and its sister campuses would pursue the possibility of training medical doctors. Talks had commenced with the transport department or the introduction of a transport engineering programme.

“We do not want programmes that will only add to the numbers of unemployed youth in this country,” she said.

Sapa

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