In an endeavour to demystify Unisa's catalytic niche areas (CNAs), stakeholder engagements are being rolled out in the institution's regions to mitigate uncertainties and scepticism about the CNAs. The drive is to facilitate a process whereby CNAs act as an impetus towards moving the university's regions to become centres of academic excellence through implementing relevant CNAs conducive to specific physical and socio-economic conditions in the areas where the regions are located.

Pictured here with KZN regional staff are (seated, from left) Xolani Dubazane (Deputy Director: Academic and Technology Support: KZN Region), Prof Kevin Mearns (Department of Environmental Sciences: Unisa), Wendy Shabalala (eThekwini Municipal Academy), Dr Joyce Myeza (Regional Director: KZN), Prof Godwell Nhamo (College of Economic and Management Sciences) and Dr Nkosinathi Manqele (Marine Studies: DUT)

Hot on the heels of the recently held 2025 Principal and Vice-Chancellor’s Lekgotla, the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) region hosted teams of like-minded researchers and organisations from 14 to 16 April 2025. The partners came together to explore and enhance awareness regarding the Marine and Coastal Studies’ CNA, fully intending to establish a lasting KZN region research and innovation, teaching and learning, and engaged scholarship collaboration.

The stakeholders present included a team of inter-college researchers from Unisa’s Muckleneuk and Science Campuses, led by Prof Godwell Nhamo from the College of Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS). Also present were a Durban University of Technology (DUT) team led by Dr Nkosinathi Manqele, an eThekwini Municipal Academy (EMA) team led by Wendy Shabalala, and the KZN regional management led by Dr Joyce Myeza.

This gathering formed part of the call to activate the Marine and Coastal Studies CNA at Unisa’s coastal hubs. CNAs are deemed crucial for the country's development and addressing contemporary societal challenges.

The activities involved a workshop with the KZN region’s management highlighting how the Marine and Coastal Studies CNA could act as an umbrella to mainstream other regional CNAs, including staff contracting done on the first day. Nhamo further shared the work being done to establish the trans-, inter- and multi-disciplinary Institute for Marine and Coastal Innovations (IMCI), whose agenda is to activate all Unisa coastal regions, including having staff located in these regions.

Nhamo elaborated on how the Marine and Coastal Studies’ CNA activation would unfold across coastal regions, namely the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Western CapeTogether, these provinces share the country’s coastline, which stretches for about 3 000 km – from the warm eastern Indian Ocean to the cold western Atlantic Ocean. Adding to this, Nhamo said, "Given the spread of Unisa’s coastal regions, we are set to move with speed to research diverse topics that will contribute to the South African and international development agendas, placing Unisa on the global research map in this field."

During the deliberations on the first day, it emerged that besides driving the research agenda, the proposed IMCI could incubate modules and short learning programmes as appropriately run webinars, establish a flagship international conference, and develop policy briefs and other outputs. The institute will also host research chairs, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars and early-career ocean professionals. In this way, the regions’ realisation as centres of academic excellence will be moved a step closer to fruition.

The Marine and Coastal Studies CNA at Unisa will provide an opportunity for in-depth research, innovation, internationalisation, teaching and learning, community engagement, and increased neo-regional engagement within SADC and the African Union in strategic areas of marine and coastal ecosystems. The clarion call for this engagement is to "Rise, Engage, and Leave Nobody Behind in Marine and Coastal Studies at Unisa!".

The second day was set aside for site inspections of the KZN region’s infrastructure to assess suitability to host some of the planned laboratories and provide office space. Inspections were conducted at the Durban and Pietermaritzburg Campuses, and a site visit took place in Uvongo on the South Coast, where the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality donated a piece of land to the university.

The third day was dedicated to partnership solidifications, which included DUT and eThekwini Municipality’s EMA. DUT sought to get further clarity on the proposal to establish a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will include maritime work, while the EMA sought to potentially enter into municipal-wide collaborations with the two universities, including in the marine and coastal research space.

Myeza indicated that the region had already covered a lot of ground in its engagement with DUT and was now working towards finalising a formal MoU between Unisa and DUT. Prof Kevin Mearns from the Department of Environmental Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) indicated that there had been preliminary discussions and engagements with DUT’s Dr Manqele and his colleagues. Collaboration between DUT and Unisa will enhance the implementation of the CNAs, especially the Marine and Coastal Studies CNA. Low-hanging fruits, such as research collaborations DUT and EMA, have already been identified.

Through Myeza, the KZN region expressed its excitement about and support for the possibility of hosting the IMCI in whatever form it will emerge. She continued: "Partnering with the DUT and the EMA, as well as being able to implement one of the CNAs, which could propel the region to become the academic centre of excellence specialising in marine and coastal studies, was exciting. When done successfully, in the long run this could economically and developmentally uplift the citizens of the city of Durban, the province, and the rest of the country."

* By Siyabonga Seme, Manager: Communication and Marketing, KZN Region