The Tshwane metro has strengthened collaborative ties with the University of South Africa (Unisa) through signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), signed by vice chancellor and principal of Unisa, prof Mandla Makhaya and executive mayor of Tshwane, Kgosientso Ramokgopa. The agreement includes collaborative research, community engagement and learning projects and the co-operative funding of identified projects. Reports will be published from time to time regarding research projects and the commencement and duration of any agreements entered into between the parties, as well as the ownership of intellectual property rights.
At the signing ceremony held at OR Tambo Building at Unisa, both parties affirmed their intent to work together in various areas of expertise to resolve social conflicts and build an erudite society.
Prof Makhaya said he anticipated that as the agreement gained momentum they would discover additional, mutually beneficial collaborations and projects.
“…Unisa will always approach these in the context of the ethical and professional stewardship of our collective resources,” he said.
Ramokgopa described the essence of the partnership as mutually beneficial and said that major cities are turning to knowledge based institutions to enhance their own socio-economic development and build sustainable economic futures.
“City of Tshwane views this strategic partnership with the University of South Africa as a platform for collaboration and the co-creation of new value chains that will be of mutual benefit to both partners. The broader areas of collaboration will leverage-off the expertise of the University while creating building blocks towards the attainment of some of the outcomes of Tshwane’s Vision 2055” said Ramokgopa.
Projects under consideration include:
· The demographics, socio economic characteristics and challenges of the youth in CoT (with Unisa’s Bureau for Market Research)
· The service satisfaction levels of households and businesses in the Tshwane metropolitan municipality (Unisa’s BMR) ;
· The City of Tshwane regeneration of township economies (BMR); and
· The income and expenditure profile of Tshwane (BMR)
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