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14 December 2021 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied
Maureen Khati, Deputy Director: Facilities Planning in University Estates, is getting her MSc in Construction Management at the UFS December graduation ceremonies.
Among the hundreds of graduands receiving qualifications during the December 2021 graduation ceremonies is University of the Free State (UFS) staff member Maureen Khati. Khati, who oversees numerous infrastructural projects at the institution, has been instrumental in the changing landscape of UFS campuses.   

Khati, Deputy Director: Facilities Planning in University Estates, will graduate with an MSc in Construction Management with her thesis, titled An Assessment of Occupational Health and Safety compliance challenges in the Southern African construction building industry.

Describing her academic journey, where she studied but not completed an LLB degree at the former University of Durban-Westville, completed a Journalism degree at the Tshwane University of Technology, and a Project Management course at the Central University of Technology (CUT), Khati says: “It has been difficult, and in construction I now find myself exposed to high-pressure, time-bound type of work. As a single parent, I have been juggling research and the time required for more and more reading.”

About pursuing her master’s degree, Khati says: “The desire has always been there, I just did not have time. Life experiences also caught up with me, but I never stopped studying. If not studying for a degree in my free time, I would be doing short courses.”

Khati says her career has taken a turn and she ‘accidentally’ found herself in construction.

This happened after she found herself being drafted into CUT’s planning committee tasked with ensuring that the institution’s soccer fields met FIFA’s required standard and could be used for training during the prestigious 2010 FIFA World Cup. 

Following the World Cup and the success of the committee, Khati was given more construction responsibilities, as the Department of Higher Education and Training was still working on projects on the CUT campus. 

 “Construction became my life, and as they say – the rest is history.”

In 2012, Khati joined the University of the Free State as Project Manager in University Estates. She believes her journey with the institution has been “interesting and exposed to opportunities”.

Recently, Khati was appointed as President Elect 2021 of the Higher Education Facilities Management Association. HEFMA is a non-profit association representing the interests of the facilities management departments of 27 universities in and outside South Africa.  

Where did it all start?

Born in Windhoek, Namibia, Khati attended high school at Mariasdal Secondary School, a Catholic boarding school just over 100 km from Bloemfontein.

About high school life, she says: “I have always been a reserved person. I spent most of my time playing sports and attending social events. This is because the environment at school was strict, but also fun. The school has always strived for a 100% pass rate.”

After matric, Khati completed a Journalism degree at Tshwane University of Technology. 

What kept Khati going was her daughter Bokamoso, because all she does is “for her well-being and to challenge myself to grow”.

For the completion of  her master’s degree, Khati thanks her supervisor, Prof Kahilu Kajimo-Shakantu, Head of the Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management, for the “patience and support she gave me throughout my studies, as well as for sharing her expertise during my studies”.

News Archive

Full week of graduation ceremonies at UFS in April
2015-04-10

Autumn always sees the UFS’s first graduation ceremony of the year on the Bloemfontein Campus.

From 14 – 17 April 2015, graduates will once again be rewarded for their hard work while top speakers will address them in the Callie Human Centre. There will be a ceremony at 09:00 and at 14:30 each day on all four days of the graduation.

The programme for the 2015 April Graduation is as follows:

Tuesday 14 April 2015:

Professor Himla Soodyall will be the speaker at both ceremonies on this day. Prof Soodyall is a Medical Scientist for the South African Institute for Medical Research. She is also a Principal Medical Scientist for the National Health Laboratory Service, and a Director for the Human Genome Diversity and Disease Research Unit at the University of Witwatersrand.

During the first ceremony of the day at 09:00, all diplomas/certificates and B degrees in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences will be awarded. Only Honours degrees in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences will be awarded at the 14:30 ceremony.
 
Wednesday 15 April 2015:

Wednesday will see Ndumiso Hadebe take the stage to address graduates at both ceremonies.

At the age of 23, Hadebe is the Founder and Managing Director of Master Frontiers Consulting, a firm that capacitates leaders and managers to achieve business goals through their people. He worked previously as a Researcher at Shanduka Black Umbrellas, a flagship enterprise and supplier development programme of the Shanduka Foundation. 

He has been received numerous awards for excellence in leadership, such as the Sedibeng District Municipal Mayor’s Award for Service and Leadership. He is a Brand South Africa Ambassador and Read Educational Trust Ambassador.

All diplomas/certificates, B and Honours degrees in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, except B Com degrees, will be awarded during the morning ceremony at 09:00. Later, at the 14:30 ceremony, only B Com degrees in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences will be awarded.

Thursday 16 April 2015:

Multiple award winning South African TV presenter, Leanne Manas, will be the speaker at both Thursday ceremonies.

Manas has graced our screens for over a decade. Not many broadcasters can boast having had live TV experience, 5 days a week for 12 years. She is currently the anchor of SABC 2’s flagship breakfast programme, Morning Live. Leanne is a qualified Speech and Drama teacher. having studied at London Trinity College. She also has an Honours degree in English.
Diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculty of the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communication Sciences will be awarded during the ceremony at 09:00. The 14:30 ceremony will have diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculty of the Humanities’ other qualifications except for Social Sciences and Communication Sciences.
 
Friday 17 April 2015:

Dr Maria Phalime will be the speaker at both ceremonies on Friday.

Phalime is a medical doctor and award-winning author. She practiced for a brief period as a general practitioner in South Africa and the United Kingdom, before leaving medical practice to pursue non-clinical interests. She has worked in trade and investment promotion, and has undertaken research and consulting in the areas of economic development and business facilitation.

Diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculty of Education (CE, NPDE and ACE excluded) will be awarded during the ceremony at 09:00. Diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculties of Health Sciences, Law, and Theology will be awarded at the 14:30 ceremony.

Click here for the simple layout of the 2015 April Graduation programme:
http://www.ufs.ac.za/adhoc-pages/2014-graduation-ceremony/graduation-ceremony

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