SPU Annual Report 2020

The 2020 academic year began with major disruptions, which persisted throughout the year. This seventh academic year since the inception of the University in 2013 was plagued by the disruptions caused nationally and internationally by the coronavirus pandemic, which spread to South Africa in early March 2020.
The activities of Sol Plaatje University were overshadowed by the COVID-19 outbreak and the effect it had on the country. The circumstances in which we found ourselves at the beginning of April 2020, when I took up the position of Vice-Chancellor and Principal, necessitated that we operated in crisis mode. This crisis transcended the national educational landscape and placed immense pressure on the resolve of the national government to cope with the crisis. A key development during this period has been the swift response to the call by the Minister of
Higher Education, Science and Innovation for universities to be ready to deliver teaching and learning in a mixed mode (e-learning primarily) context. This report therefore presents the institutional, academic and operational development and performance of the University over the year. It covers the four broad areas outlined below:
1. Governance and institutional capacity development;
2. Academic performance in enrolments, academic programme development and student development;
3. Infrastructure development and facilities to support the growing University; and
4. Financial management, performance and reliability.