That team includes a diverse cohort of individuals who are working on the frontline.
These are the men and woman who are playing an integral role on the ground in managing the institution across all seven campuses in Port Elizabeth and George.
Over the coming weeks and months, we will seek to honour many of these staff members in a series of short stories, under the banner of “Meet Mandela University’s Frontline Staff”.
We will acknowledge our health professionals, security personnel, ICT technicians, cleaners, caterers, residence staff, transport providers, printers, postal workers, plumbers, safety and compliance officers, electricians, artisans, maintenance practitioners and the like, as they work at the rockface in keeping our staff and students safe on our new-look campuses.
Many of these staff members are working harder and longer than usual.
Not only have they had to adjust to changed behaviours and new ways of working, in the midst of the pandemic, but many have been challenged by the absence of colleagues whose age or underlying medical conditions, means they are unable to work on campus.
The work of these colleagues, some of whom have been working on campus throughout the Lockdown that began on 27 March, does not negate the efforts of staff members working equally hard remotely.
But for now, we will share the stories of those on the ground, to give readers a better sense of what it takes, collectively and individually, to ensure that the University continues to operate within the COVID-19 compliance restrictions.
Stories of these frontline staff will be shared on a regular basis on our Together We Can webpage.