This news, along with a drop in our COVID-19 infection numbers from 10 000 last week to 5 500 this week, offers us new hope in our collective fight against the pandemic.
The rollout of the vaccine is a game-changer, for it signals better, safer days ahead.
Last year was an extraordinarily difficult year as each of us navigated new ways of living, working, studying and being, and experienced unexpected personal losses. For many, those losses included the passing of loved ones.
At our University alone, we have lost 12 staff members and a student to COVID-19 since the pandemic began 11 months ago. We have resiliently worked through uncertainty, grappled with complexity and struggled with so many different challenges in both our personal and working lives. Despite these challenges, we have risen to the occasion and prevailed to greet 2021 with renewed confidence.
I wish to recognise this, but more especially, your ongoing commitment at Nelson Mandela University to save lives and save the 2020 academic year. I also equally acknowledge and empathise with you all.
We have learnt much from 2020, not least the ongoing need for kindness and compassion for one another, and the importance of working together towards a better tomorrow.
I am immensely grateful to all colleagues for their continued support.
While we do not know what lies ahead, we are buoyed by the hope that the vaccination programme offers in easing the spread of the virus and saving lives.
My sincere hope is that 2021 will be a fresh re-imagined year for you all individually and for us as a University as we seek a safe, healthy and exciting future.
Professor Sibongile Muthwa
Vice-Chancellor Nelson Mandela University