PG: In a nutshell, what exactly is Vision 2030?
Professor Heather Nel
HN: Vision 2030 is Nelson Mandela University’s long-term strategic roadmap for how we intend to contribute to society between now and 2030.
It spells out the kind of institution we are becoming and identifies the concrete choices we must make to get there.
As the only university in the world named after Nelson Mandela, we are compelled to demonstrate in tangible, observable ways how our strategy advances our core values as we strive to be in the service of society.
Vision 2030 positions Mandela University as a dynamic African university that is recognised for its leadership in generating cutting‑edge knowledge for a sustainable future.
This 10-year strategy is centred on our core academic missions, namely, humanising, future‑oriented learning and teaching, inclusive student access and success, impactful research, innovation and internationalisation, and transformative engagement.
Achieving excellence in these core missions is made possible through key enablers, such as ethical leadership, a values-driven institutional culture, empowered employees, modernised infrastructure and digitalisation, innovation, and sustainable resource mobilisation and stewardship.
Vision 2030 therefore sets out institution‑wide priorities and commitments that shape what we do, how we allocate resources, and how we evaluate our impact on society and the planet.
PG: Why does the University need a vision?
HN: A vision articulates the University’s aspirational future and unifies diverse stakeholders around a compelling long-term strategic direction. A university of our size and complexity needs a clear vision to align daily choices and activities with a shared purpose.
A well‑articulated, coherent vision, therefore, translates our aspirations and values into clear institutional commitments, gives us a basis for accountability.
As a public university, we are accountable to a range of stakeholders, a vision helps us focus our efforts and investments where we can achieve the greatest impact.
This is especially crucial in complex higher education environments, especially amid rapid changes like digital transformation and persistent challenges, such as deep structural inequality, constrained public funding, climate and sustainability pressures and changing stakeholder expectations.
PG: How was Vision 2030 formulated?
HN: Nelson Mandela University engaged broadly with key internal and external stakeholders in co-creating the future-focused Vision 2030 institutional strategy. It was first necessary to identify and segment the key stakeholders who had an interest in and would be impacted by the University’s strategy.
The University embarked on a stakeholder mapping exercise to ensure that the crafting of Vision 2030 was informed and shaped by the voices of key stakeholders. Staff, students and alumni were engaged through an online survey and a series of dialogues.
Under the leadership of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Engagement and Transformation, external stakeholder groups were consulted, including the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, various non-governmental and civil society organisations, TVET colleges, the media, local school principals and youth organisations.
The inputs from all stakeholders were carefully analysed to identify recurring themes that informed the formulation of Vision 2030.
This process ensured that the strategy tapped into the lived realities of staff and students in our lecture venues, laboratories, residences and campuses, as well as in the communities and sectors the University serves.
Vision 2030 was then refined and approved by our governance structures, including executive management, Senate and Council, to promote institutional ownership. The result is an institutional strategy that is both aspirational and pragmatic: Vision 2030 sets out who we want to be but was rooted in a careful analysis of stakeholder expectations and the prevailing macro-environment.
PG: Why is it being reviewed and what exactly is being assessed?
HN: Five years (2021-2025) of Vision 2030 strategy implementation have passed, and the University is at the cusp of the next five-year planning cycle, which extends from 2026 to 2030.
It is therefore timely to pause and reflect on whether we are on track, celebrate the successes, identify the gaps and areas for improvement, and assess what still needs to be done. These are the kinds of questions the Vision 2030 mid-term review seeks to address.
This will provide the foundation for the next five‑year cycle of institutional and executive management strategic planning for 2026 to 2030. The review is being conducted through a dual lens: an assessment of progress against key performance indicators and targets, complemented by the reflective inputs from key stakeholders.
PG: Why is it important to assess how far the University has come?
HN: We need to assess progress with strategy implementation rigorously to ensure that Vision 2030 remains a living strategy that guides daily decisions and investments. This assessment is vital in promoting accountability to our publics.
We have made clear commitments to our students, staff, Council, government, funders, employers and society, who need to be informed of our progress in achieving our strategic intentions.
Furthermore, the responsible use of resources requires that we invest resources, such as funding, people, and infrastructure, to concentrate on programmes and interventions that advance our strategic priorities and deliver the desired impact.
In addition, the mid-term review will assist us to improve quality by identifying strengths and weaknesses in our core academic missions and policies, support services, systems, and processes.
Finally, the review will assist us in recognising and celebrating genuine progress and successes across the institution, which is crucial for building morale and accelerating momentum as we move into the 2026 to 2030 planning cycle.
PG: How should staff and students make input?
HN: Staff and students are encouraged to make inputs by taking advantage of the multiple opportunities that will be provided to participate in reviewing the first five years of implementing Vision 2030. This will include:
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Responding to poll questions posted on the staff and student portals, as well as social media platforms
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E-mailing comments or suggestions to the Office for Institutional Strategy using the following email address: Vision2030Review@mandela.ac.za
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Participating in interviews or focus group discussions and
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Volunteering to be captured on video answering key questions being posed as part of the mid-term review.
PG: Why is it important for them to make input?
HN: For a university that carries Nelson Mandela’s name, it is important that institutional strategy is informed by active stakeholder participation to give voice to diverse perspectives and insights. Vision 2030 is a whole‑university strategy, and that means it must be informed by the people who experience its impact every day.
Staff members translate strategy into practice – across lecture halls, studios, residences, offices, online spaces and more. In doing so, they observe, in practical terms, where our strategy enables or hinders success. Without the insights of our employees, we risk designing an institutional strategy for 2026 to 2030 that appears coherent on paper but is misaligned with operational realities.
Similarly, students experience the outcomes of our decisions and actions in the quality and consistency of teaching and research supervision, and whether curricula are responsive to present and future industry needs.
We also want students to provide input into administrative and support services, and the vibrancy of campus life. Their perspectives are crucial if we are serious about being student‑centric.
University alumni offer unique external insights into how institutional strategy translates into real-world impact, such as graduate employability, societal impact, and institutional reputation. Having directly experienced the University's culture, curriculum, campus life, and support systems, alumni can provide candid feedback on the gaps between intended strategic outcomes and actual results.
Their involvement fosters accountability, strengthens buy-in for future initiatives, and enhances strategic adaptability by bridging the divide between institutional priorities and external stakeholder needs.
PG: What happens to that input?
HN: The input of all stakeholders will be carefully documented and analysed to identify recurring themes and trends that will inform the next five-year cycle of Vision 2030 strategy implementation.
These Vision 2030 mid-term review inputs will create a basis for senior management to chart portfolio-based five-year strategic plans from 2026 to 2030, which include the indicators, baselines, and targets that form part of the institutional monitoring, evaluation, reporting and learning framework.
These portfolio plans will form the basis for to an overarching institutional strategy for 2026 to 2030. This will be monitored, evaluated and reported on to Council and external regulatory bodies.
PG: Where to from here?
HN: The outcomes of the Vision 2030 mid‑term review will sharpen our focus as we accelerate our progress in achieving our 2030 strategic aspirations.
In practical terms, this means finalising and implementing the approved processes to support executive management and their teams, with expert assistance to formulate progressive, forward‑looking five-year strategies, including credible goals and realistic targets.
The mid-term review will also devote deliberate attention to the institutional enablers of strategy implementation: ethical and values‑driven leadership, an inclusive and transformative institutional culture, staff capacity development and empowerment, robust digital transformation, modernised infrastructure, and sustainable, strategy-aligned resource mobilisation and budgeting.
Ultimately, “where to from here” is about using this mid‑point not just to take stock, but to make clear, sometimes tough choices about what we will prioritise over the next five years.
This will ensure that, by 2030, we can demonstrate that Nelson Mandela University has deepened its contribution to transforming lives by co-creating a more socially just, sustainable, and humane future in the service of society.