University of Venda



The University of Venda (Univen; Yunivesithi ya Venḓa, Universiteit van Venda) is a South African comprehensive rural-based institution, located in Thohoyandou in Limpopo province. It was established in 1981 under the then Republic of Venda government.

History
The university was established in 1981 to serve the inhabitants of the Venda Bantustan; however, the student body at Univen never consisted of Venda students only as students from all over the Northern Transvaal attended the institution. After the end of Apartheid and the re-integration of the bantustans into South Africa, Univen student body were drawn from all over South Africa. With the South African government's programme of tertiary education reform in the new millennium, Univen became a "comprehensive university", offering both theoretically oriented and practically oriented courses.

Campus
The University of Venda has one main Campus in Thohoyandou. The Campus houses all four faculties of the institution, namely
 * The Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture,
 * The Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education,
 * The Faculty of Health Sciences,
 * The Faculty of Management, Commerce and Law.

The campus also houses the Art Gallery, which displays carvings, paintings and clay pots made by students and local community members. Furthermore, the campus has a full-time Sports Centre for indoor sports and other recreational activities such as drama and dance.

The main campus houses 13 official residences: Bernard Ncube, Carousel, F3, F4, F5, Lost City Boys, Lost City Girls, Mango Groove, Riverside, New Male Res, New Female Res, Mvelaphanda Male and Mvelaphanda Female.

Student Representative Assembly
The representative student body of the University of Venda is made up of an 84-member parliament styled structure. A 14-member cabinet, the SRC executive, leads it. The assembly can be further divided into three: the first sub-division is the cabinet that is led by the president, then the deputy president, the secretary-general, and the deputy secretary-general; there are nine ministerial portfolios as follows: Ministry of Campus and Off-Campus Housing, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, Bursaries and Projects, Ministry of Gender and people with Disabilities, Ministry of Health, Safety and Security, Ministry of Information, External Affairs and International Relations, Ministry of Legal, Policies, and Constitutional Affairs, Ministry of Religion, Culture, Arts and Heritage, Ministry of Sports and Recreation, and with the equivalence of a ministry there is the Chairperson of the Post Graduate Council. The second sub-division of the SRC is the Structures. These are made up of four-person executives of the Disabled Student Council (DSC), the Housing Representative Council (HRC), the Sports, Recreation and Cultural Committee (SRCC) and the School Councils from all eight schools of the university. The third sub-division is the parliament, which comprises committees under each ministerial position.

Each member of the SRC is forwarded to parliament by a student formation they belong to, except the third sub-division of the Student Representative Council, who campaign independently. The Speaker of Parliament is voted in on the first sitting of Parliament by the house. The student parliament sits four times a year, once each quarter of the year.

The Univen SRC is composed of members from different formations, the recognised student formations on campus are: AZAPO Student Convention (AZASCO), Democratic Alliance Student Organization (DASO), Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC), Pan-Africanist Student Movement of Azania (PASMA), South African Student Congress (SASCO), the Student Christian Organization (SCO) and the newly formed ABSC (ABANTU BATHO STUDENT CONGRESS).

Each organization contests in the general elections to deploy members to the SRC, the term of office is one year, and the period begins after annual elections in late September or early October. The ruling party for 2023-2024 is the Economic Freedom Fighters Students Command (EFFSC) univen branch. John Ndaka is the elected president.

Media and publications
The University of Venda has a radio station, UNIVEN FM, which broadcasts on 99.8 MHz. The station's reach covers the Vhembe and Mopani district municipalities, as well as the area north of Kruger National Park on the eastern side. The main languages of broadcast are English, Tshivenda, Sepedi, and Xitsonga. UNIVEN FM began broadcasting in 1997, providing a valuable source of information and entertainment for the surrounding community. UNIVEN also publishes a newsletter, Nendila, which highlights the university's successes and achievements. Nendila is a valuable source of information for students, staff, and the broader community. In addition to its radio station and newsletter, the University of Venda also has a significant presence on social media. The university maintains Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts, where it posts news, events, and other information about the institution. These platforms allow the university to reach a wide audience and build relationships with its community.

Recent Significant Achievements

 * In 2022, UNIVEN celebrated its 40th anniversary of providing education and shaping future generations in its local and international communities. Throughout its history, the university has remained committed to its mission of promoting academic excellence, research, and service to its communities.


 * By the end of 2022, UNIVEN had 33 NRF Rated Researchers: 26 males and 7 females.


 * The university has been ranked among the top institutions in the world. In January 2024, Times Higher Education published its annual ranking of the world's top universities for 2024, listing South African universities among them, with the University of Venda ranked 17th best South African University.


 * In 2023, the University of Venda made history by becoming the second historically disadvantaged institution in South Africa to host the Green Technology Confucius Institute. This significant achievement allows the university to expand its offerings in green technology and sustainability, and to develop further relationships with the Hubei University of Technology, China. This initiative will promote the exchange of knowledge and ideas in the fields of green technology and sustainable development. The institute will also facilitate language exchange and cultural understanding between students and faculty from the two universities.


 * In November 2023, the University of Venda took another important step forward by launching the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Rapid Incubation. The centre provides business development support to entrepreneurs across the country, with a focus on those in rural and under-resourced areas.


 * The University of Venda won several awards at the 2023 HUAWEI SOUTH AFRICA ICT Talent Development Awards. UNIVEN won awards in the categories of Best ICT Institution, Best Student Innovator, and Best Student Software Developer. These awards highlight the university's excellence in information and communication technologies, and its commitment to developing the next generation of ICT talent. The collaboration with Huawei enables University students to be exposed to ICT related industry programmes, enhancing their employability chances. Programmes offered include 5G, AI and data communications.


 * UNIVEN: Number one coolest university brand in South Africa. The University of Venda (UNIVEN) was named one of the top brands in South Africa according to the recent Sunday Times GenNext survey. The survey unearthed the most admired South African brands across 70 categories which included institutions of higher learning. UNIVEN came out top beating all well-known South African universities located in the in urban areas. The survey revealed that UNIVEN brand is popular amongst the youth of South in both rural and urban areas.

The Sunday Times GenNext survey was conducted with 5,900 participants, and the results were audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for validity. The survey covered 98 schools and engaged with students aged 8–18 years, as well as young professionals aged 25–30 years.

Funding
UNIVEN is a publicly funded university in South Africa, meaning that it receives financial support from the national government. While the university is funded by government, it also relies on private donations and other forms of support to continue its work. UNIVEN offers a range of financial aid and bursaries for students, including the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), Vice-Chancellor's Merit Bursary, and Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) bursaries. These bursaries cover a variety of costs, including tuition fees, accommodation, textbooks, and other learning materials. These financial aid opportunities are designed to support students in accessing high-quality education at UNIVEN.