Online ReporterWalter Nyamukondiwa
Mashonaland West Bureau Chief
Stakeholders, including Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Frederick Shava and Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Marian Chombo, members of the academia, and the Chinhoyi community, have congregated at Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) to bid farewell to outgoing Vice Chancellor, Professor David Jambwa Simbi.
Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava is leading proceedings to celebrate the long-serving Vice Chancellor who bows out after 21 years at the helm of the university.
Minister Shava is expected to confer Emeritus status on Prof Simbi and usher him into his twilight years.
In her welcome remarks, Minister Chombo said the retiring Vice Chancellor had helped to transform CUT and Chinhoyi town.
“His tenure has not only transformed this institution but has left an indelible mark on the town of Chinhoyi and the Mashonaland West Province at large,” she said.
“This joyous retirement send-off and Emeritus status conferment is a cause for us to celebrate the beauty of the brains our province has been blessed with.”
She hailed Prof Simbi for his defining leadership and academic distinction, adding that through his leadership, CUT had produced skilled graduates who had contributed to the country’s economic development.
“His vision extended beyond the walls of the university, fostering partnerships with industry, empowering communities and positioning CUT as a hub of agricultural and technological advancement,” she said.
Prof Simbi joined the University in 2005 as the Pro-Vice Chancellor during the transformation of the Chinhoyi Technical Teachers College into a university.
University Council chairman, Engineer Martin Manhuwa, hailed Prof Simbi’s contribution to the growth of the university from an initial enrolment of 2 500 students in 2005 to 12 500 students annually to date.
derick.khumalo