Mkateko Vivian Mabunda shines again

The Limpopo lass who addressed a Brics conference is now the proud receptient of Doctor of Public Affairs degree from TUT

The Village Voice

Meet village girl Mkateko Vivian Mabunda who early this year rose to fame when she addressed a Brics conference in India.

The lass from Lombard is now on cloud nine after on Tuesday she graduated with a doctorate in Public Affairs from Tshwane University of Technology. The new proud doctor who is from Collins Chabane Local Municipality in Limpopo had the thesis that ran thus: The impact of loadshedding on the small medium enterprises in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality. In her study, she examined the issue of loadshedding and how it affected small businesses. She found that loadshedding had deleterious effect on the productivity of small businesses. She found that loadshedding affected the local economic development badly. The study made recommendations to policy makers in order to assist small businesses in the area. The findings of her study have been presented at different forams both locally and internationally.

In her recommendations, she urged the policy makers to assist the Collins Chabane Local Municipality. She said the government should give the municipality the authority to reticulate, given it currently does not possess a licence. “Through the Municipal Resilience Project, the government ought to capacitate CCLM to satisfy the Municipal Readiness Evaluation Tool (MRET) in order to be able to provide electricity to its residents,” she recommended.

Above all, the academic paper from the study has been accepted for publication and two more are under review. Early this year, Dr Mabunda went to India where she addressed a Brics conference at the University of Kota in the state of Rajasthan. At a loss of words she thanked many particularly her supervisor Prof RM Mkhonza as well as co-supervisors Dr MR Mudzanani and RR Manyakane. After her graduations she was greeted by ululations and dance in a functions organised by her colleagues at the department of international relations . Her achievement means a lot not only to her but to the small village of Lombard under the M’tititi traditional Council. Her success will certainly make a name for her not only in the Collins Chabane Local municipality, but in Limpopo and the country at large.