The delighted newly appointed Director of the Cape Town Hotel School (CTHS), Dr Oswald Mhlanga, who brings with him a remarkable blend of experience, relentless pursuit of excellence and vision, joined the hotel industry as a front office porter carrying guests’ luggage and later acquired formal education.
Reflecting on his journey, Mhlanga, who was born in a small-mining town, Hwange in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, says: “I am here today due to a culmination of many years of hard work, long hours, dedication, experience and exposure in a quest for new knowledge and betterment”.
The third-born of six siblings – five boys and one girl, says his immigrant parents built a better life for themselves and their children through hard work and determination.
“My parents both are hard-working and supportive, and they have always instilled in me the importance of education, hard work and perseverance. I am grateful for the values they have taught me, and I believe they have made me a strong and resilient person.”
Growing up in a small diverse community exposed Mhlanga to different cultures and perspectives from a young age and that has helped him to become open-minded and tolerant. He is also a good communicator and listener, and he can build relationships with people from all walks of life. “I believe these skills are essential for success in any workplace.”
Being a child in a small town, meant that everyone knew each other. His community was very supportive, and he always felt like he belonged. He learned the importance of teamwork and cooperation from a young age. “I am grateful for the values that my family and community have taught me, and I believe they have made me a strong and resilient person.”
After graduating with his first degree, Mhlanga re-entered the industry on a management training programme and rose up the ranks. In 2009, he joined academia as a Lecturer at Walter Sisulu University.
Growing up his family and friends used to call him a perfect host. Even at a young age, whenever they had visitors, they would be treated like “they were in a five-star hotel”.
For Mhlanga hospitality is more than just a job,” it's a calling, it’s a way of life”. “It’s the desire to create a warm, welcoming environment for others and to provide them with experiences that they will never forget. It's about bringing joy and fulfilment to others by providing an impeccable service. It requires dedication, long hours, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. A true passion for this industry is rare and comes from deep within.”
Before his appointment as a director of the CTHS, Mhlanga was a Senior Lecturer and a Programme Leader for Hospitality at the University of Mpumalanga. As a student, it felt good leaving CPUT with a PhD, he reminiscences, “but it feels even better to come back as a director of the CTHS”. “I am excited about my appointment but at the same time I know fully well that this is going to be a huge responsibility. An overwhelming wave of emotions is rushing through me. Elation, delight and a sense of accomplishment blended with excitement and a hint of nervousness. This is a dream come true, a validation of my years of dedication to academia and my passion for driving positive change through learning and teaching, and research.”
The opportunity to lead and shape the future of the CTHS, equip students with academic knowledge and prepare them for the dynamic world of work and cultivate strong partnerships with the community and industry, is both humbling and empowering for Mhlanga.
His mandate is to act as a visionary, academic and financial leader by managing the CTHS to achieve the planned level of strategic and operational performance and productivity according to the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences’ strategic objectives. “Central to my vision are three pivotal areas: the enhancement of postgraduate student supervision, curriculum development and review to produce future fit graduates who are employable, adaptable and entrepreneurial, and the creation of an environment that champions quality learning and teaching and research.”
His plan is to develop a multi-cultural community by building capacity in “our” teaching and learning, research, technology and innovation and engagements, students and staff as global citizens in preparation and participation in a global world by means of improving the quality of learning and teaching in support of CPUT’s Vision 2030.
In his free time, he enjoys reading. When he is reading, Mhlanga completely relaxes and “find myself in another world” and has set himself a goal of reading 60 books this year. The bond with his family is very special and it comes first in his life. “Actually, it was one of the decisive factors in my relocation to Cape Town. I make sure after work I give them the necessary attention and spend enough quality time together to create memories.”
In his message to the younger generation coming from a similar background as him, Mhlanga says: “Your background does not influence your destiny. If you believe in your dreams the sky is the limit.”
His enduring research interests include foci on food and beverage, and accommodation management, the digital economy and the aviation industry. “I am very passionate about the digital economy in hospitality. This is illustrated by my research-informed teaching which embeds accommodation and meal-sharing into the hospitality curricula. These are all geared towards adding a pan-African dimension to hospitality epistemologies, as well as to the 4th industrial Revolution agenda in Africa.
Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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