Even as a young girl in primary school, Ngqondi displayed leadership skills and volunteered for different leadership roles. She grew up in Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal, where her father worked as a miner, and later moved to Peddie (Engqushwa) in the Eastern Cape.
“Before I finished my matric I worked as a maid but I went back to school to finish my matric and then I continued with my studies. I would never have imagined that I would one day end up as a Dean but by the grace of God, who directs our steps, I did.
“I never had the mindset of not succeeding. As a maid I was doing everything excellently. My goal was to be excellent in everything I was doing. Even at that time my madam would hear my voice when I said my journey would not end there,” she says.
She joins CPUT from the University of Mpumalanga where she was the Head of the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences.
“Being part of a new university, I had an opportunity to shape the school and write new qualifications for the university in the ICT (Information & Communications Technology) space. I was heading the school which consists of ICT programmes and service modules (Mathematics and End User Computing/Hospitality Information Systems).”
Before joining the University of Mpumalanga she was the Head of the Applied Informatics Department at Walter Sisulu University where she played a leading role in merger processes.
About her new role, Ngqondi says she is both excited and nervous.
“I’m excited and a little bit nervous to start a new position and stepping into the big shoes of the former dean. I’m really looking forward to making a contribution to the university and so excited to make a contribution to communities.”
She adds that she is joining the university at a difficult time as a result of the pandemic but Ngqondi believes that as a woman in ICT she, with her team in the Faculty, can look into different ways of trying to bring solutions in terms of teaching and learning, research and engagement.
“It is not just my journey; it is our journey and we have to look at the university’s vision and make sure we reach the goals of the university.”
On her first day at CPUT, Ngqondi received a warm welcome from her predecessor, Prof Johannes Cronje, who welcomed her with a bunch of flowers.
