The University of Fort Hare (UFH) has once again demonstrated its strong national and regional position in marketing, communications and stakeholder engagement within South Africa’s higher education sector.
The MACE Excellence Awards — a key indicator of innovation and achievement in higher education communication, advancement and marketing — recognise exceptional planning, measurable impact and professional excellence across universities nationwide.
At this year’s event held in Johannesburg last week, UFH’s Directorate: Marketing and Communication (D:MC) received 24 awards, including three gold, eight silver and 13 bronze. These awards celebrated the University’s work in brand-building, alumni relations, web design, social responsibility programmes, community engagement, digital storytelling, video content production, stakeholder relations, events management and graphic design.
UFH Ranked Third in South Africa and First in the Eastern Cape
UFH once again secured the highest number of awards among universities in the Eastern Cape, marking its fourth consecutive year in first position in the province.
Nationally, UFH maintained its standing as one of South Africa’s top three institutions for the second year running, based on the number of awards won. The University of Pretoria led with 34 awards, followed by Stellenbosch University with 27 and UFH with 24.
UFH Wins Gold for Community Impact & Graduation Story-Telling
Two gold awards were presented for work profiling UFH graduate success stories during the University’s 2024 Autumn Graduation, produced for the Office of the Registrar.
A third gold award recognised a community development initiative led by Teaching & Learning, the UFH Faculty of Education and supported by the institution’s Management Executive Committee (MEC). The project provided scientific calculators and training to schools in the Amathole West district, UFH’s main catchment area. The intervention resulted in significant improvements in Mathematics performance in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) results for the region.
Additional Award-Winning Projects Across the University
Other recognised UFH award-winning submissions included the:
- launch of the Early Childhood Care and Education Centre in East London (UFH Properties and Services & Faculty of Education)
- University’s new institutional WordPress website (D:MC and ICT)
- 2024 UFH Research Report (Research, Partnerships and Innovation)
- First-Year Orientation Programme (Office of the Vice-Chancellor & Student Affairs)
UFH Executive Director for People Management and Engagement, Ms Dumisile Nene, said the awards were “a powerful affirmation of the University’s commitment to excellence, credibility and stakeholder trust”, noting that they reflected work aligned with the University’s renewal efforts and strategic plan.
“The awards reinforce UFH’s growing national profile in strategic communication, institutional reputation management and brand development,” Ms Nene added.
UFH Director of Marketing and Communication, JP Roodt, noted that the results were achieved by “a small but dynamic team whose commitment to the University’s renewal agenda is evident in every project”.
“The team consistently delivers work of national calibre, demonstrating agility, creativity and a deep sense of commitment as a support function within the University. Their dedication to strengthening the University’s reputation, serving our stakeholders and telling UFH’s story with authenticity has been central to advancing the institution’s renewal, strategic and visibility agenda,” Roodt said.
Ms Nene concluded by thanking all UFH staff, partners and collaborators who contributed to the award-winning projects, as well as the MACE board, judges, moderators and organisers of this year’s event.
Halala UFH for this achievement at a national stage!