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News - Date: 04 July 2008
Speaker after speaker spoke fondly of the good work Dr Jim Leatt had done for the university during his short stay at the institution during the farewell function organized by the university management and held at the university’s main auditorium last week.
Leatt was appointed as acting vice-chancellor of the university in August 2005 and was charged with the running of the university. He arrived at the university at a time when the institution was in a state of turmoil, but worked tirelessly to turn the fortunes of the university around. When he arrived on campus, the institution was on the brink of collapse with everybody on his own, with no unity amongst staff members, but he became a miracle cure that healed the institution and brought peace and stability. During his stay, he managed to attract a lot of funding from the National Department of Education and other companies, which led to infrastructural revamping through his well-known Recovery Plan.
Speaking during the function, Vho Thovhele Midiyavhathu Tshivhase said Leatt was a man of vision, who was ready to forsake all the glitter of city life to come and rescue a ship which was sinking fast. He described him as a visionary leader who had insight into administrative matters. Tshivhase said the university was at the time of Leatt’s appointment experiencing a bad spell, but after his arrival, things went back to normal. He commended Leatt for having forged healthy university–community relationship that led to the involvement of the community in the running of the institution.
“We will never forget his visits to the royal palace at Luaname where he amazed all by his traditional tshikona dancing skills,” he said. “Your historic visit to our area will go down into our history books as having paved the way for the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the university and the Tshivhase Royalty, and my people will always remember you,” he said.
The university registrar, Mr Khuliso Nemadzivhanani, who worked closely with Leatt after his arrival on campus, has fond memories. “Dr Leatt is an old man with the energy of a young man. I can attest with reasonable confidence to his passion for higher education,” he said. Nemadzivhanani said the development taking place on campus and the famous Recovery Plan could be attributed to the wisdom of Leatt.
Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.
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