{"id":263890,"date":"2025-06-19T15:38:36","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T13:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?p=263890"},"modified":"2025-06-19T15:42:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T13:42:16","slug":"kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/","title":{"rendered":"Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>At 39 years old, Ndumiso Nongcaula, an employee at Kouga Local Municipality, has achieved a significant academic milestone \u2013 earning his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Durban University of Technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His journey from Kokstad to his current role as Humansdorp Area Engineer: Electrical is a testament to perseverance and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy dream was to become a soccer player,\u201d Nongcaula recalled. \u201cBut that dream faded when I was 15, after I broke my leg during a match. That moment forced me to rethink my future.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although he did not study immediately after matriculating, Nongcaula\u2019s career took him into local government. He worked in a factory in Johannesburg before he joined the Greater Kokstad Municipality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His path led him to Kouga Local Municipality in 2019, where he now oversees electrical operations and ensures electrical safety for workers, residents and animals across the municipality, under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He began his MBA journey in 2022, with his research focused on the role of the electricity department in supporting sustainable municipal revenue, using Kouga Local Municipality as a case study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The process came with challenges, particularly funding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere were moments when I wanted to give up,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI had to pay a statistician to analyse my data because the university would not accept anything that was not verified. The financial strain was tough, but my research supervisor, Professor Govender, kept pushing me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, with his degree in hand, Nongcaula is filled with pride and gratitude. \u201cI am overwhelmed with joy. This MBA is not just about me \u2013 it is about growth and about using knowledge to improve service delivery. That is why I have already started working on my PhD proposal to take this research even further.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite his demanding career, Nongcaula remains deeply committed to his community as an ordained minister, spending his free time on evangelism and mentoring young men. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, his ambitions stretch far beyond his current role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI see myself as Director General of CoGTA one day. That is my goal \u2013 to make a bigger impact on local government and ensure municipalities operate efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"674\" data-attachment-id=\"263977\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/20250606131024_img_3_50997-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250606131024_IMG_3_50997-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,674\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"20250606131024_IMG_3_50997\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250606131024_IMG_3_50997-1-1024x575.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250606131024_IMG_3_50997-1.jpg\" alt=\"Ndumiso Nongcaula standing in front of a building with Kouga Local Municipality branded clothing.\" class=\"wp-image-263977\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250606131024_IMG_3_50997-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250606131024_IMG_3_50997-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250606131024_IMG_3_50997-1-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250606131024_IMG_3_50997-1-1024x575.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ndumiso Nongcaula, an employee at Kouga Local Municipality, has earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Durban University of Technology. Credit: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>39-year-old Kouga Municipality employee Ndumiso Nongcaula achieves remarkable milestone, earning his MBA degree from Durban University of Technology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":263891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"64","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"3","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"1","article_feature_type":"normal","article_main_image_caption":"Ndumiso Nongcaula, an employee at Kouga Local Municipality, has earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Durban University of Technology. PHOTO: SUPPLIED","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":["adbEngineer_P1","adbEngineer_P2","adbEngineer_P3","adbEngineer_P4"],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[7903],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-263890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-community-highlights"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal | Kouga Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how Kouga engineer Ndumiso Nongcaula earns his MBA and inspires others with his unique career journey.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how Kouga engineer Ndumiso Nongcaula earns his MBA and inspires others with his unique career journey.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-19T13:38:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-19T13:42:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/KougaengineerearnsMB_50929.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1380\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa\"},\"headline\":\"Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-19T13:38:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-19T13:42:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":381,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/KougaengineerearnsMB_50929.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Community Highlights\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal | Kouga Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/KougaengineerearnsMB_50929.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-19T13:38:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-19T13:42:16+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover how Kouga engineer Ndumiso Nongcaula earns his MBA and inspires others with his unique career journey.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/KougaengineerearnsMB_50929.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/KougaengineerearnsMB_50929.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":1380,\"caption\":\"Ndumiso Nongcaula, an employee at Kouga Local Municipality, has earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Durban University of Technology.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.\",\"email\":\"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"042-992 5650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/author\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal | Kouga Express","description":"Discover how Kouga engineer Ndumiso Nongcaula earns his MBA and inspires others with his unique career journey.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal","og_description":"Discover how Kouga engineer Ndumiso Nongcaula earns his MBA and inspires others with his unique career journey.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/","og_site_name":"Kouga Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2025-06-19T13:38:36+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-19T13:42:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":1380,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/KougaengineerearnsMB_50929.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kouga Express","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kouga Express","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/"},"author":{"name":"Kouga Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa"},"headline":"Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal","datePublished":"2025-06-19T13:38:36+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-19T13:42:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/"},"wordCount":381,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/KougaengineerearnsMB_50929.jpg","keywords":["Community Highlights"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/","name":"Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal | Kouga Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/KougaengineerearnsMB_50929.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-19T13:38:36+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-19T13:42:16+00:00","description":"Discover how Kouga engineer Ndumiso Nongcaula earns his MBA and inspires others with his unique career journey.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/KougaengineerearnsMB_50929.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/KougaengineerearnsMB_50929.jpg","width":1200,"height":1380,"caption":"Ndumiso Nongcaula, an employee at Kouga Local Municipality, has earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Durban University of Technology."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-engineer-earns-mba-works-on-phd-proposal\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Kouga engineer earns MBA; works on PhD proposal"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","name":"Kouga Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization","name":"Kouga Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Kouga Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/"],"description":"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.","email":"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"042-992 5650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa","name":"Kouga Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kouga Express"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/author\/kougaexpress\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/KougaengineerearnsMB_50929.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50396,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/new-substation-at-ocean-view-for-more-reliable-electricity-20210818-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":263890,"position":0},"title":"New substation at Ocean View for more reliable electricity","author":"Kouga Express","date":"19 August 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"THE new R3 million substation at Ocean View in Jeffreys Bay, is set to provide more reliable electricity and services for residents and businesses in the area.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":57609,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/gamtoos-duiwe-seksie-vlieg-20180808-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":263890,"position":1},"title":"Gamtoos Duiwe-seksie vlieg","author":"Kouga Express","date":"9 August 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"DIE Gamtoos Duiwe-seksie het op 28 Julie hul wedvlug vanaf Dewetsdorp en Kokstad na Jeffreysbaai aangepak.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":57633,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/gamtoos-duiwe-seksie-vlieg-20180801-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":263890,"position":2},"title":"Gamtoos Duiwe-seksie vlieg","author":"Kouga Express","date":"2 August 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"DIE Gamtoos Duiwe-seksie het op 21 Julie hul wedvlug vanaf Wepener en Kokstad aangepak.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":296546,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/hattingh-bornman-named-as-das-kouga-mayoral-candidate-for-2026-elections\/","url_meta":{"origin":263890,"position":3},"title":"Hattingh Bornman named as DA&#8217;s Kouga mayoral candidate for 2026 elections","author":"Kouga Express","date":"30 March 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Democratic Alliance named Hattingh Bornman as its mayoral candidate for Kouga Local Municipality for the 2026 Local Government Elections.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Eastern Cape has named Hattingh Bornman as its mayoral candidate for the Kouga Local Municipality for the 2026 Local Government Elections.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Mayor-Hattingh-Bornman-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Mayor-Hattingh-Bornman-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Mayor-Hattingh-Bornman-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Mayor-Hattingh-Bornman-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Mayor-Hattingh-Bornman-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Mayor-Hattingh-Bornman-1.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":67271,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-municipality-issues-cyber-alert-after-email-accounts-compromised\/","url_meta":{"origin":263890,"position":4},"title":"Kouga Municipality issues cyber alert after email accounts compromised","author":"Kouga Express","date":"15 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Kouga Local Municipality's ICT Department has detected an alarming surge in cyber attacks, with criminals increasingly distributing malicious links and launching sophisticated phishing campaigns against official municipal email addresses.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A computer with the words virus detected written on the screen.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/virus-4811655_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/virus-4811655_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/virus-4811655_1280.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/virus-4811655_1280.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/virus-4811655_1280.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":297134,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-municipality-praises-lifeguards-as-season-ends-with-zero-drownings\/","url_meta":{"origin":263890,"position":5},"title":"Kouga Municipality praises lifeguards as season ends with zero drownings","author":"Kouga Express","date":"5 May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Kouga Municipality has praised its lifeguards following the 2025\/2026 season, highlighting a significant safety milestone at local beaches.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Kouga Municipality has praised its lifeguards following the conclusion of the 2025\/2026 seasonal duty period, highlighting a significant safety milestone at local beaches.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/marzena7-lifeguard-3590445.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/marzena7-lifeguard-3590445.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/marzena7-lifeguard-3590445.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/marzena7-lifeguard-3590445.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/marzena7-lifeguard-3590445.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/marzena7-lifeguard-3590445.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Kouga Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263890"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=263890"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=263890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}