{"id":47603,"date":"2023-03-30T11:19:10","date_gmt":"2023-03-30T09:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/"},"modified":"2025-03-21T00:31:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T22:31:54","slug":"wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/","title":{"rendered":"WSU ConvEX raises millions towards debt clearance programme"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Thousands of Walter Sisulu University (WSU) graduates could potentially receive their academic certificates following a lucrative fundraising gala dinner hosted by the WSU Convocation Executive (ConvEx), in a bid to solicit funding towards clearing student debt at the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The public and private sector alike made a monumental contribution to the university at the gala dinner when these stakeholders collaborated to raise at least R35 million during the launch of the Graduate Debt Clearance Fund, held at the East London Golf Club recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In academic use, convocation refers to a statutory body of all an institution\u2019s alumni that assist the university with fundraising activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On hand to bear witness to this watershed moment was the university\u2019s chair of Council, representatives from the institution\u2019s executive management, the local business community, government, staff, convocants and friends of the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking under the theme, \u201cCollaboration and Partnership for Graduate Debt Clearance\u201d, Convocation secretary general, Misheck Mugabe, set the tone for the rest of the night by painting a well-crafted context regarding the student debt crisis in the country and its impact in relation to WSU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUniversities South Africa (USAf) recently indicated that the total national debt has snowballed to above R16,5 billion, causing a serious threat to the sustainability of higher education. Here at WSU the ballooning student debt is now at approximately R1,3 billion and about 34 000 graduates owe the university. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe idea of this kind of event is to ensure that graduates who find the burden of debt struggle to be too heavy and too exhausting, can get their certificates, thereby enabling them to be employable,\u201d said Mugabe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said that the dinner was to kick-start a multi-stakeholder strategy encompassing both the public and private sector \u2013 an approach, in his view, that would go a long way in ensuring that students obtain their certificates, so that they can be employed and in turn give back to the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his remarks when launching the fund, ConvEx president, Dr Lunga Mantashe, sought to provide a contextual analysis of the \u201ccatch 22\u201d challenge the university faces regarding the student \u201cdebt trap\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI call this the catch 22 situation, because the university wants the student to pay what they owe to it. On the other hand, the student wants the certificate so they can go into the job market and secure employment so they can be able to settle their debts to the university. This is where this initiative and others like it that will follow are critical, because they seek to help students settle their debts, thereby allowing them to obtain their certificates so they can enter the job market,\u201d Mantashe said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He assured donors and potential donors that strict governance processes had been established regarding the handling of the funds, and that all moneys would be used exclusively for their intended purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The night\u2019s biggest donation came from the Eastern Cape Office of the Premier which injected R20 million into the fund, to gasps of amazement and rapturous applause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other notable contributions included a R1 million debt forgiveness scheme from the University Council; R100 000 donation from WSU Vice Chancellor\u2019s office; R100 000 from Avbob; R100 000 from ConvEX; R100 000 from the SRC; R20 000 from a union, and purchases of artwork worth approximately R100 000 from a local businessperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-issued-by-walter-sisulu-university\"><strong>ISSUED BY WALTER SISULU UNIVERSITY<\/strong><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thousands of Walter Sisulu University (WSU) graduates could potentially receive their academic certificates following a lucrative fundraising gala dinner hosted by the WSU Convocation Executive (ConvEx), in a bid to solicit funding towards clearing s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":47605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_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_novanewscozakougaexpress":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":"0045272c-6e97-4deb-b988-abbc79c2291e","_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":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_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":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"","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":"","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":[],"_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":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-47603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"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>WSU ConvEX raises millions towards debt clearance programme | Mthatha Express<\/title>\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\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WSU ConvEX raises millions towards debt clearance programme\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thousands of Walter Sisulu University (WSU) graduates could potentially receive their academic certificates following a lucrative fundraising gala dinner hosted by the WSU Convocation Executive (ConvEx), in a bid to solicit funding towards clearing s\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mthatha Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-30T09:19:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-20T22:31:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30579ad9fa6a41be9748a5afbd39a192.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1132\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"754\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mthatha Express\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mthatha 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\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7e2772c1748d510e0433368691b50bb1\"},\"headline\":\"WSU ConvEX raises millions towards debt clearance programme\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-30T09:19:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-20T22:31:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":558,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/30579ad9fa6a41be9748a5afbd39a192.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2023\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/\",\"name\":\"WSU ConvEX raises millions towards debt clearance programme | Mthatha Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/30579ad9fa6a41be9748a5afbd39a192.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-30T09:19:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-20T22:31:54+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/30579ad9fa6a41be9748a5afbd39a192.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/30579ad9fa6a41be9748a5afbd39a192.jpg\",\"width\":1132,\"height\":754,\"caption\":\"WSU Convocation president Dr Lunga Mantashe speaking during the fundraising gala dinner. Photo: Supplied\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"WSU ConvEX raises millions towards debt clearance programme\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Mthatha Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MthathaExpress\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/EP_Media24\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@expressonline3000\"],\"description\":\"Mthatha Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of Mthatha and surrounding towns and villages for almost a decade. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 70,000 free copies delivered across the former Transkei area every week. It is also distributed once a month in East London.\",\"email\":\"mthathaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27472932973\",\"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\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7e2772c1748d510e0433368691b50bb1\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mthatha Express\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/author\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"WSU ConvEX raises millions towards debt clearance programme | Mthatha Express","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\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"WSU ConvEX raises millions towards debt clearance programme","og_description":"Thousands of Walter Sisulu University (WSU) graduates could potentially receive their academic certificates following a lucrative fundraising gala dinner hosted by the WSU Convocation Executive (ConvEx), in a bid to solicit funding towards clearing s","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/","og_site_name":"Mthatha Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/","article_published_time":"2023-03-30T09:19:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-20T22:31:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1132,"height":754,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30579ad9fa6a41be9748a5afbd39a192.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mthatha Express","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EP_Media24","twitter_site":"@EP_Media24","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mthatha Express","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/"},"author":{"name":"Mthatha Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/7e2772c1748d510e0433368691b50bb1"},"headline":"WSU ConvEX raises millions towards debt clearance programme","datePublished":"2023-03-30T09:19:10+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-20T22:31:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/"},"wordCount":558,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30579ad9fa6a41be9748a5afbd39a192.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2023","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/","name":"WSU ConvEX raises millions towards debt clearance programme | Mthatha Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30579ad9fa6a41be9748a5afbd39a192.jpg","datePublished":"2023-03-30T09:19:10+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-20T22:31:54+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30579ad9fa6a41be9748a5afbd39a192.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30579ad9fa6a41be9748a5afbd39a192.jpg","width":1132,"height":754,"caption":"WSU Convocation president Dr Lunga Mantashe speaking during the fundraising gala dinner. Photo: Supplied"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-convex-raises-millions-towards-debt-clearance-programme-20230328\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"WSU ConvEX raises millions towards debt clearance programme"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/","name":"Mthatha Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization","name":"Mthatha Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Mthatha Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EP_Media24","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@expressonline3000"],"description":"Mthatha Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of Mthatha and surrounding towns and villages for almost a decade. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 70,000 free copies delivered across the former Transkei area every week. It is also distributed once a month in East London.","email":"mthathaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27472932973","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\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/7e2772c1748d510e0433368691b50bb1","name":"Mthatha Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16bf7f093f8719629b4d16068cd9ee79b087e706ae5cedc7dd95db655da066a3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mthatha Express"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/author\/mthathaexpress\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/30579ad9fa6a41be9748a5afbd39a192.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":48181,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-receives-financial-donation-to-help-clear-students-debt-20221122\/","url_meta":{"origin":47603,"position":0},"title":"WSU receives financial donation to help clear students\u2019 debt","author":"Mthatha Express","date":"24 November 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"WALTER Sisulu University (WSU) recently welcomed a donation of over R4.5 million from Steinm\u00fcller Africa to relieve the burden of student debt, which amounts to R1.5 billion.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49471,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-academic-sowing-seeds-of-excellence-for-youths-future-20220524\/","url_meta":{"origin":47603,"position":1},"title":"WSU academic sowing seeds of excellence for youth\u2019s future","author":"Mthatha Express","date":"26 May 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Walter Sisulu University (WSU) academic, Dr Paul Nkemngu Acha-Anyi, from the faculty of business sciences, is one of the institution\u2019s academics with highly decorated academic profiles.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1dfdb511537f4318945316e6132f33b2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1dfdb511537f4318945316e6132f33b2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1dfdb511537f4318945316e6132f33b2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1dfdb511537f4318945316e6132f33b2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1dfdb511537f4318945316e6132f33b2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1dfdb511537f4318945316e6132f33b2.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47940,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-announces-projects-aimed-at-enhancing-its-core-business-20230207\/","url_meta":{"origin":47603,"position":2},"title":"WSU announces projects aimed at enhancing its core business","author":"Mthatha Express","date":"9 February 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Important interventions and plans are afoot at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in a bid to improve the university\u2019s projects that are designed to enhance the university\u2019s core business of teaching and learning, research, and innovation, as well as community engagement.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/90aed5027a434740a0d9875dca1de6cc.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/90aed5027a434740a0d9875dca1de6cc.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/90aed5027a434740a0d9875dca1de6cc.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/90aed5027a434740a0d9875dca1de6cc.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/90aed5027a434740a0d9875dca1de6cc.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/90aed5027a434740a0d9875dca1de6cc.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44743,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-announces-a-global-expert-in-its-midst-20240723\/","url_meta":{"origin":47603,"position":3},"title":"WSU announces a global expert in its midst","author":"Mthatha Express","date":"25 July 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"WALTER Sisulu University (WSU) recently announced that Professor Ajesh Basantharan Maharaj, a specialist physician who is a lecturer and researcher in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, has elevated the institution\u2019s status as the only Sout","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":48637,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wsu-develops-a-cancer-screening-mobile-app-20220920\/","url_meta":{"origin":47603,"position":4},"title":"Walter Sisulu University develops a cancer screening mobile app","author":"Mthatha Express","date":"22 September 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Walter Sisulu University (WSU) lecturers have partnered with the institution\u2019s computer science honours degree students to develop the world\u2019s first mobile oesophageal cancer screening application.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bd08c773c6fa434a8dd2fb58cf60fd11.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bd08c773c6fa434a8dd2fb58cf60fd11.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bd08c773c6fa434a8dd2fb58cf60fd11.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bd08c773c6fa434a8dd2fb58cf60fd11.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bd08c773c6fa434a8dd2fb58cf60fd11.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/bd08c773c6fa434a8dd2fb58cf60fd11.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":48328,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/walter-sisulu-university-council-chairperson-re-elected-20221025\/","url_meta":{"origin":47603,"position":5},"title":"Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi re-elected as WSU council chairperson","author":"Mthatha Express","date":"27 October 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC has been re-elected unopposed for another two-year term as chairperson of Walter Sisulu University (WSU) council, effective November 29.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8770ee0786344851b3f7b06de9691d96.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8770ee0786344851b3f7b06de9691d96.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8770ee0786344851b3f7b06de9691d96.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Mthatha Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47603"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=47603"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=47603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}