The Harambee Project: A legacy of transformation

Harambee is a popular Swahili word that means “integration, cohesion, and pulling in the same direction” – and the Harambee Project at the University of Cape Town (UCT) has done exactly that.

Since its inception in 2020, this ambitious project has redefined administrative processes, enhancing efficiency, service delivery, and institutional agility through collaborative efforts among different faculties across the university.

A defining achievement of the project was the successful implementation of a fully online registration system. This shift, accelerated by the urgent demands brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, ensured that students could enrol effectively, despite unprecedented global challenges. It not only safeguarded academic continuity but also set a new standard for digital innovation at the university.

The project, located at Student Systems Support (SSS), was facilitated by MoshAnda, one of the top black women-owned service providers in the country. It reviewed the current student administration process at UCT – through a collaborative and inclusive process – to provide comprehensive mapping, optimise models, and provide clear understanding of process governance, among other objectives.

System risks

During the closing ceremony on 28 March, former UCT registrar, Royston Pillay, recalled that it all started during a top leadership meeting when it was revealed that only 38% of first-time undergraduate offers converted into actual enrolments. “That’s an indictment … a top-brand university on the continent has been able to convert only 38% of its offers. There was a very intense discussion at that meeting, and I remember very clearly the quite strong sentiment that this was a systems problem.” Pillay argued it was a broader issue, leading to the creation of the Harambee Project.

An “as-is analysis” identified 468 risks and issues, ranging from several areas, including registration, admissions, applications, qualification management, student recruitment, financial aid and housing, among others. “After reading that message, I just sat there with my eyes shut … What does this mean … 468 risks?”

Pillay noted that one of the most dangerous phrases in the English language is: “But we have always done it this way.”

“I said I’m going to do something about this and that made me feel a little bit more optimistic that this is an opportunity to do something about what had become a very serious problem for the university.”

Game-changer

After various collaborative efforts, Harambee has delivered far-reaching improvements that extend well beyond registration. Pillay dedicated this success to teamwork. “Nothing meaningful is achieved without the support of people. In many ways, we have caught up with several of our competitors in the country.”

Stakeholders from various faculties and departments echoed the same sentiment that the Harambee Project has made them work together, learn from one another and improve administrative functions.

The dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Professor Suki Goodman, said: “The academic administration processes are the lifeblood and skeleton of this institution,” acknowledging the often-overlooked intensity of this work in keeping the university afloat.

She noted that it has taken decades for the institution to arrive at the place of modernising a long-standing structure and urged the university to embrace the successes “because the successes push us forward”.

However, like Pillay and other speakers, Professor Goodman recognised that transformation is a long-term process. “We are not where we need to be yet, but we have a better sense of what needs to happen and how. We have fully and confidently entered into a new world.”

UCT’s director of Admissions, Gcinumzi Haduse, noted that the enrolment at UCT is now stronger, thanks to the Harambee Project. “It has been an incredible journey. Now we’re standing with a better system that is slick, efficient and ensuring the quality of all of our applicants at the very point of entry than the quantity that we used to have.”

Principles and objectives continue

Although the project phase has officially come to an end, the lessons learnt, insights gained, innovations introduced, and efficiencies achieved will continue to shape UCT’s administrative future, according to Yolandah Hall, the acting director at SSS.

Hall said the project is transitioning from a project mode to a operationalisation state, with efforts under way to design a new project charter and to establish a new steering committee to drive the project’s objectives forward. One of the priorities is establishing a dedicated office centrally to continue the work. Internal discussions have begun on this front, ensuring knowledge transfer and continuing to build internal capacity.

“I know for most, Harambee is synonymous with MoshAnda. But in its true meaning Harambee is every person who’s pulled together to make this a success. As we move forward, the principles and objectives of this project will continue, although we’ll have a different name.

“Building on this success, we want to continue with knowledge transfer and will design a road map for future improvements in student administration and the digital transformation that’s already happening at UCT.”