28/02/2023| The EThekwini Maritime Cluster (EMC) bid farewell to Miss Ayanda Sikobi who will now be starting in a new role for K-Line Shipping Company.
Words are not enough to express Ms. Sikobi’s contribution to this organization. She first joined EMC as an intern back in 2019 applying her trade in the Clusters Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) programme. Looking after the ESD portfolio, Ayanda excelled in her duties prompting the trust and belief of the management.
Being a beneficiary of the Training and Skills Development’s Graduate placement programme, Ms. Sikobi is a testimony and a success story for the EMC brand. One of the key deliverables of the Graduate Placement programme is actively assisting graduates to obtain experience in and of the maritime industry whilst doing the best to retain such skills within the Maritime Sector.
Ms. Sikobi has been facilitating all of EMC’s Enterprise and Supply development programs. She graduated with a Bcom Honors majoring in Economics from Westville University. Co-authored an article with Massachusetts Professor Portia Ndlovu in Maritime Awareness. She was an Assistant Research for Professor Mickey Chasomeris of the University of KwaZulu-Natal GSB. In 2021 she completed her MSc in Maritime Affairs, majoring in Shipping Management and Logistics at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo-Sweden, a postgraduate Maritime university founded by the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations. A 14 monthly scholarship program sponsored by the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA).
Other tributes that Ms Sikobi achieved whilst with the EThekwini Maritime Cluster included: Aquaculture entry level certificate (Gariep), Aquaculture Specialist certificate attained in Egypt; Speaker for the Xiamen (China)-Nice-Durban Dialogue: Mutual Learning Among Maritime Civilisations For A Shared Future; Masters in Maritime studies from the World Maritime University.
The EThekwini Maritime Cluster Managing Director, Ms Zenzile Gwamanda in her farewell quote said “I wish her a bright future ahead. While I hope our paths cross in the future, I wish her all the luck and prosperity in the world even if that does not happen. May you only meet good people and make the best memories.”
The MD continued by saying “This is what EMC is all about. From the grassroots level to being an industry expert. The EThekwini Maritime Cluster has taken a mandate to contribute to the fight against Youth Unemployment by introducing programmes like the graduate placement programme. We’ve had many of these success stories and we want to continue and achieve greater than we have”.
“My experience would tell me not everyone would be an entrepreneur or have their own businesses. Fortunately, at EMC we implement programmes focusing on all levels for the benefit of every individual in our society. The Graduate Placement programme will continue with the work done, placing graduates within the Maritime industry for work exposure, experience, and retained by the industry for continued growth”, concluded Ms Gwamanda.
Although Ms Ayanda Sikobi’s departure saddens her colleagues, she will be sadly missed. Everyone at EMC is happy for her because she has more promising possibilities ahead of her. The EMC team wished her the best of luck at her new job.