UIGc opErAtIonS

The UIGC has several subsidiaries, which have also been remodelled over the years. “We believe we have been an amazing success story that shows how an ordinary entity owned by a public entity can evolve into what it is today. We have a good story to tell,” says Mudau.

“UIGC started as a private company, with the sole mandate of assisting the investor (the university) to generate additional revenue. The company shares its revenue with the university at the end of every financial year. It is, effectively, the commercial wing of the university.”

Mudau says UIGC has about 500 full-time staff members, spread over the different companies in the group. Everyone is employed full-time, except the CEO, who is on a five-year term contract. UIGC does not use any university staff and only interacts with them as a shareholder and a client for some of its services.

The university is a client of UIGC’s security and gardening services. “Of course, these companies can still provide any other services outside of the university. It is worth mentioning also that the UIGC security and gardening services companies emerged as a way of solving the insourcing crisis. We provide the services that the university requires, and then we extend our services to anybody outside.”

“The only area where the university is involved in is through the Univen Continuing Education unit, where we use the university’s processes to have our qualifications accredited. Other than that, we are independent.”