The City’s Group Communication and Marketing department hosted a delegation of 42 Public Relations students from the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape on Thursday, 26 September.
The visit was proposed by the university for its second and third-year Public Relations students in a bid to expose them to the media relations and communication field.
The university identified the City as one of the organisations that could assist its students with experiential learning, as they embark on an educational tour in Johannesburg.
The 42 students and 4 lecturers arrived in Johannesburg on Tuesday, 24 September and were scheduled to visit various organisations in the city, including the SABC.
Tarisai Mpofu, a lecturer at the university said students were grateful to the City for allowing them to learn how the municipality conducts PR.
“This educational tour came at the right time as our students are preparing for final exams. Gaining more knowledge about how broad the PR field is will go a long in motivating our students to do well in their studies. I believe they all want to come and look for opportunities in the City of gold upon completing their studies,” said Mpofu.
Following presentations that were prepared for the educational visit as well as a Q&A session, a very confident and goal-driven young lady representing students, Zamanci Socikwa thanked the City for the lecture that she described as eye-opening.
Socikwa said she thought Public Relations was all about TV and now she has a full understanding of what the field is all about. She added that she has grasped a lot of information that will help shape her future.
“Coming from a small town and the fact that our campus Zamukulungisa is the smallest in the University, for us to come here and learn in this big city is something I will never forget. I want to promise you that we will make use of the knowledge you have shared with us to chase our dreams,” she explained.
Socikwa said the visit had brought hope to students. “We have now seen how wide the field is. We are encouraged to do even better in our studies so that we can become good PR practitioners and communicators in our careers,” she said.
The delegation will continue to tour different iconic sites in the City, including the apartheid museum before they head back home on Friday evening.
