Sprinter Bayanda Walaza on why he chose TUT over University of Pretoria

The 18-year-old sprinter, who matriculated from Curro Hazeldean High School in Tshwane with a bachelor's pass, initially gave a verbal agreement to UP to pursue a degree in logistics.

However, he ultimately enrolled at TUT to study Supply Chain Management.

The Olympic silver medallist explained that TUT went above and beyond to persuade him to join their institution, leading him to change his plans and opt for a different path across town.

“TUT showed me that they will support me in every step that I take. They told me that ‘We will do this and this’. They never expected me to do things for them, it’s like they are doing this out of love,” Walaza said.

“I felt like it was different from UP because at UP, it was like, they told me that you need to do this and this. TUT showed that they truly wanted me to be there and they are doing by all means to make sure that I get everything that I need.”

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Walaza initially registered to study Supply Chain Management but plans to switch to Logistics, inspired by his uncle, who pursued the same field.

“TUT also helped me you know, I’m gonna go for logistics as I promised, I’m still sticking to logistics. Logistics is like a family thing because one of my uncles is also into logistics,” he added.

“He made me love it, when we were talking, he was talking nice about it and I ended up being zoomed to it to be like I want to try logistics, I want to see what’s going on and that’s how I fell in love with it.”

The 2024 Gauteng Sportsman of the Year expressed to the national broadcaster he’s determined to dedicate even more effort to his athletics and surpass last year's achievements as he embarks on the upcoming season at his new institution.

“This year you must expect greatness you know, it’s not done I still need to stand up for South Africa. South Africa still needs athletes, I still need to show up for the World Championships and I will make sure that I fight for my country. So, they must expect greatness.”