In 2016 VUT celebrated 50 years of technical education which was a special milestone for the university. According to two independent assessor’s reports, the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) has been grappling with governance issues since it was founded in 2004.  Two years after its inception, a commission of inquiry was established to investigate its affairs, the outcome of which led to the axing of VUT’s first vice-chancellor, Professor Aubrey Mokadi. The second vice-chancellor, Professor Irene Moutlana, who served two terms, was at some point found guilty of negligence in the awarding of a tender. The university’s latest vice-chancellor, Professor Gordon Zide, only served two years of his five-year term. In this conversation, we reflect on the on the last 16 years of the VUT administration.