From helping shape and maintain one of SU’s most important digital gateways to perfecting Cape Malay curries after hours, Rulanzen Martin brings equal measures of technical expertise, creativity and warmth to his role as Digital Channels Coordinator in the University’s Corporate Communication and Marketing Division (CCMD). Martin reflects on the eight-year website redevelopment project, the satisfaction of helping colleagues navigate digital challenges and why properly sautéed onions matter more than people think.

What does your role at SU entail?
I am primarily responsible for user support and ensuring that web content aligns with brand and design principles. I provide technical and content support to web coordinators across the University. Together with my colleague Ilze Grobler, a web designer, we make up the web team looking after the SU website environment.

What does a typical day at work look like?
No day is the same. I know it’s a cliché, but working in communication and marketing means there is never a dull moment. We’ve been working hybrid since renovations at Admin B started in June 2025, but a normal day from my home office starts with prioritising the most important queries I have received. These could come via MS Teams, e-mail or Jira. I also meet with web coordinators and external service providers, either virtually or in person, to assist with website queries and issues.

Doing maintenance checks on pages and sites is also part of the routine. I also create web pages on request for institutional purposes, including readmission information, or when the SU Convocation or Council has nomination processes open to fill vacancies.

How did your education or past experiences prepare you for this job?
In high school, back home in the Northern Cape, I was part of the editorial team of our school newspaper, Die Brode Gazette. I then went on to study BA Communication Science: Media Studies and Journalism at the University of the Free State (UFS). My intention was to become a journalist, but fortunate circumstances put me on a corporate communications career path.

In 2016, I got an internship in the Department of Communication and Brand Management at UFS, where I primarily focused on corporate writing and news reporting – so, a journalist, but not quite. It was in the same year that UFS redeveloped its website, and I was tasked with keeping the “old” website updated and running. It was hosted on an on-prem custom CMS called AppsMedia. Long story short, I eventually got a permanent position as website editor, working on a Progress Sitefinity-hosted website at UFS.

Fast forward to 2023, when I joined SU as website coordinator. Here, my role and responsibilities became more technical, user-support and content-focused. When I joined SU, our website was still hosted on SharePoint 2013. I started at SU in the middle of the website redevelopment project – a project I am very proud to have been part of. Our website is truly a testament to hard work that spanned eight years.

What do you enjoy most about your role and working at SU?
I am a team player and collaborator, and I believe in empowering others. At SU, we have a decentralised website management model, with CCMD supporting the process, so most environments look after their own web content.

In some cases, we provide content support, but I mostly assist with technical and content queries. Hearing the relief colleagues feel after a Teams call to assist them makes the job very meaningful for me. At the end of the day, we are all here to ensure the business continuity of the institution.

The website is an important gateway for prospective students, as well as our current students and staff, so being able to help ensure that this important gateway remains accessible is very satisfying.

One amusing detail is that people who know me as the person behind Teams calls, chats and e-mails often think my name is Martin, but it’s actually my surname. 

Tell us something about yourself that few people would expect.
I am an exceptionally good cook and baker. My love for cooking comes from my dad, who was the cook in our house. I still remember how he used to make a paste of garlic and green pepper for his stews and curries – a unique combination and smell. It was this mixture that ignited my love for garlic. Fresh garlic!

When my dad passed away, I kind of took over the cooking in our family. I also use the garlic and green pepper paste as a base for my stews and curries. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people do not sauté their onions.

Cooking, for me, is an expression of my creativity. I love traditional food, and Cape Malay curries are a favourite, especially on Sundays. Living in Cape Town, it just feels right. My cooking habits took an interesting turn when I started working out and focused on more nutritious, protein-filled meals while not skimping on flavour and wholesomeness. I can make a mean smoortjie – one that Tietie and Nanna, local chefs whose signed cookbook I own, would be proud of. 

When it comes to baking, I like testing new recipes. Sharing my bakes with friends and colleagues is always so rewarding. My carrot cake has been a hit at the office! TikTok has made it so easy to get inspiration and ideas, and I often make food or bake something I saw on social media. Unfortunately, I do not have the personality to film myself cooking.

As an introvert who gets a case of verbal diarrhoea once I get to know people, I am content when I am cooking or baking. I like being in the kitchen.