Johannesburg – Former president Thabo Mbeki’s “stature and intellectual standing” are just some of the attributes which saw him being selected as the new chancellor of the University of South Africa.
This is according to Unisa which announced on Thursday that the former statesman would lead the institution.
“As we welcome President Mbeki as our new Chancellor, we are excited about the value his stature and intellectual standing will add to our university at the time where the prospects of the Africa Rising Narrative seem to be realistic enough for the continent to claim its prominent place in the global community”, Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Mandla Makhanya said in a statement.
Mbeki will take the reigns from Judge Bernard Ngoepe, who served as Unisa’s chancellor for fifteen year
“This distinguished legal luminary selflessly served with integrity, dignity and honour in a manner that enhanced Unisa’s profile and reputation even during the difficult times of university mergers,” said Makhanya.
The university went through a meticulous process to select a new chancellor after Ngoepe stepped down and found Mbeki to be a perfect fit, Makhanya said.
“In an effort to sustain and consolidate this profile, the university had a rigorous process of selecting a new chancellor and there was consensus in selecting former president Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, an outstanding African intellectual giant and the most recognizable 21st century proponent of the African Renaissance, who is highly regarded internationally.”
“He has been involved in various leadership roles in the anti-apartheid liberation struggle and post-apartheid nation-building programme for almost six decades.”
Makhanya added that Mbeki continues to be involved in a range of conflict-resolution and development initiatives in Africa.
He said that Unisa considered a range of attributes and qualities that resonated with its vision to become “The African University Shaping Future in the Service of Humanity.”
These included Unisa working towards repositioning as a university for all those in Africa as it already has a range of Africa-focused programmes.
“‘Thabo Mbeki is the foremost proponent of the African Renaissance and he is still involved in a range of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction efforts,” said Makhanya.
“He has even been utilised by the United Nations to look into illicit trade in Africa and examine ways of resolving this challenge.”
Makhanya said that Unisa observed Mbeki’s consistency, passion and dedication in the educational and intellectual engagement programmes, which aligned with their academic and research project.
The university also partnership with the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, which Makhanya said is one of their flagship strategic relationships that have assisted in profiling them globally and has led to the hosting of the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute (TMALI), the launch of the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library as well as partnership with the South African Democracy Education Trust (SADET).
“The partnership with the Thabo Mbeki Foundation has greatly enhanced Unisa's continental and global standing through a range of programmes,” said Makhanya.
Unisa added that they endeavours to be an intellectual home of African thought leadership and its repositioning to be a transformed African university which plays a leading role in the realisation of the African Union Agenda 2063.
Makhanya said this will be enhanced by this appointment of Mbeki as the new Chancellor.
“This will also give impetus to our partnership with the African Union Commission which was formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in October 2013.”