Johannesburg - The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng on Thursday congratulated Professor Tawana Kupe on his historic appointment as the first black Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria and wishes him success on his new role.
Kupe was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor on Wednesday.
His appointment comes at a time when the role of institutions of higher learning within the broad developmental agenda has been the subject of intense deliberations.
Spokesperson Tasneem Motara said: "As a province that boasts most institutions of higher learning, we view this appointment as a critical development in the journey of transforming our institutions of higher learning to be more inclusive, more responsive to the socio-economic challenges that besets South Africa and to play a greater role in our country’s developmental agenda".
Motara said the ANC at its 54th National Conference reaffirmed that education remains an apex priority of government’s pro-poor policies and that was a central pillar of our fight against the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and underdevelopment.
"We have no doubt that given his vast experience in the sector and his appreciation of the unique challenges that confront our country he will be able to make a meaningful contribution to the transformation of the higher education sector.