As you would know, I assumed official duty as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Limpopo on 1 January 2026. As I entered through Gate 3 of the University today (7 January 2026) enroute to my office, I was deeply humbled by the warmth with which I was received by both students and staff of the University, including members of the Executive and Senior Management Team.
To the many I have met today and previously in 2025, I shared with them my commitment not to betray the wisdom of the Council that appointed me to this position. In my engagements, I also underscored the need for us to work together and continuously reassert the centrality of the academic project of the University at the core of everything we do. To this end, all our support and administrative service departments will have to fully appreciate their various roles within the context of the imperative to support, advance, promote and enable the successful delivery of the academic project. I also commit to working with you all as we advance the core academic business of the University, whilst also improving the efficiencies and effectiveness of our support service departments.
It is well known that for close to 70 years, the University of Limpopo (and its predecessor institution, the University of the North) has earned the respect and loyalty of multitudes of our poor and working-class students, parents and alumni. From an initial enrolment of less than 100 students in 1960, the University has grown in leaps and bounds to a student population of over 24,000 in 2025, with over 128 qualifications and 294 academic programmes on offer covering both formative and professional disciplines. All these programmes are accredited by the Council on Higher Education, and where applicable, also by the relevant professional bodies.
These achievements were made possible by the talent and dedication of our past and present students and our academic, administrative and support employees. The above notwithstanding, we still have room to grow in impact, stature and reputation as a preeminent public higher education institution in the country, continent and the world.
Our 70th year of existence to be reached in 2029 presents a significant opportunity for us to galvanise our community now with a view to reasserting the University’s greater social and economic responsiveness through knowledge production and scholarship. Building on the current strategic plan of the University, approved by the Council for the period 2026 to 2030, Management will, subject to the concurrence of the Senate and Council, initiate the development of a long-range strategy for the University aimed at strengthening and rejuvenating our teaching and learning, research and community engagement impact. Such a strategy will be supported by a Financial Sustainability Plan to meet our long-term financial obligations, and to allow us to invest in future growth to support the University’s core mission of teaching, research and community engagement.
In the context of declining state funding of all universities in South Africa including our own, we are all expected, as members of the University community, to play our role in the University’s efforts to diversify and optimise revenue streams and cost containment measures. We therefore urge all our continuing students to pay their tuition and other prescribed fees in order to sustain and improve the University’s financial position. Students who cannot genuinely pay their prescribed fees for one reason or the other should approach the Financial Aid Office for assistance and/or advice on clearance processes and related conditions. As part of the University’s deep commitment to the principle of social justice, all attempts will be made to ensure that no financially disadvantaged student who is academically deserving or performing, is financially excluded from the University.
Prior to formally assuming duty in this new role, I had a rare privilege of spending a great deal of time with my predecessor, Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof. Mahlo Mokgalong, as part of the University’s leadership transition. I thank him for his generosity of spirit, and for having been a great source of inspiration, wisdom, counsel and support to me in the months since the announcement of my appointment in 2025. His contribution to the University is evident to all and can undoubtedly be heard, seen, felt, and even smelled across the University.
Accordingly, I am acutely conscious of, and alive to, the perceived or real anxieties and expectations of the various stakeholders in respect of the role of my office and its strategic posture to some of the matters. I am committed to consolidating and building on the successes achieved thus far under Prof Mokgalong’s tenure, whilst working together with you all to co-create and co-implement the next phase of our University’s development trajectory.
I come into this role as your servant and look forward to working with you all. In this regard, I will be (re)engaging the various stakeholders, including—but not limited to staff, students, Council, Senate, Institutional Forum, Organised Labour, Student Representative Council, Convocation and Alumni Association, and a range of external partners. In due course, and informed by these engagements, I will share my vision, thoughts, and ideas with you more comprehensively through the relevant communication platforms and structures of the University.
For now, it gives me great pleasure and joy to welcome you back to your University (your home away from home). I wish each of you the very best and much success in 2026. May the sun rise for each of you and our University in 2026, as we collectively, to paraphrase our Motto, “find solutions for Africa”. I look forward to your continued contributions in 2026, and to serving you all in this role as we honour our historic commitment to creating a just and humane society through quality higher education and training.
Welcome back to your University and best wishes to you all.