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Professor Puleng LenkaBula. Image: Unisa / Twitter
NEWS
Professor Puleng LenkaBula has been appointed director and vice-rector of the troubled Unisa.
His appointment was announced by the university on Friday morning after a special council session on Thursday.
She will take over the reins from outgoing professor Mandla Makhanya, whose tenure began in January 2011.
Although LenkaBula’s appointment will take effect from January 1, 2021, Unisa’s board resolved to extend Makhanya’s term, which expires at the end of the year, until April 2021 to “ensure a smooth handover.
In a statement, the council said it was proud to have its first director and vice chancellor “since the university’s inception 148 years ago.”
Unisa said that the unanimous decision to appoint LenkaBula followed a rigorous selection process for the position, which included the necessary consideration and recommendation of candidates by Unisa’s Senate executive committees and Unisa’s institutional forum.
“This appointment is testament to the council’s commitment to the transformation project it introduced and has tirelessly pushed through the university over the years, as well as ensuring that its workforce is alive and reflective of the country’s demographics and empowerment of gender. wave sweeping the country, ”the statement read.
We have designated the right caliber of leader, one who is student-centered and shares our institutional vision on decoloniality and transformation, knowledge production, innovation, and advancing the socio-economic development of South Africa, Africa and the world.
Chairman of the board of Unisa Sakhi Simelane
LenkaBula is currently the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Change, Student Affairs and Community Engagement at the University of the Free State.
Unisa said she has extensive managerial experience in higher education.
Before taking the current position, Unisa said, LenkaBula was dean of students at Wits University, where she was a member of the vice chancellor’s office and the senior executive team.
Professor Puleng LenkaBula. Image: supplied
She previously held another management position at Unisa, during a successful stint as Dean of Students, and is an internationally revered scholar who has published widely.
LenkaBula also serves as a board member in local ecumenical and academic formations, including the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa.
We are confident that you will lead the largest open distance education institution in Africa and the oldest distance education university in the world with frankness and distinction.
Nelson Mandela Luzuko Koti Foundation Spokesperson
Unisa’s chairman of the board, Sakhi Simelane, said the board had the firm belief that “this appointment bodes well for the future of our university as it intensifies its effort to move towards a distance learning dispensation and e -Fully open learning and consolidating Unisa’s stature as a truly African university at the service of humanity.
“At LenkaBula, we have designated the right caliber of leader, one who is student-centered and shares our institutional vision on decoloniality and transformation, knowledge production, innovation and advancing the socio-economic development of South Africa, Africa and the world. , particularly for the benefit of Africa. As our advice, we are committed to providing you with the necessary support to ensure that you take our vision of transformation and excellent service delivery to the next level. “
Read: Creating graduates ready for the future
The advocacy group Higher Education Transformation Network has welcomed the appointment of LenkaBula.
In a statement, the network said his appointment was in line with the Employment Equity Act and the goals of the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030, which states that the higher education sector must ensure that black South Africans and women represent 50%. of the teaching and research staff of the universities.
“LenkaBula’s appointment is a historic success in higher education, as there are currently only three female vice chancellors and black South African female teachers make up less than 17% of the total academic workforce. There is an urgent need to focus on the development of the South African black female academy ”.
The network also encouraged Universities SA and the Council on Higher Education to fulfill their mandates to ensure that transformation within the echelons of higher academia is accelerated in line with the goals of the NDP.
Nelson Mandela Foundation spokesperson Luzuko Koti said the foundation welcomed her appointment.
“We are confident that he will lead the largest open distance education institution in Africa and the oldest distance education university in the world with frankness and distinction. That she becomes the first woman to fill the position has a special meaning. “
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