Professor Hlengani Mathebula, one of the country’s most respected leaders and top bankers, has taken it upon himself to share his extensive business experience and leadership insights back at his alma mater.
On January 1, Mathebula, a graduate of the University of Limpopo, was appointed as a full professor at the Turfloop Graduate School of Leadership (TGSL). He will be responsible for the following modules: finance and investment, strategy, and responsible innovation management.
The school is situated at Edupark near the new Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane and is a top-ranked and award-winning business school in the faculty of management and law at the University of Limpopo.
Mathebula has over 35 years of experience, of which 28 of those years were spent in the financial services industry. He has served as a strategist at the South African Reserve Bank and the South African Revenue Service.
Prior to that, he was managing executive of Absa Private Bank and CEO of FNB’s personal banking unit. He also spent time as the president of Black Business Executive Circle.
Professor Sipho Mokoena, TGSL director, said: “We are delighted to welcome a professional of professor Mathebula’s stature.
“We anticipate him not only enriching our already strong academic enterprise, but also steering the school toward greater alignment with the business world and the leadership environment in South Africa and the continent.”
Currently, Mathebula is the executive director of Ignite Africa Advisory Services Group, chairman of the Media Development and Diversity Agency, and a board member of the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
He also has farming and tourism interests through the Mathebula Agriculture and Tourism entity, where he is the founding chairman.
Mathebula said: “As a student from a poor family and village, the University of Limpopo, then the University of the North, gave me a chance and I am excited to rejoin UL [University of Limpopo] as an academic to give back to this critical institution that continues to serve the poorest of our communities.
“I had two other offers from universities in large metropolitan areas, but my deep commitment and affinity to this university made the decision much easier. I have travelled the world and been an alumnus of other prestigious institutions, but I believe that we must always show that before we were household names, UL made us.
“The children of the poor and villagers must believe that it is possible to reach the levels that I have reached, having started at this university, and that you do not have to start at the Ivy League universities to make it in life. For me, this appointment is more about homecoming than any other thing.”
Mathebula will formally be welcomed to the school on Monday.
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