Johannesburg – Sizwe Mabizela, the Rhodes University boss has been handed a new seven-year contract as the helm of the institution.
The 58-year-old mathematician became vice-chancellor of Rhodes University in 2014.
He previously served as deputy vice-chancellor: academic and student affairs from 2008.
The renewal of his contract follows a meeting of the Rhodes University Council meeting last week.
Council Chairperson Gerald Bloem said the council’s decision was unanimous and that Mabizela was expected “to continue the proud academic story of the quality of the past seven years.”
Mabizela thanked members of the Council for their confidence in the “leadership collective of the University in the past eventful seven years.”
He also paid tribute to colleagues in the academy, administration, and support services at the university for “pulling together at all times and for putting the interests of the institution above all else.”
“Dr Mabizela’s leadership in the past seven years at the helm of the University has consistently reflected a strong moral compass, a deep investment in social justice, encouragement, understanding and inspiration for all around him,” Bloem said.
Mabizela’s tenure has seen the university make strides as one of the country’s premier institutions.
According to the 2019 data from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) Rhodes registered a 76.7% success rate for 3-year undergraduate degrees compared to the 52% sectoral average.
The data also reflects similar statistics for the four-year undergraduate degrees success rate at 77.6% versus the sectoral average of 53.6%.
The country has seen an uptick in the number of black vice-chancellors in recent years with the University of Cape Town, University of Free State, Wits, University of Johannesburg, and the University of KwaZulu Natal some of the premier institutions run by black bosses.
The University of South Africa (UNISA) this year also appointed Puleng LenkaBula as its first female principal and vice-chancellor in its 148-year history.
Also read: Prof Puleng opens door for others
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