Thabo Mbeki appointed chancellor of Unisa

Former president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki

FORMER president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki has been appointed as the new chancellor of the University of South Africa (Unisa).

It comes after Judge Bernard Ngoepe, who served as Unisa’s chancellor for fifteen years, stepped down earlier this week.

The university said that in selecting and appointing a new chancellor, it carefully considered attributes and qualities that resonated with its Strategy Vision 2030 to become “The African University Shaping Future in the Service of Humanity”.

Unisa said it is in a process of transformation and it is re-positioning itself as an ‘African University’ with a range of Africa-focused programmes already on offer.

“Thabo Mbeki is the foremost proponent of the African Renaissance and he is still involved in a range of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction efforts.

“He has even been utilised by the United Nations to look into illicit trade in Africa and examine ways of resolving this challenge. We have observed his consistency, passion and dedication in the educational and intellectual engagement programmes. This is in line with and helps to reinforce our academic and research project,” Unisa said in a statement on Thursday.

“As we welcome President Mbeki as our new chancellor, we are excited about the value his stature and intellectual standing will add to our university at the time where the prospects of the Africa Rising Narrative seem to be realistic enough for the continent to claim its prominent place in the global community,” said Unisa principal and vice chancellor, Professor Mandla Makhanya. –  businesstech.co.za