Dear UJ community,

This past week has been an especially momentous one for our University, reflecting our prowess in the literary space and the dynamism of our students, staff, and strategic partners. From winning prestigious competitions to honouring great South Africans and uplifting rural communities, UJ continues to demonstrate its impactful role beyond our lecture halls.

Recognising Excellence in the Literary Space

The UJ Prize for South African Writing has announced the 2025 shortlist for literary works published in 2024. Since its inception in 2006, the Prize has grown in popularity and is now acknowledged among the country’s most respected literary honours, celebrating writing across all genres. This year’s shortlisted titles are:

Debut Prize

• Morafe: Person, Family and Nation in Colonial Bechuanaland by Khumisho Moguerane
• Weeping Becomes a River by Siphokazi Jonas
• Who Looks Inside by Anna Stroud

Main Prize

• Keorapetse Kgositsile and the Black Arts Movement by Uhuru Portia Phalafala
• The Comrade’s Wife by Barbara Boswell
• The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil by Shubnum Khan

The winners will be announced before the end of September. Congratulations to all shortlisted authors for enriching South Africa’s literary landscape.

National Arts and Culture Awards

I extend our congratulations to Mr Lebogang Seale (Senior Manager: Strategic Communications, University Relations), whose book has been announced as the winner of the National Arts and Culture Awards (NACA) in the Outstanding Book, Non-Fiction category. The book, titled Hundred Years of Dispossession: My Family’s Quest to Reclaim our Land, delves into one of the most emotive issues in South Africa. The NACA is a prestigious award that honours excellence across South Africa’s dynamic creative landscape, from literature and design to visual arts, heritage, and performance – shining a spotlight on artists and institutions whose contributions have shaped, preserved, and reimagined our cultural identity. The awards ceremony took place in Sun City on Friday, 22 August 2025. I invite you to join us in acknowledging Lebogang’s remarkable achievement and the honour he has brought to our University.

SA’s Top Women IT Leaders Award

CIO South Africa, a specialist media and networking platform geared at IT executives, recently included Ms Maletsema Phofu (Chief Information Officer) in a featured article that invited five of South Africa’s top CIOs to share their journeys. This recognition, coming at a time when Women’s Month in South Africa draws to a close, is a stark reminder that the technology landscape is being shaped by exceptional women who are redefining leadership in the ICT industry. The accolade also resonates with our University’s mission to harness the power of information technologies for societal impact and sustainability. Ms Phofu, well done on your outstanding achievement in this special area of expertise. We are proud of you!

ABASA UJ Claims the Debate Crown

I am proud to announce that our Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa (ABASA) team emerged victorious at the 2025 ABASA Joburg Big Debate Competition on Saturday, 23 August. Our students outperformed strong Wits and North-West University teams, excelling in debates on pressing issues such as inflation, entrepreneurship, and hybrid work.

UJ’s talent shone brightly with several awards:

• Best Speaker of the Day: Wandisa Maseko (First-Year BCom Accounting)
• Best Rebuttal: Ayanda Rongo (Second-Year BCom Accounting)
• Best Collaborative Team: ABASA UJ

This remarkable achievement demonstrates both academic rigour and thought leadership. I congratulate the team, their mentors, and the Department of Accountancy for nurturing such excellence.

Launch of the Human Heart of Leadership

You would have received an email inviting you to the launch of The Human Heart of Leadership, an anthology of poems authored by our Executive Leadership Group and invited contributors. Published by UJ Press, the collection is edited by Professor Federico Freschi (Executive Dean: Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA)) and is beautifully illustrated by staff and students from the Graphic Design Department. I encourage you to attend this special occasion and to wear orange attire to symbolise our vibrancy and energy. A silent auction of the original artworks featured in the anthology will also take place during the event, with proceeds directed towards bursaries for FADA students.

Honouring Emma Mashinini’s Legacy

This past Tuesday, the Centre for the Study of Race, Gender and Class (CSRGC) and the Emma Mashinini Foundation hosted the inaugural Emma Mashinini Public Lecture. The lecture paid tribute to one of South Africa’s most formidable trade unionists and human rights champions, whose legacy continues to shape our democracy. Keynote speaker Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, alongside Hon. Mbhazima Shilowa and Dr Brigalia Bam, engaged in a powerful reflection on gender equality, labour justice, and transformative leadership. I wish to thank Professor Tinuade Ojo and her team for ensuring that Mashinini’s life and work continue to inspire new generations. To read more about this, click here.

Advancing Societal Impact: Bicycles for Learning

Next week on Thursday, 4 September 2025, UJ, in partnership with Absa Business Banking and Qhubeka, will donate 131 bicycles to Grade 11 learners at Hanyani Secondary School in Thohoyandou, Limpopo. This initiative addresses mobility challenges in rural areas, with evidence showing that access to bicycles improves pass rates and reduces school dropouts. The project builds on our UJ for Societal Impact initiative, launched in Limpopo in 2024, which introduced projects such as solar water borehole installations in villages in the area, a bakery,  and the Tshumisano Learning Centre. Together, these efforts illustrate how partnerships can create sustainable, life-changing opportunities for communities.

UJ Sport

Our UJ Senior Women’s Netball team started their Varsity Netball 2025 campaign on a high note this past Sunday in Stellenbosch University (SU), where they clinched two victories: a win over hosts SU Maties with a decisive 54-39 victory. They followed up with a nail-biting 53-51 win over the University of Free State (UFS-Kovsies the next day. Meanwhile, excitement is building up ahead of the start of the Varsity Football Women’s Tournament next week on Friday, 5 September 2025. All Women’s Varsity Football matches will be played at our UJ Soweto football facilities, as it is UJ’s turn to host the tournament this year. Tickets are sold as day passes at only R10.00 each. Get your tickets here.

Please join me in congratulating our UJ Men’s Football Team for a good start in the Varsity Football 2025 tournament. Thus far, they have the bragging rights over Wits University and UFS. I also congratulate our Athletics Club for winning nine medals at the Central Gauteng Cross-Country Championships in Germiston this past weekend. They came home with five gold, three silver, and one bronze – an impressive haul highlighting the club’s strength across multiple age categories and distances. Well done! The UJ Future Forward Fun Run with Discovery is here. Tickets for this event are now available, and you can purchase them here.

High Tea with the VC

I remind you of the upcoming High Tea with the VC Book Discussion later today. We will engage with The Splendid Tapestry of African Life: Essays on a Resilient Continent, its Diaspora, and the World by Professor Adekeye Adebajo. The discussion will take place at 14h00 in the Chinua Achebe Auditorium, Level 6, UJ Library, APK Campus. I encourage staff and students alike to join us for what promises to be a stimulating conversation about Africa’s past, present, and future.

Note of Condolences

Lastly, on a sombre note, I extend my deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of renowned journalist Ms Tshidi Madia, who died earlier this week after a short illness. Ms Madia, who worked for several media outlets such as News24 and 702 radio, part of Primedia, was a member of our esteemed UJ Alumni, having graduated from our University in 2008. She was a quintessential journalist and consummate professional who will be remembered for her incisive reporting and love for her country. May her soul rest in eternal peace.

Ke a leboha, ngiyabonga, thank you, baie dankie!

Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi
Vice-Chancellor and Principal