Dear UJ community,
When I assumed my current role in 2023, one of my priorities was to ensure that there were no gaps between the institution’s vision and mission statements and their operational reality. This is because when an institution breaches its own values by failing to deliver tangible results, it can breed cynicism and erode public trust. This is why I often remind you that UJ aims to be the best university for the world, instead of simply being the best in the world for its own sake.
UJ and Barloworld Launch New Science Centre at a Remote School in Limpopo
On Monday this week, UJ again demonstrated its commitment to tangible societal transformation and sustainable development, with the launch of a new science centre at Hanyani Secondary School in Limpopo. The centre, which was launched in partnership with Barloworld, will empower learners with the knowledge and practical skills to pursue careers in science, engineering, and technology. The state-of-the-art facility is equipped with microscopes, 3D printing technology and digital learning resources, among other amenities. It reflects a commitment to creating lasting societal impact through partnerships that transform communities by expanding access to quality education, innovation and opportunity.
The launch of the Science Centre marks another milestone in the University’s transformative Societal Impact project by addressing critical infrastructure needs for communities. The groundbreaking project, which began in 2014, spans several villages, including Gwakwani, Matatani, and Mbodi. Residents have significantly benefited from sustainable solutions in energy, water, connectivity, education, food security, and healthcare, all aimed at addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Science Centre aligns with our commitment to ensuring that local talent has global opportunities in a rapidly changing world defined by modern technologies. It is in line with our vision to be an international University of choice, anchored in Africa and the global south, dynamically shaping a sustainable future, as well as our mission to transform and serve humanity through innovation and the collective and collaborative pursuit of knowledge. You can read more about this here.
Message of Gratitude: UNDP Donation
On behalf of the University, I express my sincere gratitude to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for its generous donation of Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) infrastructure equipment. This donation, valued at $224,492.54, will significantly strengthen our university’s capacity to serve the UJ UniPod community and advance our innovation and research ecosystem. The deployment of this sovereign GPU computing infrastructure will enable UJ UniPod to actively participate in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Public Good Challenge initiated by UNDP.
I believe that this significant and strategic investment in sovereign AI computing infrastructure will further strengthen the partnership between UJ and UNDP. The deployment of this equipment will also enable UJ to connect stakeholders facing real and unresolved operational challenges with multidisciplinary university teams that possess the expertise, creativity, and commitment to develop impactful solutions within a structured and supported framework. As UJ, we deeply value cooperation and partnerships like this, which aligns with our mission to transform and serve humanity through innovation and the collective pursuit of knowledge. Click here to read more about this.
UJ celebrates its winners in the 2026 NRF Awards
Over the years, our University has made its mark in the National Research Foundation (NRF) Awards, which recognise outstanding achievements by individual researchers and teams whose work has significantly advanced science for the benefit of society. The awards assess competitive work based on contributions to the field of study, with a particular focus on quality and impact, among other criteria. With these awards, the NRF aims to develop and enhance the research stature of early-career and emerging researchers who are NRF grant holders. This year was no different, with three of our researchers and scholars honoured for their outstanding research at an awards ceremony on 3 September in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.
In the Ratings-based awards category, Professor John Maina (a researcher in the Department of Zoology within the Faculty of Science) received his fourth A-rating. A-rated researchers are recognised by their peers as leading international scholars in their field for the high quality and impact of their recent research outputs. Each rating applies for six years. Prof Maina’s research focuses on how animals breathe. In the category of Special Awards, the NRF honoured Ms Nthabiseng Mabale (a lecturer in Digital Media Design, in the Department of Multimedia Design within the UJ Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture) and Ms Anathi Msobo (a PhD researcher in the Department of Biochemistry, within the Faculty of Science) with a Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers. In the category of Special Awards, the NRF honoured Ms Anathi Msobo (a PhD researcher in the Department of Biochemistry, within the Faculty of Science) with a Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers. To read more about this, click here.
Professorial Inauguration
In other news, please join me in congratulating Professor Bhaso Ndzendze (a researcher in the Department of Politics and International Relations, and Senior Director in the Division of Global Engagement) on his professorial inauguration on Tuesday this week. Professorial inaugurations are a major milestone, as universities formally celebrate a newly promoted full professor. At these events, newly minted professors present their academic journey to colleagues and the community. In his lecture, Prof Ndzendze highlighted that many of the historical definitions of a ruler’s power date back to sixteenth-century European theory. These, he said, still function as the ‘operating system’ for modern African politics, determining how a leader governs, and whether they choose the path of war or peace.
Prof Ndzendze said sovereignty in Africa exists in three distinct ‘versions’ that interact with each other. One version is presidential sovereignty, which holds that the leader, as the ‘sovereign’, is the state and holds the sole authority to judge the public good, the right to go to war, and the right to compel their people to pay for the wars. In territorial sovereignty, physical borders are inherited from the colonial era in Africa and are often arbitrary. The third version is popular sovereignty, which exists in the sense of ownership or identity felt by the average citizen, a feeling that the country belongs to the people. Welcome to the elite club of academia, Prof Ndzendze! To read more about this insightful and thought-provoking lecture, click here.
Beyond the Code: AI and Law Podcast – Episode 8
I am pleased to share that a trailer of Beyond the Code: AI and Law Podcast – Episode 8 has been released. The full episode will be premiered later this evening as from 18h30. This episode features Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University (UNU) and a globally renowned AI expert. From predictive AI and drone patrols to poaching prevention, climate change and the rights of communities living alongside protected areas, this conversation asks an important question: Can technology help us protect Africa’s natural heritage while ensuring that justice, human rights and human judgment remain at the heart of conservation?
UJ Contributing to Student Debt Recovery Discussions
A UJ delegation is currently in Cape Town to participate in the 2026 SASFF annual conference. The two-day conference, which started yesterday, is held under the theme “Financial Sustainability: Navigating South Africa’s Student Debt Regulatory Landscape and Sustainable Student Funding and Collection Solutions.” The theme reflects some of the key challenges currently facing the higher education sector, including growing student debt, pressure on institutional finances, student funding constraints and the need to balance access to higher education with long-term financial sustainability. The UJ delegation comprises Ms Nolwazi Mamorare, Chief Financial Officer and member of the University’s Management Executive Committee (MEC), and Ms Nemakhavhani Daphney, Director of Development and Fundraising.
Ms Mamorare will participate in a panel discussion From Student Debt to Sustainable Recovery: New Approaches to Collecting Debt in South African Higher Education, which explores how higher education institutions can rethink approaches to student debt recovery while recognising both the financial realities facing students and the need for institutions to remain financially sustainable. Ms Nemakhavhani will participate in a panel discussion that will probe a critical question: Is South Africa’s current higher education funding model still fit for purpose, and what must change to create a sustainable system that delivers access, success, employability and institutional sustainability? Having two UJ representatives participate in the two panel discussions places the University at the centre of connected conversations about the future of student finance in South Africa.
Celebrating Student Achievements
Our students continue to make us proud with each passing week. I congratulate Mining and Metallurgy students for winning the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) 2026 Student Debate, held on 27 August 2026 at the DRA Global head office. Presented annually by the SAIMM Johannesburg Branch in partnership with its Young Professionals Council (YPC), the debate forms part of the YPC Event Series. The 2026 motions required students to hold positions on questions that the industry itself has not settled. The 2026 edition was contested by three institutions, UJ, Wits University and the University of South Africa across three motions on energy security, local beneficiation and the role of artisanal and small-scale miners.
Students were assigned motions rather than debating topics they already held. They had to defend their motions under adjudication and develop judgments. UJ fielded a team of 13 students from the Department of Mining Engineering and Mine Surveying and the Department of Engineering Metallurgy, drawn from the UJ Mining Forum, Women in Mining UJ and the Metallurgical Engineering Students Association, and coached by Mr Jonathan Mvita. The UJ team was mentored and coached by Mr Jonathan Mvita, a lecturer in the Department of Engineering Metallurgy, who has coached the UJ debaters since 2023. The event was sponsored by DRA Global, ERG Industrial and VBKOM. Well done, everyone! As we always say, UJ All the Way!
Celebrating Sport Achievements
The past weekend has highlighted remarkable sporting achievements across the University on the national and international stage. Representing Team South Africa, UJ student-athletes and staff secured the men’s title at the FISU World University Championship Rugby 7s in Stellenbosch. The UJ Netball Team extended its unbeaten run by defeating the University of Free State 50-40 in Round 5 of Varsity Netball. Building on this momentum, a university contingent comprising Athletics, Basketball, and Squash students has travelled to Cairo, Egypt, to represent UJ at the 12th All Africa University Games, accompanied by UJ Sport leadership, including Ms Nomsa Mahlangu, Ms Nompilo Zondi, and Mr Roger Haitengi.
The UJ Senior Men’s Football team hopes to maintain momentum as it prepares to host the University of the Western Cape at UJ Soweto Stadium for their final home match of the Varsity Football season later today. Both the Men’s Football and Netball teams continue to deliver outstanding performances, maintaining undefeated records and leading their respective tournament logs. These exceptional results reflect the dedication of UJ’s student-athletes and technical teams as they continue to raise the standard of university sports. Congratulations and keep it up!
High Tea With the VC
I would again like to invite you to attend our next High Tea with the VC book discussion this afternoon. As we celebrate Heritage Month, we turn our attention to Chinua Achebe’s acclaimed novel, A Man of the People, for a thought-provoking discussion on leadership, power, society and the complexities of the African experience. Achebe’s work remains remarkably relevant decades after its publication, inviting readers to reflect on the relationship between leaders and citizens, political power, public responsibility and the societies we build. For a robust conversation on this book, I will be joined by four of UJ’s distinguished academics.
They are Professors Vicky Graham (Senior Director: Strategic Initiatives and Administration), Siphiwo Mahala (Acting Director: Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study, and Editor in Chief of Imbiza Journal for African Writing), Bhaso Ndzendze (Senior Director: Division for Global Engagement, Professor of Politics and International Relations) and Mandla Radebe (Professor in the Department of Strategic Communication). Don’t miss out on this meaningful conversation as we celebrate Heritage Month through the lens of African literature. We will meet at the usual time of 14h00 (CAT) at the UJ Library on the Auckland Park Kingsway Campus. For in-person attendance, register here.
2026 UJ Staff Day
After months of preparations, the 2026 edition of UJ Staff Day is almost here! The event has become one of the University’s flagship employee engagement occasions, bringing together colleagues from across the institution to celebrate our people, achievements and culture. It also provides faculties and divisions with an opportunity to showcase their creativity, identity and contribution to the UJ community. This year’s event will be held under the theme “21 Years of Impact,” in celebration of two decades of institutional excellence while recognising the people whose dedication continues to shape the University’s future.
As usual, each faculty and division will participate in two competition categories: a stage performance on the main stage and a field performance (exhibitions). Field exhibitions will remain on display throughout the morning, allowing staff and judges to interact with the displays during the event. I look forward to a fun-filled event with exhibitions, musical performances, and dance. I encourage every Faculty and Division to embrace the theme, celebrate our shared history, and create an unforgettable experience that reflects 21 Years of Impact. Do not miss this opportunity to connect, engage, and celebrate our unity and diversity. Together, let us honour our past, celebrate our present, and inspire our future.
First Semester VC Campus Engagements
I thank all our staff members from the Soweto Campus (SWC) who attended the VC Campus Engagements yesterday. Interacting with many of you in person was wonderful, and we appreciate your contributions. The next will be the turn of our colleagues from the Auckland Park Kingsway (APK) campus. We will meet at the Sanlam Auditorium at the usual time of 12h00 to 13h30. As usual, I will be joined by members of the Management Executive Committee (MEC) and the Executive Leadership Group (ELG). If there are any specific issues you would like to have addressed or have a question for me, please send these to bernicem@uj.ac.za.
Kea leboha, ngiyabonga, baie dankie, thank you!
Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi: Vice-Chancellor and Principal
Times mentioned in this newsletter refer to the South African time-zone.
