Dear UJ community,

The 2025 academic year is now in full swing. Still, more work continues to be done away from the lecture halls to ensure that the University produces the calibre of students who can meaningfully contribute to solving societal problems. One such area is student leadership, a task we never take for granted. History attests that some of our top leaders in government, education and corporate in our country and other parts of the world cut their teeth at schools and institutions of higher learning.

2025 SRC Inauguration

Today ushers in a new era for the UJ student leadership as we inaugurate the newly elected Student Representative Council (SRC). This follows the successful elections held in October last year. As a University and on behalf of the UJ Community, we value student leadership as a critical partner in tackling the enduring challenges pervading the sector, such as student debt, student accommodation, student safety and wellbeing. As our successive SRCs have demonstrated over the years, leadership is not just about holding a title or a position. It is about inspiring others and making a positive impact on fellow students and in our country. I wish our new SRC the best of luck and know that their tenure in office will inspire the UJ student community!

UJ’s STH and Diageo partnership tackles graduate employability

With the graduate unemployment rate in South Africa remaining alarmingly high, institutions of higher learning are challenged to find meaningful ways to solve the problem. I am thrilled to see the UJ’s School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH) partnership with Diageo, a global leader in premium beverages, bearing fruit. The partnership offers qualifying students and unemployed graduates opportunities to hone their skills. Learning for Life (L4L) is Diageo’s business and hospitality skills development programme that supports graduates seeking employment in the hospitality industry.

On Wednesday this week, the STH and Diageo partnership celebrated another milestone, with the achievements of the latest cohort of interns who have completed the Learning for Life programme. More than 990 participants received their certificates. More exciting developments will be announced soon, with the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to formalise and strengthen the partnership. Congratulations to Professor Tankiso Moloi, Executive Dean of the College of Business and Economics (CBE) and his colleagues at STH for this vital initiative. Well done, colleagues!

International Mother Language Day

Today marks International Mother Language Day, a worldwide annual commemoration to promote linguistic and cultural diversity awareness and advance multilingualism in fostering dignity, peace, and understanding. Established by UNESCO in 1999, the day also highlights the central role of languages in education, cultural preservation, and social inclusion, drawing attention to the challenges faced by endangered languages and multilingual communities. Significantly, this year marks the 25th anniversary of this event.

As is common knowledge, the Constitution of South Africa has adopted a language policy that promotes multilingualism to encourage the development and use of all 12 official languages (which now also includes South African Sign Language, since 2023), and facilitates the preservation of minority languages for cultural and heritage purposes. This is significant because languages carry the people’s traditions, histories and identities. When a language disappears, a unique way of thinking, storytelling and understanding the world is lost forever.  It was such a pleasure to read an opinion article by Mpho Primus (the Co-Director of the Johannesburg Institute for AI Systems), titled Breaking the Digital Divide: Why Africa’s Future Depends on Embracing its Languages in AI, which appeared on Independent Online (IOL). You may read it here.

High Tea with the VC

We will resume the High Tea with the VC hybrid book discussions next Friday, 28 February 2025, when Thebe Ikalafeng will join us to discuss his latest book, The Traveller: Crossing Borders and Connecting Africa. Holding an honorary doctorate with UJ, Thebe Ikalafeng is the founder of The Brand Leadership Group, a multi-disciplinary advisory group at the intersection of strategy, creativity and intellectual property law. A consummate pan-African, Thebe is also the founder of the independent non-profit Brand Africa movement for a brand-led African renaissance and the ‘Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands’ initiative, which is widely referenced as the definitive barometer of brands in Africa. We will meet at the UJ APK Library, Chinua Achebe Auditorium, Level 6, at 14h00. For in-person attendance, RSVP here: High Tea with the VC. For virtual attendance, book here to join.

Balancing job security and collective rights in an increasingly automated world

To read my latest opinion article in the Daily Maverick, titled Balancing job security and collective rights in an increasingly automated world, which I co-wrote with my predecessor, Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, click here. In it, we argue that fewer human workers and the rise of autonomous systems and collaborative robots, or co-bots, could reduce the effectiveness of strike actions in an increasingly automated environment. This shift is troubling since collective bargaining without the right to strike risks becoming mere collective begging.

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

Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi: Vice-Chancellor and Principal

Times mentioned in this newsletter refer to the South African time zone.