Edwin Naidu
University of Pretoria Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Tawana Kupe has resigned suddenly.
He leaves the university on 31 July, six months before his term was scheduled to conclude in January 2024, said UP Council Chair Kuseni Dlamini in a communication to staff.
“While the process to find his successor will begin immediately, appropriate interim arrangements that will help facilitate the smooth functioning of the institution will be put in place,” he said.
Dlamini said he was confident that these interim arrangements, coupled with the expertise and dedication of the UP staff, would enable the university to operate at the highest level.
“We all remain committed to upholding the university’s mission, values, and long-term objectives and will work tirelessly to maintain our momentum,” he said.
On behalf of the Council, Dlamini thanked Kupe for his contributions to UP during his tenure.
Kupe officially stepped into his role on 14 January 2019, declaring: “It is an honour and privilege to take over the reins at this proud institution at such a key moment in South African and global history” following the resignation of former Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof. Cheryl de la Rey, who took over as head of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.
Prof. Kupe holds BA Honours and Master’s degrees in English from the University of Zimbabwe, as well as a DPhil in Media Studies from the University of Oslo in Norway. He served as Executive Dean of the University of the Witwatersrand’s Faculty of Humanities for six years after serving as the Head of the then Wits School of Literature and Language Studies. He was also the founding Head of the Media Studies Department.
On 1 June, UP announced that it had improved its position in the 2023 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, rising to position 69 (up from the 101-200 band in 2022) out of 1 705 universities in 115 countries.
UP is also ranked in the Top 20 universities in the world for two SDGs, with a notable 4th place in the world (out of 960 ranked universities) for SDG 8, “Decent work and economic growth” (maintaining its top 50 global placement for SDG 8 from 2022) and 14th place for SDG 5, “Gender equality” (first appearance).
“Once again, UP has proved to be one of the leading universities not only in Africa but also in the world for impact towards the SDGs,” said Kupe at the time, acknowledging that it was a collective achievement from academic and professional staff, students, and partners at all levels.
Prof Kupe could not be reached for comment.
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