By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Professor Dan Kgwadi, the vice-chancellor and principal at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT), has died at the age of 56.
Announcing his passing, VUT said Monday: “It is with sadness to announce the news of the passing of our Vice-Chancellor Prof Dan Kgwadi. According to the family Prof Kgwadi passed away last night due to illness”.
Chairperson of VUT Council Professor Mandla J Radebe said: “On behalf of VUT, I wish to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt condolences to his family, relatives, friends, and colleagues.
“Liaising with the family, we will share further details on the memorial and funeral service when available.”
In February, Kgwadi had threatened VUT with legal action after he was placed on special leave after he had been off sick for 14 days, of which he spent five in hospital.
Kgwadi’s successor, Professor Bismark Tyobeka said he had inherited a “working university” thanks to his predecessor’s “immense” contribution.
“We woke up with a big shock. We have known each other for some time. Kgwadi was not in good health. However, he survived all these episodes. We were hoping he would recover,” said Tyobeka.
“Our friendship started in 1994 when he was my lecturer [at the then University of Bophuthatswana]. I later left the country, and we kept in touch. He encouraged me to be a member of [the NWU] council. I later became chair of the council. He used to make jokes that I was his student and had grown to become his boss.
His friend and former colleague, Theo Venter said the news of Kgwadi’s death was difficult.
He had been Kgwadi’s advisor at NWU between 2013 to 2016.
According to Venter, Kgwadi, whom he described as an honest and professional person, was “not a healthy man”.
“I advised him when he was offered the [VUT post] not to accept it but to retire due to his health,” said Venter.
Kgwadi wanted to turn NWU’s Mahikeng, Potchefstroom and Vaal campuses into one unified structure, which took him a while, with lots of strategic planning, to get this model off the ground.
The Umalusi Council has extended its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Professor Kgwadi, the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Vice Chancellor.
During his tenure, Kgwadi was assigned various roles, including being Deputy Chairperson of Council, Member of Executive Committee of Council (EXCO), and Chairperson of Assessment Standards Committee (ASC) of Council.
Umalusi said the general and further education and training, as well as higher education sectors have lost a transformative leader.
The Council said Kgwadi’s term in office helped to transform the shape and form of Umalusi, as the body benefited immensely from his broad understanding of education, appreciation of the challenges that plague the South African education system and willingness to engage in robust discussion.
“It was during his tenure that Umalusi Council responded to the evolving NQF (National Qualifications Framework) landscape through the development of its sub-framework of qualifications and re-conceptualising existing quality assurance approaches and processes.
“As the Chairperson of the ASC, Professor Kgwadi presided over deliberations with distinction, facilitating robust discussions and accommodating divergent views. Professor Kgwadi, as Deputy Chairperson of Council, participated actively and led discussions which resulted in the attainment of important milestones, “Umalusi said in a statement.
Also paying tribute to Kgwadi, the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation, said the higher education sector acknowledges the meaningful contribution, which he has made to the entire sector.
Committee Chairperson, Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, noted that before his appointment as Vice Chancellor of the VUT, Kgwadi was the Vice Chancellor of the North West University.
“He served on the Umalusi Council and on other various professional bodies where he left a shining legacy,” Mkhatshwa said.
Mkhatshwa said the committee last interacted directly with Kgwadi on 30 November 2022 in Parliament.
“He engaged the committee on the importance of stabilising management and governance at VUT to ensure that the university performed well in its core business, which is the academic programme, to provide university students with sound university education, knowledge and skills that are responsive to the South African industry and in the world.
“The committee is behind the Kgwadi family during this very difficult time of grief and mourning, and extends its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, colleagues of Professor Kgwadi and the entire VUT community. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” Mkhatshwa said in a statement.
Kgwadi was raised in a small, obscure rural village of Kraaipan in North West. His role models were his pastors from the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
In high school in (then) Mafikeng, Kgwadi fell in love with mathematics and physical science and considered a career outside the church.