By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The education sector is mourning the sudden passing of accomplished academic, leader and a real visionary Professor Peliwe Lolwana.
Lolwana, who was chairperson of the South African Qualifications Authority (Saqa), passed away on December 17.
On Sunday in a statement, SAQA announced the sudden and unexpected passing of Lolwana.
“Prof Lolwana was a rare breed of esteemed academic and visionary policy maker. She was also endowed with extremely quick wit, which would often be displayed to the world on her boardroom outfit (her famous slogan t-shirts!)
Prof Lolwana was a retired and visiting Associate Professor at the Centre for Researching Education and Labour (REAL), University of Witwatersrand; Johannesburg, where she had previously served as the founding Director of the Centre for Researching Education and Labour at the University of Witwatersrand after transforming the previous Education and Policy Unit.
Prior to that, she had been the founding CEO of the school education quality assurance body, Umalusi, leading its transformation from the South African Certification Body and then leading the organisation for 8 years.
Previously, Prof Lolwana was a director at the Institute for the Development of Learnerships and Assessments (INDLELA), an organisation she transformed from the Central organisation for Trades testing (COTT). Her career was long and distinguished but certainly bears the indelible mark of transformation and thought leadership.
“She was, even in retirement, one of the most formidable readers and thinkers in education today and her constant challenge and inspiration to SAQA was for us to think and critically reflect on how best to provide value to the public,” said SAQA in a statement.
Umalusi and its stakeholders said they are in deep grief after the passing of Prof Lolwana.
Umalusi spokesperson Biki Lepota said Lolwana was at Umalusi on November 24. She came to give a tribute speech at a memorial lecture and roundtable discussion organised in honour of the late Dr Fred Calitz. Calitz was the first CEO the South African Certification Council (Safcert), the predecessor to Umalusi. Lolwana succeeded Calitz as Safcert CEO.
“Little did we know that she had come to say goodbye to all of us,” said Lepota in a statement.
She has also been described as someone who played a transformational role in every position that she held, shaping the form and focus of all the organisations that she led.
This assertion is supported by the people who worked closely with her.
Chief Director for National Assessments and Public Examinations in the Department of Basic Education, Dr Rufus Poliah, said the early 2000s “was an exciting phase, in that Prof Lolwana, a real visionary, was tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the transformation of SAFCERT to Umalusi”.
“The period between 2000 and 2008, saw Prof Lolwana transforming a certification Council into a quality assurance council, with all its legislative frameworks and procedures, and placing this structure firmly on the national education map.”
Commentators said Lolwana conceptualised new quality assurance approaches, departing from those used during the SAFCERT era.