By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The University of South Africa (Unisa) vice-chancellor Prof Puleng LenkaBula has been reappointed for another five years after a council meeting on Monday.
Her reappointment, which will be effective from January 1, comes after a recent review of her first term of office.
Unisa’s council praised LenkaBula’s leadership, citing improved academic rankings, financial growth, and staff commitment under her tenure.
Despite challenges, the council’s chairperson, Dr Dan Mosia, said they remain confident in her ability to lead Unisa to a better future.
“Council reaffirms its confidence in the leadership of Professor LenkaBula. She has been instrumental in fostering sustainable growth and stability at the institution and is ideally positioned to lead Unisa into its next chapter of growth and innovation.”
LenkaBula, the institution’s first female vice-chancellor, said she was deeply appreciative of the confidence expressed in her.
“I am committed, together with the University’s management, to advancing the university’s mission of Shaping Africa’s Intellectual Futures and to continue to create opportunities for students and staff alike to succeed. I look forward to working closely with the various university communities, alumni and diverse stakeholders to bring this vision to life.”
In a profile on the University’s website, “LenkaBula is of mixed decent (Lesotho and South Africa). She holds a Doctorate (2006/7) in Ethics (Theology and Philosophy) with specialisation in Ethics of the Economy, Ecology and Politics (Social Ethics) from the University of South Africa.
Her doctoral thesis deployed multi-disciplinary approaches, drawing from ethics, legal and economic questions. The title of her thesis was: Bioprospecting and Intellectual Property rights on African Plant Commons and Knowledge: A New form of Colonization viewed from an Ethical Perspective.
She gained a Master’s degree (MTS) with specialisation in Social Ethics from St Andrew’s College at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, in 1995.