Professor Puleng LenkaBula will become the first woman to serve as vice-chancellor for the University of South Africa (Unisa). She has served as vice-rector of institutional change, student affairs and community engagement at the University of the Free State since May 2018.
She will begin her new assignment in the new year. She is set to become one of only five other women to serve as vice-chancellor in South Africa. However, she is Unisa’s first since the establishment of the university 148 years ago.
The other women who are serving as vice-chancellors in South Africa are:
- Professor Xoliswa Mtose – University of Zululand
- Professor Sibongile Muthwa – Nelson Mandela University
- Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng – University of Cape Town
- Professor Thoko Mayekiso – University of Mpumalanga
LenkaBula believes higher education is key in setting up young people for success.
“Transpiration occurs in different epochs of life,” she said an interview on SABC. “And also transformation is necessitated by educational opportunities that we provide as society. South Africa invests a lot of resources, human capital, but also the prayers, thoughts and accompaniment of communities, individuals and parents or guardians who would like their children to join in the higher education system in order to make a better life thereafter through employment or creating [their] own employment.”
Vimbai E. is a content marketer, ghostwriter, and the founder of The Weight She Carries. With hundreds of articles and stories publishing online, in print and for broadcast, her love of language and storytelling shines through every piece of writing that bears her name.