ADV. NGCUKAITOBI APPOINTED WSU’s YOUNGEST CHAIR OF COUNCIL

One magician - two hats: what leadership tricks can WSU expect from its youngest and newly appointed Chair of Council, Adv. Tembeka Ngcukaitobi (S.C) who also happens to be the sitting Convocation president.

The legal maestro’s focus for his alma mater has always been on the radical change of WSU’s public image, academic integrity as well as its brand reputation.

He comes across as clear, resolute and decisive on how he will steer the institution through policy changes that are of course in line with/ subject to applicable labour laws and the Higher Education Acts.

“Mainly the urge for greater and urgent change. WSU is my alma mater; of which I am very proud. I would like to be part of the solution, not an armchair critic. Being Chair of Council puts me in the best possible position to drive positive change,” he said.

The curiosity of both young and old has been thoroughly peaked as to how a university Council led by a relatively young African male would translate for the future of a rural university such as WSU.

“My sense is a focus on how we transition the university into a rural, ITC-centric university which integrates technology into all its areas of learning,” said Ngcukaitobi.

Off the cuff, three themes surface at the top of his institutional agenda:

“First, we need to restore the academic reputation and integrity of the university. We need a proper audit of our academic programmes to see which ones are at risk and which areas need intervention.”

“Secondly, we need to focus on financial stability of the university. This means plugging procurement holes, recovering student debt, raising funds from external sources and managing what we have frugally and efficiently.”

“Thirdly, student experiences are key. We should focus on making student life better. At the moment, it is dismal. Since Covid we need flexibility about where our areas of spend will be. We should create an ICT centric university. We should build more residences. We should build facilities for student entertainment,” said Ngcukaitobi.

The new WSU Chairperson of Council also emphasized that he would be prioritizing the appointment of women into positions of leadership and responsibility.

Advocate Ngcukaitobi is also an author of a book titled: “The Land Is Ours” which suggests the redistribution of land to Black South Africans.

by Sinawo Hermans