Prof Sakhela Buhlungu appointed VC for the University of Fort Hare

Dear students and colleagues

It is with mixed feeling that I formally announce that the University of Cape Town's Dean of Humanities, Professor Sakhela Buhlungu, has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor for the University of Fort Hare (UFH).

Prof Buhlungu is set to assume his new role with effect from 1 February 2017 after the UFH Council announced his appointment this week.

We congratulate Prof Buhlungu on this appointment. While we are, of course, very sad to lose him, we share in his excitement ahead of this next big step in his career and we have no doubt that he will continue soaring in his new role. Having led the Faculty of Humanities through what has been a tumultuous three years with diplomacy, political insight and academic innovation, it is no surprise that his leadership did not go unnoticed by the University of Fort Hare.

Prof Buhlungu was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Humanities from 1 January 2014. He joined UCT after having served as Deputy Dean for Postgraduate Studies and Ethics in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Pretoria, where he was also a professor of sociology. He holds a PhD in sociology and an MA in industrial sociology from the University of the Witwatersrand. A UCT alumnus, he obtained his BA honours in African studies here in 1986.

Prof Buhlungu is a renowned scholar on labour and social movements. He has written extensively on trade unions, politics and democratic transitions; social movements and activism; leadership and power in social movements; as well as race and gender in social movements.

He is now about to add another fine feather to his distinguished cap when he takes over as the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Fort Hare. We have no doubt that he will be up to the challenging task that lies ahead.

Commenting on his appointment, Prof Buhlungu said: “Although it is with a heavy heart that I leave UCT, as I would have wished to still contribute more to the institution, I regard this move as a wonderful opportunity for me to form part of an institution that is of such great historical significance in the country. I am looking forward to the challenge ahead and wish my colleagues at UCT all the best going forward.”

Please join me in extending our congratulations to Prof Buhlungu and wishing him well in his future endeavours.

Sincerely

Dr Max Price
Vice-Chancellor