Professor Mlambo's lecture, titled "Towards Sustainable Animal Food Systems: Keeping Up with Shifting Consumer Expectations", explored the evolving challenges and opportunities in animal food systems. Professor Aldo Stroebel, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Internationalisation, opened the proceedings by emphasising the importance of research that promotes sustainability, animal welfare, food safety, and health benefits. He highlighted Professor Mlambo's more than two decades of pioneering work in animal nutrition and production, particularly his research on underused feed resources for sustainable food systems.
UMP Vice-Chancellor Professor Thoko Mayekiso welcomed colleagues, guests, and students, noting that professorial inaugurations are a longstanding tradition in which academics share their knowledge and discoveries publicly. She commended Professor Mlambo for his scholarly leadership, resilience, and excellence, further noting that his work has been recognised both nationally and internationally.
Professor Mayekiso underlined that inaugural lectures both celebrate individual achievement and reflect UMP's growing stature among leading universities.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Mayekiso and senior leadership congratulated Prof Mlambo on his academic achievements and contribution to research excellence.
Professor Ndiko Ludidi, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, introduced Professor Mlambo as a distinguished ASSAf fellow with a PhD in Ruminant Nutrition from the University of Reading (UK). He also acknowledged Professor Mlambo's MSc degrees in Animal Science and Developmental Statistics, and his BSc Honours in Animal Science from the University of Zimbabwe, and his impressive career, which spans roles at the International Atomic Energy Agency, the University of Swaziland, the University of the West Indies, and North-West University. He further noted his extensive research portfolio of 165 peer-reviewed publications and his mentorship of 39 Master's and 20 doctoral students.
In his lecture, Professor Mlambo traced the evolution of meat consumption — from a marker of survival and social status to modern expectations centred on health, ethics, affordability, and environmental responsibility. He reflected on the challenges facing the animal industry, including animal welfare, responsible antibiotic use, environmental sustainability, and competition between humans and animals for food resources.
Prof Mlambo's lecture highlighted sustainable solutions for the future of animal food systems.
Professor Mlambo also presented innovative solutions arising from his research, such as the use of indigenous legumes and insect-based proteins to reduce costs, enhance nutrition, and foster circular agri-food systems. He stressed the need for multidisciplinary collaboration and for aligning science with consumer values to create sustainable animal food systems. Professor Mlambo concluded by expressing gratitude to his colleagues, students, collaborators, funders, and family for their support throughout his career.
The proceedings ended with a vote of thanks delivered by Professor Mashudu Davhana-Maselesele, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning. She acknowledged the contributions of Professor Mlambo's family, mentors, colleagues, and students, and gave special recognition to UMP leadership, particularly Vice-Chancellor Professor Mayekiso, for creating an enabling academic environment. Professor Davhana-Maselesele celebrated Professor Mlambo's scholarly excellence, mentorship, and innovative approach to advancing national development through research and education.
The inaugural lecture was a fitting tribute to Professor Mlambo's achievements and reinforced UMP's commitment to research excellence, teaching, learning, community engagement, and advancing knowledge that addresses global challenges.
About Professor Victor Mlambo
Professor Victor Mlambo holds a PhD in Ruminant Nutrition from the University of Reading (UK), an MSc in Animal Sciences, an MSc in Development Statistics (University of the West Indies at St Augustine), and a BSc Honours in Animal Science from the University of Zimbabwe.
He has worked at the International Atomic Energy Agency (Vienna, Austria) under the Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, the University of Swaziland, the University of the West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago), and North-West University, where he served as Head of the School of Agricultural Sciences. At UMP, he is a full Professor of Animal Science and Programme Leader for Animal Production.
His current research focuses on sustainable production systems for food animals. He has published 165 peer-reviewed journal articles and four book chapters on sustainable animal food systems, and has successfully supervised 39 MSc and 20 PhD students. He is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), has served for more than 10 years as Editor-in-Chief of Animal Feed Science and Technology (Elsevier), and is also Associate Editor of the South African Journal of Animal Science. He is a C1-rated researcher with the National Research Foundation.
Story Glen Sambo. Pictures by CL Photography. Copyright @UMP