Prof Thenjiwe Meyiwa
Prof Thenjiwe Meyiwa is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mpumalanga with effect from 1 October 2025. Professor Meyiwa has a wealth of experience and expertise in higher education, having served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Postgraduate Studies, Innovation and Commercialisation at the University of South Africa from 2018 to 2025. Prior to this position, Professor Meyiwa served as Institutional Registrar at the Durban University of Technology from 2014 to 2018. She held the position of Research Director: Education and Skills Development at Human Science Research Council from 2012 to 2014. Professor Meyiwa has served in various academic roles, including that of Research Professor at Walter Sisulu University from 2010 to 2011, and was Director at the university of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Gender Studies for a decade.
Prof Meyiwa holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Zululand, a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree, a Master of Arts, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Feminist Oral Studies from the former University of Natal (UKZN). Prof Meyiwa also holds a three-year teaching Diploma from the former Indumiso College of Education (DUT) and a Master of Commerce Degree in Organisational and Systems Management from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Meyiwa has served and is a member of various parastatals, community, and civil society organisations, such as the Rural Women’s Movement where she is the Advisory Board member, the National Heritage Council, and the South African National Heraldry Council where she served as its chairperson; to name but a few. Aside graduating over 40 postgraduate students and co-authoring several books, she has presented numerous conference papers at national and international forums, as well as published research articles, book chapters and books. Her areas of research interest broadly encompass contemporary human behavioural patterns, with a focus on the cultural constructions of gender, self-study, indigenous knowledges, and the impact of HIV/AIDS on parenting.