Leading with excellence

Servant leadership, humility, foresight, togetherness and innovation are constant themes that came up in my discussion with Professor Mandla Stanley Makhanya

- Evans Manyonga

Professor Mandla Stanley Makhanya has been at the helm of the University of South Africa (UNISA) since 1 January 2011. Professor Makhanya is a prominent proponent of higher education leadership and advocacy, nationally, continentally, and globally.

A staunch advocate of open distance and e-learning, he is a past President of the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) and Treasurer of the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE). He holds the post of President of the Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association (HETL) – which is an international body for higher education professionals.

Scholarship and civic engagement

Despite a demanding schedule, Professor Makhanya maintains active scholarship through regular publications in accredited journals. He serves on the advisory board of the JRODel (Journal of Research in Open, Distance and e-Learning). In addition, he is a Referee for the National Research Foundation (NRF), specialising in refereeing applications for funding, grants and postgraduate scholarships (Sociology, Development Studies, Business Administration and Social Work), and he is an external examiner for the University of Fort Hare, the University of North West and the University of Johannesburg. He is also a trainer for trainers of adult basic education. As a sociologist, Prof Makhanya is occasionally invited by the media to provide analyses and write articles on various political and socio-cultural issues.

I had the pleasure of sitting with Professor Makhanya on behalf of Leadership Magazine. The insights he articulated left me with a positive feeling about the future of South Africa and the continent of Africa at large within the education space, and indeed academia in general.