Professor Tawana Kupe Appointed University of Pretoria Vice-Chancellor

Professor Tawana Kupe was appointed University of Pretoria’s new Vice-Chancellor and Principal during a meeting held yesterday.

In a statement released by the university, the appointment followed the resignation of the former Vice-Chancellor Professor Cheryl de la Rey, who is taking up the same position at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Kupe currently holds the Vice-Principal position at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Prior to joining Wits, Professor Kupe lectured at Rhodes University between 1999-2001, and briefly acted as the Head of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. He joined Rhodes from the University of Zimbabwe, where he worked in various academic capacities from 1988, including as Chairperson of the Department of English, Media and Communication Studies. He holds a BA Honours degree and Masters in English from the University of Zimbabwe. he also has a DPhil in Media Studies from the University of Oslo in Norway.