Njabulo Ndebele

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Njabulo Ndebele
Born
Njabulo Simakahle Ndebele

(1948-07-04) 4 July 1948 (age 77)
Johannesburg, South Africa
OccupationAcademic, writer
Alma materUniversity of Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland;
University of Cambridge;
University of Denver
Website
njabulondebele.co.za

Njabulo Simakahle Ndebele (born 4 July 1948)[1] is a South African academic and writer of fiction who is the former vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Cape Town (UCT). On 16 November 2012, he was inaugurated as the chancellor of the University of Johannesburg.[2]

He served on the board of the Nelson Mandela Foundation from its establishment in 2003, and as its chairperson for more than a decade, until his retirement,[3][4] handing over the position in 2024 to Naledi Pandor.[5]

Life and career

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Ndebele's father was Nimrod Njabulo Ndebele and his mother was Makhosazana Regina Tshabangu.[1] He married Mpho Kathleen Malebo on 30 July 1971. They have one son and two daughters. Ndebele was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in English and philosophy by the University of Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland in 1973; a Master of Arts in English literature by the University of Cambridge in 1975; and a Doctor of Philosophy in creative writing by the University of Denver in 1983.[1] He also studied at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, where he was the first recipient of the South African Bursary.

Njabulo Ndebele was vice-chancellor and principal at the University of Cape Town from July 2000 to June 2008, following tenure as a scholar in residence at the Ford Foundation's headquarters in New York. He joined the foundation in September 1998, immediately after a five-year term of office as vice-chancellor and principal of the University of the North in Sovenga, in the then Northern Province. Previously he served as vice-rector of the University of the Western Cape. Earlier positions include chair of the Department of African Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand; and pro-vice-chancellor, Dean, and head of the English department at the National University of Lesotho.

An established novelist, Ndebele published The Cry of Winnie Mandela in 2004 to critical acclaim. An earlier publication, Fools and Other Stories, won the Noma Award, Africa's highest literary award for the best book published in Africa in 1984.[6] His highly influential essays on South African literature and culture were published in a collection Rediscovery of the Ordinary. In 2008, he was honoured by the South African Literary Awards with the K Sello Duiker Memorial Award.[7]

Ndebele served as president of the Congress of South African Writers from 1987 to 1997.[1] As a public figure he is known for his incisive insights in commentaries on a range of public issues in South Africa.

Ndebele is also a key figure in South African higher education. He was chair of the South African Universities Vice-Chancellors Association from 2002 to 2005, and has served on the executive board of the Association of African Universities (AAU) since 2001. He has done public service in South Africa in the areas of broadcasting policy, school curriculum in history, and more recently as chair of a government commission on the development and use of African languages as media of instruction in South African higher education. He served as president of the AAU from 2005 to 2009 and was chair of the Southern African Regional Universities Association. He is also a fellow of UCT.

Awards and honours

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Ndebele holds a number of honorary doctorates from universities in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Japan, South Africa and the United States. These include:

Works

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  • Fine Lines from the Box: Further Thoughts About Our Country, 2007
  • The Cry of Winnie Mandela, Ayebia Clarke Publishing, 2004
  • "Africans must treasure their literature", The Independent, 30 July 2002[11]
  • Umpropheti/The Prophetess, 1999
  • Death of a Son, 1996
  • Bonolo and the Peach Tree, 1994
  • Sarah, Rings, and I, 1993
  • Rediscovery of the Ordinary: Essays on South African Literature and Culture, 1991, reissued 2006
  • Fools and Other Stories, Ravan Press, 1983, reissued 2006

Ndebele also contributed to Chimurenga magazine.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Njabulo Simakahle Ndebele". South African History Online. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Ndebele takes top post at UJ". University of Cape Town News. University of Cape Town. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Professor Njabulo S Ndebele (Chairman)". www.nelsonmandela.org. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  4. ^ "MRF chairperson Professor Njabulo S. Ndebele retirement". Foundation News. The Mandela Rhodes Foundation. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  5. ^ Sithole, Siyabonga (24 September 2024). "Naledi Pandor takes up Nelson Mandela Foundation top job". iol.co.za. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  6. ^ "A Profile of Ravan Press: 1984 Noma Award Winner", The African Book Publishing Record, Vol. 14, Issue 4, January 1988, p. 231. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Njabulo Ndebele | K. Sello Duiker Memorial Literary Award". sala.org.za. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Rare fellowship for Ndebele". University of Cape Town News. University of Cape Town. 29 April 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Seven to receive honorary degrees". The University Record. University of Michigan. 24 March 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  10. ^ "DUT honorary Doctorate for Professor Njabulo Ndebele". Durban University of Technology. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Njabulo Ndebele: Africans must treasure their literature". The Independent. London. 30 July 2002. Retrieved 15 February 2025. From a speech on African literature delivered in Cape Town by the chairman of the Africa 100 Best Books Project.
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Academic offices
Preceded by Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town
2000 – 2008 		Succeeded by