“VUT hosted an academic leadership workshop on 20 Aug 2025, bringing leaders together to foster innovation and shape a future-ready university.”
26 August 2025 | Story By: Qhawekazi Memani | Picture: Supplied
4 minutes read time.
In an era defined by rapid change, the call for innovation, adaptability and visionary leadership in higher education has never been more urgent,” reflected Dr Muntuwenkosi Chili, Executive Director of the Centre for Academic Development.
Against this backdrop, the Vaal University of Technology (VUT), through its Centre for Academic Development in collaboration with the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) for Teaching and Learning, hosted an academic leadership workshop on 20 August 2025 at the VUT Conference Centre.
Themed Empowering transformative leadership for a future-ready university, the workshop gathered the University’s academic leadership, including heads of departments, programme coordinators, the four VUT faculty deans and the Vice-Chancellor, in a collective endeavour to reimagine and strengthen the role of leadership in higher education. The primary purpose of this gathering was to move VUT to where it is destined to be, to capacitate heads of departments and to create a space for deep engagement.
Opening the deliberations, the DVC: Teaching and Learning, Dr Grace Kanakana-Katumba, set the tone with a compelling presentation on Strategic academic leadership in the changing higher education landscape. Drawing on her experiences from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), she contextualised the challenges of South African higher education in a volatile and uncertain world. “We are capacitating you so that you understand that you carry immense responsibility. The VUT 2033+ vision calls us to something deeper than ourselves. It is a call for the next generation, and it is those gathered here who must carry this vision forward,” she emphasised.
Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Khela Ndlovu, further elevated the conversation in his address on Reimagining the role of academic leadership at VUT. He reminded the gathering that the workshop was a deliberate step in the University’s strategic journey. “A university that must rise and seize its future cannot do without such deliberations. Without bold, reflective and smart leaders, no institution can flourish,” he said. He urged leaders to be courageous agents of change, adding: “Perceptions about VUT must change. Together, let us build a university that attracts the brightest minds, one that is a cornerstone for academic renewal, responsive to societal challenges and above all, a globally recognised institution cultivating transformative leaders. Let us shift from management to leadership, let us build inclusive teams and become digitally fluent champions of innovation. The task is significant, but VUT has already proven that it can rise.”
Adding a global perspective, distinguished thought leader Dr Mark Hay delivered a keynote address titled Leading in complexity: Lessons from global higher education. His reflections, grounded in VUT’s strategic priorities, highlighted that leadership is as much an art as it is a science. He stressed the importance of institutional culture and climate, observing that “a leader’s behaviour significantly influences institutional climate and the motivation for performance.” Drawing on African wisdom, he reminded participants that izandla ziyagezana (hands wash one another), underscoring the need for collaboration. Advocating for what he termed “locust parenting”, he encouraged leaders to stand in the place of parents to guide students towards becoming their best selves.
His remarks resonated deeply with the Vice-Chancellor’s vision, particularly in reframing the role of academic leadership. “The role of teaching has changed,” he reflected. “We are no longer mere bearers of knowledge. Today, our responsibility is to guide students in finding knowledge, in using it wisely and in analysing it critically.”
The programme continued with an insightful session by Dr Tsiliso Lerata, a VUT Organisational Development and Performance Specialist, on Leading people with integrity: Policies, performance and wellbeing, which explored the human-centred dimension of academic leadership. This was followed by a future-oriented planning session, crafting a Personal and institutional leadership roadmap, facilitated by Ms Elize Heuer, Director: Staff and Student Support at CAD.
In her closing remarks, Dr Kanakana-Katumba expressed her gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor, the guest speaker, deans, heads of departments and all participants. She reflected on the day’s lessons with sincerity and urged leaders to take their staff along with them on the leadership journey. “Check in on your people, make appointments, and look after their wellbeing. Each one of us has a role to play in building the VUT we envision,” she concluded.
The workshop marked not just a milestone but a defining moment in VUT’s pursuit of academic renewal and global recognition. Anchored in the University’s Strategic Plan Vision 2033+, it was a call to action, a reaffirmation of shared responsibility and a bold step towards shaping a university that is future-ready, globally competitive and deeply responsive to the needs of society.