BLOEMFONTEIN – The vice-chancellor and principal of the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof. Hester C. Klopper has expressed confidence in the appointment of Prof. Bulelwa Nguza-Mduba as deputy vice-chancellor: People and Operations. The seasoned higher education leader began her tenure on Friday 1 January, following the university’s announcement in November last year.
Nguza-Mduba has a strong academic background coupled with managerial experience and expertise in student affairs. She joined the UFS team from the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in the Eastern Cape. She served as the executive dean of the Faculty of Management and Public Administration Sciences at the WSU. She previously held the role of acting rector of the Butterworth Campus (from 2021 to 2023), where she oversaw institutional operations spanning Teaching and Learning, Governance, Information and Technology (IT) Services, Finance, and Student Affairs.
Nguza-Mduba holds a Doctor of Business Administration qualification from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), master’s degrees in business leadership from the University of South Africa (Unisa) and education from the UFS, as well as a postgraduate diploma in Higher Education Management from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. Her academic foundation also includes multiple qualifications in commerce and education from Unisa and the former University of Transkei (Unitra), which merged in 2005 with Border Technikon and the Eastern Cape Technikon to form the Walter Sisulu University (WSU).
“Prof. Nguza-Mduba brings a wealth of experience and insight to this role. Her leadership reflects a strong commitment to advancing innovation and excellence across the higher education sector.”
“Her appointment strengthens the university’s strategic focus on people-centred leadership, operational excellence, and socially responsive transformation,” said Klopper.
Her appointment brings the total to four deputy vice-chancellors at the UFS, each overseeing specific portfolios. The others are Prof. Vasu Reddy, deputy vice-chancellor: Research, Innovation, and Postgraduate Studies; Prof. Anthea Rhoda, deputy vice-chancellor: Academic; and Dr Molapo Qhobela, deputy vice-chancellor: Strategic Initiatives, International and Institutional Affairs. In her new role, Nguza-Mduba will provide strategic leadership for the Human Resources, University Estates, Protection Services, Information and Communication Technology Services, and Commercial Enterprise portfolios.
Nguza-Mduba is an active contributor to the national higher education ecosystem through roles in Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE), the community of practice for university management, and Higher Education Leadership and Management (HELM). Her scholarly work focuses on entrepreneurship, and she has successfully supervised postgraduate research in public and business administration.
Nguza-Mduba is recognised for bridging academia and societal impact, having led initiatives in youth empowerment, tourism partnerships with municipalities, rehabilitative training for inmates, and support programmes for the elderly. She was instrumental in supporting university students through various development programmes. She significantly contributed to third-stream income, securing grants from the Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (FASSET) and the Banking Sector Education and Training Authority (BANKSETA) to advance student support, infrastructure development, and community-based innovation.
