Justice Mandisa Maya appointed as University of Mpumalanga Chancellor

Maya is the second Chancellor of the university and takes over from President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The President of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa (SCA), Justice Mandisa Maya, will officially be installed as the Chancellor of the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) on Tuesday.

This follows Maya’s appointment by the UMP Council in July.

Maya is the second Chancellor of the university and takes over from President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“Justice Mandisa Maya is the first woman in South Africa to hold the position as President of the SCA and is a candidate for Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa,” the statement read.

According to the UMP, her contribution to the country’s democratic institutions and jurisprudence dates back to 1994 when she served as a case investigator for the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) during the first democratic South African elections.

She then proceeded to practice as an advocate until she was appointed as a judge in 1999.

“The Chancellor acts as a role model and reflects the university’s values to its stakeholders and is a focal point to ensure the high standing of the university in the wider community. The Chancellor serves as titular head of the university with no executive powers and confers degrees and awards diplomas, certificates, and other distinctions on behalf of the university,” the UMP explained.

The university said this historic event coincides with remarkable accomplishments the institution has made since it was established in 2013 and enrolled its first 169 students the following year. 

Over the years, the higher learning institution has grown from offering three undergraduate programmes in 2014 to 32 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2021 with 5 392 registered.

This year, the university said it received accreditation from the Council on Higher Education (CHE) to offer its first three PhDs, also known as the Doctor of Philosophy, Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and 13 other new programmes.

In 2022, the UMP will be offering 49 programmes from Higher Certificate to PhD.

“This positive development is in line with the strategic objectives of the university to conceptualize, develop and launch new qualifications that will both stand-alone and support articulation within UMP and between institutions as outlined in the strategic plan.”

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)