Njabulo Simakahle Ndebele (born 4 July 1948) is an academic and writer of fiction who is the former

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

and principal of the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

(UCT). On November 16, 2012, he was inaugurated as the

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is a public university located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), the ...

. He is currently the chairman of the

Nelson Mandela Foundation Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

Life and career

Ndebele's father was Nimrod Njabulo Ndebele and his mother was Makhosazana Regina Tshabangu. 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 , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in 1975; and a Doctor of Philosophy in creative writing by the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

in 1983. He also studied at

Churchill College Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establish ...

, where he was the first recipient of the South African Bursary. Njabulo Ndebele was vice-chancellor and principal at the

from July 2000 to June 2008, following tenure as a scholar in residence at the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

’s headquarters in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. 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 The University of Limpopo is a university in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2005, by the merger of the University of the North and the Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA). These previous institutions form ...

in Sovenga, in the then Northern Province. Previously he served as

vice-rector A rector (Latin for 'ruler') is a senior official in an educational institution, and can refer to an official in either a university or a secondary school. Outside the English-speaking world the rector is often the most senior official in a un ...

of the

University of the Western Cape The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is a public research university in Bellville, near Cape Town, South Africa. The university was established in 1959 by the South African government as a university for Coloured people only. Other un ...

. Earlier positions include chair of the Department of African Literature at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

; and pro-vice-chancellor,

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

, and head of the English department at the

National University of Lesotho The National University of Lesotho, the main and oldest university in Lesotho, is located in Roma, southeast of Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. The Roma valley is broad and is surrounded by a barrier of rugged mountains which provides magnifi ...

. 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 The Noma Prizes were established by Shoichi Noma, or in his honor. More than one award is conventionally identified as the ''Noma Prize''. Noma was the former head of Kodansha, the Japanese publishing and bookselling company. Kodansha is Japan' ...

, Africa's highest literary award for the best book published in Africa in 1984. His highly influential essays on South African

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

were published in a collection '' Rediscovery of the Ordinary''. Ndebele served as president of the

Congress of South African Writers The Congress of South African Writers (COSAW) is a South African grassroots writer’s organisation. Launched in July 1987, its initial aims were to promote literature and redress the imbalances of apartheid education. It organises literary events ...

for many years. 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 has served as chair of the

South African Universities Vice-Chancellors Association South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

from 2002 to 2005, and served on the executive board of the Association of African Universities 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 The 'Southern African Regional Universities Association'' was established in 2005 as a membership based association for the 66 public universities in the 15 countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). SARUA aims to assist in t ...

. He is also a fellow of UCT. He holds honorary doctorates from universities in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Japan, South Africa and the United States. The

awarded him an honorary doctorate in law in 2006, and he was made an honorary fellow of

in 2007. In 2008 the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

awarded him another honorary doctorate in law.

Works

* ''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 ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 30 July 2002"Njabulo Ndebele: Africans must treasure their literature
From a speech on African literature delivered in Cape Town by the chairman of the Africa 100 Best Books Project". ''The Independent'' (London), 30 July 2002. * ''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 Ravan Press, established in 1972 by Peter Ralph Randall, Danie van Zyl, and Beyers Naudé, was a South African anti-apartheid publishing house.

, 1983, reissued 2006 Njabulo Ndebele also contributed to ''

Chimurenga ''Chimurenga'' is a word in the Shona language. The Ndebele equivalent, though not as widely used since the majority of Zimbabweans are Shona speaking, is ''Umvukela'', meaning "revolutionary struggle" or uprising. In specific historical term ...

'' magazine.

References

External links

Entry in ''Who's Who of Southern Africa''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ndebele, Njabulo 1947 births Living people People from Johannesburg University of Cape Town academics Members of the Academy of Science of South Africa South African male novelists National University of Lesotho faculty Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge University of the Western Cape faculty University of Limpopo faculty Recipients of the Molteno medal Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cape Town