Zimpapers Logo

Professor Mqhele Dlodlo

Nqobile Tshili Chronicle Correspondent
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed Professor Mqhele Dlodlo as National University of Science and Technology (Nust) Vice Chancellor with immediate effect.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister, Prof Amon Murwira confirmed the appointment yesterday.

“We received confirmation from His Excellency. The appointment is with immediate effect. When he starts work that’s an issue of Chairman of Council Ambassador Zenzo Nsimbi,” said Prof Murwira.

The university has been operating without a substantive Vice Chancellor since the expiry of the late Prof Lindela Ndlovu’s contract in 2015.

The university’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof Samson Sibanda has been acting since then.

Prof Murwira said Prof Dlodlo has a mammoth task to address the challenges at Nust.

Nust has been experiencing some problems that have resulted in lecturers going on strike protesting against alleged mismanagement.

Prof Murwira said Government will fully support Prof Dlodlo to ensure that there are positive developments at Nust. “There is a lot of work to be done at Nust and we will support Prof Dlodlo to enable him to deliver. We should not spend our time bickering but we must deliver,” said Prof Murwira.

He said he was mindful of the fact that the absence of a substantive Vice Chancellor could have negatively affected the university’s operations and was confident the challenges facing the institution will soon be addressed.

Prof Dlodlo served as a principal lecturer and head of Electrical Craft Department at Bulawayo Polytechnic from 1983 to 1992.

In 2000, he joined Nust as a senior lecturer in the department of Electronic Engineering before being promoted to the post of Dean in the faculty of Industrial Technology from May 2002 to December 2003.

He joined the University of Cape Town as an Associate professor in January 2005 and also served as Assistant Dean in Internationalisation from January 2011 to December 2015. At the time of his appointment as Nust vice chancellor, Prof Dlodlo was still working in South Africa. — @nqotshili.