Reimagining higher education: UNIZULU webinar tackles quest for authentically African university

THE enduring debate surrounding the identity, purpose and direction of higher education on the continent took centre stage during the University of Zululand’s (UNIZULU) first Vice-Chancellor’s Public Lecture / Webinar Series for 2026.

- PRECIOUS SHAMASE

Attended by academics physically at the Council Chambers and joined by a robust virtual audience online, the webinar served as a dynamic platform to take profound ideas beyond the classroom; deepening the institution’s intellectual project.

Themed “Establishing an Authentically African University: Prospects, Challenges, and Opportunities”, the discourse featured globally renowned immunologist, physician and academic leader, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba as the keynote speaker.

‘Grammars of change’

In his opening remarks, programme director Prof Sipho Seepe framed the lecture series as an expression of the Vice-Chancellor’s commitment to building on an already solid institutional foundation.

Setting the scene with her opening address, UNIZULU Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Nokuthula Kunene delivered what Prof Seepe later described as “desiderata” — a vital statement of missing necessary things. She traced the current urgency of the debate back to the student uprisings just more than a decade ago.