Brandon Nel|Published
Professor Wezile Chitha, president of the Health Professions Council of SA, has been appointed the new vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Fort Hare.
Chitha was unanimously chosen by the university council at a special meeting on Friday and was expected to take up the post in the first quarter of 2027.
He would replace Professor Sakhela Buhlungu, who had led the university since 2017 and resigned on September 28 while suspended and facing a disciplinary hearing over allegations that he irregularly appointed two senior executives.
The council initially refused to accept that the resignation took effect immediately, but later resolved to shorten his notice period, making next week Friday his last day.
Chitha, a medical doctor and health economist, is the executive dean of the faculty of medicine and health sciences at Walter Sisulu University, where he is also an associate professor of health systems and policy.
He was the top-ranked candidate in the assessments of both the university's senate and its institutional forum, and the council's decision followed a unanimous recommendation from its recruitment and selection committee, along with the outcome of institutional votes and candidate assessments.
Council chair Dr Siyanda Makaula said the university needed stability and proper governance as it prepared a long-term plan towards 2040.
"The appointment of Professor Chitha marks an important moment in the history of the University of Fort Hare as we advance our journey of institutional re-visioning and rebirth," Makaula said.
"Council was unanimous in its decision, reflecting our collective confidence in his leadership capabilities, academic credentials and experience in institutional governance and transformation.
"As we look towards 2040, our responsibility is to build a university that honours its extraordinary history while responding decisively to the demands of the future."
Makaula said the recruitment process was thorough.
"The unanimous recommendation of the recruitment and selection committee, together with the support demonstrated through the senate and institutional forum assessments, provided council with a strong foundation for its decision," Makaula said.
"We are particularly encouraged by the alignment achieved through this process, which reflects a shared commitment to the future of Fort Hare.
"The future of Fort Hare is a shared responsibility, and its success will depend on the collective commitment of our students, staff, alumni and institutional stakeholders.
"The Fort Hare we want has always been about more than the appointment of one individual.
"Today, we have taken a decisive step towards that future by appointing the leader we believe Fort Hare needs."
The council said the process had followed the university's approved procedure for appointing a vice-chancellor, and included screening, shortlisting, competency-based assessments, presentations and structured interviews.
Shortlisted candidates presented their plans for the university's development up to 2040 to a joint sitting of the council, senate and institutional forum on Thursday, and formal interviews followed on Friday.
Representatives of the student representative council, the convocation and organised labour also attended the sitting.
The council said the university's new strategic plan would focus on academic standards, research, financial sustainability, governance, infrastructure and the quality of student life.
Buhlungu had been on precautionary suspension with full pay since March 30, after a forensic investigation by Morar Incorporated Auditors into how the two executive directors were appointed.
The charge sheet served on him in May accused him of gross misconduct, insubordination and bringing the university into disrepute, and alleged that he had made the appointments without consulting the senate and the institutional forum and without the council's approval.
He resigned shortly before he was due to present his defence, and claimed in his resignation letter that the process had been set up to reach a predetermined outcome, which the council said it did not accept.
Deputy vice-chancellor for research, partnerships and innovation Dr Nthabi Taole-Mjimba has been acting vice-chancellor since Buhlungu was suspended.
Chitha holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree, a master's degree in public health specialising in health economics from UCT, and a doctorate in public health from Walter Sisulu University.
He was elected president of the Health Professions Council of SA for the 2025 to 2030 term.
He previously served as acting assistant dean for strategic affairs at the University of the Witwatersrand and was the founding director of the Albertina Sisulu Centre for Global Health and Research.
IOL News