Professor Mandla Stanley Makhanya was appointed Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of South Africa on 1 January 2011 and is a prominent proponent of higher education leadership and advocacy, nationally, continentally and globally, more especially as it pertains to Open, Distance and eLearning. Prof Makhanya is a past President of the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) and is also Treasurer of the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE). Professor Makhanya is also the President of the Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association (HETL) – International Body for higher education professionals.
HONORARY
• Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa): University of Athabasca, Canada. In recognition of outstanding leadership at Unisa and sustained contribution as a distinguished scholar in distance education.
• Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa), Thomas Edison State University, USA
Despite his busy schedule, Professor Makhanya maintains active scholarship through regular publications in accredited journals. He serves on the advisory board of JRODel (Journal of Research in Open, Distance and e-Learning). In addition, he is a Referee for the National Research Foundation (NRF), specialising in refereeing applications for funding, grants and postgraduate scholarships (Sociology, Development Studies, Business Administration and Social Work), and he is an external examiner for the University of Fort Hare, the University of North West and the University of Johannesburg. He is also a trainer for trainers of adult basic education. As a sociologist he is occasionally invited by the media to provide analyses of various political and sociocultural issues
Professor Makhanya is a Deputy Chairperson of the South African National Commission for UNESCO and Chairperson of the Culture Sector of the South African National Commission for UNESCO. He was a past member of the National Committee of the Memory of the World (MoW), and in the 1990s he served in various leadership roles in the South African Sociological Association, including as its Deputy President in 1998, for a period of two years. He continues to be a member of the South African Sociological Association (SASA) and the International Association of Sociology (ISA).
