University of Limpopo

About The University
The University of Limpopo is the result of a merger between the former Medical University of Southern Africa and the University of the North, which merger occurred on 01 January 2005.

The Medical University of Southern Africa (MEDUNSA) was established in 1976 to provide tertiary education and training facilities to the educationally disadvantaged in the fields of Medicine, Allied Health and Nursing Sciences, and Dentistry intended to meet the health needs of the country.

The Campus is situated to the north-west of Pretoria. Its grounds extend over some 350 ha adjoining the Ga-Rankuwa Township and are easily accessible by roads and rail. Regular bus and taxi services operate between Pretoria and Dr George Mukhari Hospital as well as between Mabopane and Medunsa.

The extension of University Education Act of 1959 made provision for the establishment of racially exclusive universities for black South Africans. Under the provisions of the Act, the University College of the North was established about thirty kilometres from the Limpopo Province town of Polokwane on 01 August 1959. The College was placed under the academic trusteeship of the University of South Africa. This formative relationship was maintained until the South African Parliament promulgated the University of the North Act (Act No. 47 of 1969) thus bringing to an end the College status as of 01 January 1970.

The University nestles in the foothills of the Hwiti (Wolkberg range) in Mankweng, midway between Polokwane and the spectacular splendour of Magoebaskloof.

VISION
To be a leading African university epitomising excellence and global competitiveness, addressing the needs of rural communities through innovative ideas.

MISSION
A world-class African university, which responds to education, research and community needs of our society through partnerships and knowledge generation, continuing the tradition of empowerment.

MOTTO
The University of Limpopo for human and environmental wellness in a rural context; finding solutions for Africa!

Governance Details
As a small boy one of his main tasks was to herd his grandfather cattle. Forty to fifty years later his pastoral responsibilities had expanded somewhat to include the chairmanship of some of South Africa's major companies, and board membership of others. From herd-boy to business magnate - this is the personal narrative of Reuel Khoza.

This story began in the lowveld, not far from the Kruger National Park. Born of humble parents, he grew up in a nurturing, extended family environment. Both his father and grandfather were lay preachers and both passed on to Reuel wise counsel, proper codes of behaviour, human values, and a stress on discipline and hard work. In his family indolence was not tolerated. As a child he was not allowed to get up after sunrise. And daily tasks at the homestead often kept him busy until sunset.

Reuel Khoza would also have an early taste of working-class life during school vacations labouring as a gardener at a mission station, as a street sweeper, as a delivery man at a game lodge. Such experiences, together with inculcated values, laid the foundation for a successful business career.

There was, too, a hunger for education a passion for psychology, a talent for African languages, a love of literature, and an interest in music. This zest for learning brought him success at what was then the University of the North, where he obtained an honours degree in psychology. There, too, he lectured after completing his degree. But these were the days of university apartheid and student protests and when students used some of Reuel lyrics and poems to enliven their protests, he was fired from his post.

While this ended a budding academic career, it marked the beginning of a life in business which has run for over 30 years. Starting out as a management trainee at Unilever in the mid-1970s, and soon becoming the company brand manager at a time when few South African companies were appointing black managers.

Further postgraduate study overseas enhanced his standing in the business world: a masters degree at the University of Lancaster, a doctorate at the University of Warwick, as well as courses taken at the Harvard Business School and the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Increasingly well qualified and with solid business experience Reuel Khoza could have expected to work his way up the corporate ladder. Instead, in 1981, like a true entrepreneur, he took a risk and established his own marketing consultancy, Coordinated Marketing this at a time when the business sector was reluctant to engage black consultants. But he defied the odds, and leading companies became his clients Shell, Ford, Firestone, IBM, South African Airways, to name a few.

Over two decades or so, from the mid-1980s, Reuel Khoza would be propelled into the upper echelons of the South African business sector coming to chair more than a dozen companies, not to mention over twenty directorships. Among the companies chaired have been the Nedcor Group, Murray and Roberts Cementation, ESKOM Holdings, Glaxo-Smith Kline, and Sun Air. He has served on the board of such companies as IBM, Standard Bank, Vodacom, Norwich Life, Old Mutual, Nampak and Sasol. On top of this he heads his own private investment firm, AKA Capital, which he was instrumental in establishing in 2001.

It does not end there: a founding member and past director of the Black Management Forum; president of the Institute of Directors in 2001; founding chairperson of NEPAD Business Group; member of South Africa Presidential Economic Advisory Panel. Not surprisingly, business awards have been showered upon Reuel Khoza.

How, one might ask, can one person manage all this? Perhaps it was that work ethic instilled in him by his elders during his childhood days working in the fields. There must, too, have been a strong personal drive, but this has been tempered by an enduring commitment to fundamental human values. One of his ongoing concerns has been to promote a black African leadership that is in accord with the philosophy of ubuntu African humanism.

He impresses on the next generation of African leaders that they need to be, in his words, at the cutting edge of a leadership whose defining features are probity, humility, integrity, compassion and caring and that their primary pursuit should be noble causes and the common good.

Add to this an underlying wisdom that informs his work never has he forgotten the words of his late father who used to say that in any situation one needs a certain amount of intelligent ignorance sit back and listen before acting. Belonging to a tight-knit family network has been crucial to Reuel Khoza success. He duly acknowledges the role of his parents, of his wife, Mumsy, who provided a launch-pad for his career, and recognises the support and advice that has come from other members of his extended family.

Student Affairs
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the University of Limpopo Student Affairs webpage. Thank you for affording our university the opportunity to contribute to your personal, social and career development through our array of academic and support programmes that are on offer on our Turfloop and Medunsa Campuses. We recognize the fact that it may be your first experience of university life hence we advise you to give your studies first priority.

By participating in the myriad activities and programmes organised under the auspices of departments within Student Affairs, you will no doubt find your university experience rewarding and enriching. These activities enhance your life at university and also give you the rare opportunity of interacting with friends and peers even outside the academic environment. In this way, you will be better prepared for the life challenges.

Make sure that you are conversant with the many academic and non-academic policies, rules, codes and regulations that govern your stay on campus. Don wait until you probably find yourself on the wrong side of the rules at the institution. Start very early to know how student behaviour is being regulated so that you can enjoy your freedom. Should you go through a rough patch in life, dont hesitate to walk into any of the offices within Student Affairs for appropriate help and /or intervention.

Student Affairs is comprised of the following departments:
These departments are managed by adequately qualified staff members who will offer you appropriate guidance and support. Should it be that for some reason the challenge you would be facing remains unresolved, you be referred to some specialist who will help you.

University environment can be very hostile and strange. This can often make you feel lonely and homesick. The extent to which you choose friends and participate in social activities will determine whether you will experience university positively or not. You are advised to keep away from bad company that will steer you away from studies and make you lose focus. Make sure that you manage your time effectively and build into your plan enough time for relaxation and socialisation. Exercise your right to belong to a student grouping of your choice and be active in its programmes.

The nature of the student grouping can be political, social, academic and even religious. In this way you will also develop people skills that can be transferable to many other environments in life.

On behalf of staff and student leaders at Student Affairs, I wish a fruitful stay at the University of Limpopo. Feel free to browse websites of the departments constituting Student Affairs for more information on the services and programmes they offer.

University of Limpopo Degree Programs :

Medicine

Dentistry

Pharmacy

Public Health

Video Presentation

English lecturer Ben Mphahlele thanks Absa for dictionaries for his students

Ben Mphahlele Lecturer in English Studies at the University of Limpopo thanks Absa for dictionaries for his students