Farewell, Prof Muxe Nkondo!
The University of Limpopo (UL) solemnly mourns the death of its alumnus and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof Muxe Nkondo, who passed away at the age of 83 on Sunday, 18 August 2024.
Prof Nkondo was a respected scholar, author, thinker, activist and community builder, and a trailblazer. He was UL’s first SRC President in the early 1960s, when the institution was still called the University College of the North. He became a lecturer at the same institution until 1976. His academic career would later take him as far as Harvard, Oxford, Northwestern University in Chicago, Northeastern University in Boston, University of Connecticut, and the University of Oklahoma, among others.
In their tribute, UL’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Mahlo Mokgalong, and the Chairman of Council, Mr Pandelani Nefholovodwe, recalled how Prof Nkondo was a role model and mentor to them as students in the 1970s. Mr Nefholovodwe fondly recalled how Prof Nkondo would come to their defence when they were facing charges under the Terrorism Act between 1975 and 1976.
“We were charged for organising the Viva FRELIMO Rallies in September 1974, while we were students at UL. I was standing trial in what was termed the SASO/BPC Trial, along with the likes of Zithulele Cindi, Saths Cooper, Mosioua Lekota, Muntu Myeza, and Nkwenke Nkomo. Prof Nkondo was our witness, trying to justify our cause. He specifically supplied us with progressive books to enrich our perspective and to help us prepare our defence,” Nefholovodwe said.
Prof Nkondo is among the most impactful alumni of the University of Limpopo, from when he was a student, through his days as a lecturer, a member of senior management, and beyond. His legacy transcends the lecture room and the realm of academic research. He became a versatile contributor to the evolution of post-apartheid South Africa. For example, he chaired Expert Panels and Reference Groups, leading the development of policy and strategy frameworks for such government departments as Higher Education and Training, Trade and Industry, Water and Environmental Affairs, Human Settlements, Tourism, Public Service and Administration, Science and Technology, and Arts and Culture.
In his capacity as the Chairperson of the Think Tank commissioned by the National Heritage Council, Prof Nkondo drafted the National Framework of the Liberation Heritage Route, which led to the creation of the vital Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route (RLHR) project, under which UL was among the three approved national heritage sites in Limpopo in 2024.
In the year that sees UL turning 65, it is regrettable that Prof Nkondo will not participate in the celebrations that are planned for the second week of September. However, his spirit and legacy will forever carry his alma mater aloft.
May the soul of Prof Muxe Nkondo rest in eternal peace.
For any enquiries, contact
· Victor Kgomoeswana: 082 495 0093 or victor.kgomoeswana@ul.ac.za
· Family Spokespersons:
o Joe Mathebula – 082 955 2786
o Kulani Lebese – 084 618 6107