University of Fort Hare

The University of Fort Hare extends its deepest condolences to the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University community following the passing of its Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Tandi Matsha-Erasmus.

We mourn with her family, colleagues, students and all whose lives were touched by her leadership and service to higher education. May her legacy continue to inspire and may all who grieve her loss find strength and comfort during this difficult time.

𝗨𝗙𝗛 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗗𝗛𝗘𝗧 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

The University of Fort Hare (UFH) has exceeded its 2026 master’s and doctoral enrolment targets set by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), achieving more than 100% of its target at both levels and recording strong performance across its six faculties.

UFH achieved 106% of its doctoral target, with 443 doctoral registrations, and 107.7% of its master’s target, with 1,156 registrations.

The milestone reflects sustained growth in demand for postgraduate study, improved institutional efficiency, and stronger coordination among academic leadership, faculties, postgraduate studies, admissions, academic administration, technology, and marketing and communication.

“Exceeding our 2026 master’s and doctoral enrolment targets is an important moment in Fort Hare’s academic and research trajectory,” said Dr Nthabi Taole-Mjimba, Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UFH.

READ MORE | https://www.ufh.ac.za/news/ufh-surpasses-2026-dhet-targets-for-masters-and-doctoral-enrolments

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿? 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗥𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

“What are rural areas for?”

That “deceptively simple” question formed the core of University of Fort Hare agricultural economist Prof Michael Aliber’s 37th F.R. Tomlinson Memorial Lecture, where he challenged long-held assumptions about South Africa’s rural economy and argued that policymakers should stop trying to erase rural dualism and instead recognise its economic potential.

Prof Aliber delivered the 37th F.R. Tomlinson Memorial Lecture earlier this month, becoming the latest recipient of one of the most prestigious honours in South African agricultural economics.

Hosted by the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), the annual lecture commemorates Prof Frederick Rothman Tomlinson, regarded as the father of agricultural economics in South Africa and the association’s founding president.

READ MORE | https://www.ufh.ac.za/news/what-are-rural-areas-for-prof-aliber-challenges-south-africa-to-rethink-rural-economic-development

OPINION | Fifty years after the Soweto Uprising changed the course of South African history, questions remain about the future envisioned by the youth of 1976. In this opinion piece, a University of Fort Hare LLD candidate reflects on the enduring challenges facing young South Africans and argues that struggle for equality, opportunity, and dignity is far from over.

READ MORE |

OPINION | The Promise of 1976 and the Unfinished Bussiness of 2026 The Promise of 1976 and the Unfinished Bussiness of 2026.

𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲-𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗨𝗙𝗛 𝗦𝗥𝗖 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆

As South Africa marks Youth Day today, the University of Fort Hare highlights a recent leadership workshop led by Acting Vice-Chancellor, Dr Nthabiseng Taole-Mjimba, for Student Representative Council (SRC) members under the theme “Building a Strategic and United SRC.”

The workshop created a platform for reflection, dialogue, and strategic planning as student leaders examined the values, responsibilities, and legacy of student leadership.

Opening the session, Dr Taole-Mjimba reminded SRC members that leadership is fundamentally about service and challenged them to use the remainder of their term to make a meaningful impact on students’ lives.

Through a series of interactive discussions and activities, SRC members reflected on leaders who inspire them and identified the values they believe should guide their work. These included integrity, accountability, respect, justice, empathy, courage, inclusivity, and teamwork.

READ MORE | https://www.ufh.ac.za/news/acting-vice-chancellor-calls-on-ufh-src-to-build-a-lasting-legacy

IN THE NEWS | How are smallholder sheep farmers in the Drakensberg adapting to the growing challenges of climate change?

An article co-authored by University of Fort Hare researchers Mhlangabezi Slayi and Admire Rukudzo Dzvene, together with colleagues from iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu, explores how rising temperatures, droughts, erratic rainfall, and livestock diseases are affecting communal sheep farming in the Eastern Cape, and highlights the innovative ways farmers are building resilience.

The article was first published by The Conversation.

READ MORE | https://www.ufh.ac.za/news/climate-change-is-threatening-sheep-farmers-in-south-africas-drakensberg-how-theyre-adapting

𝗨𝗙𝗛 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗛𝗘𝗧 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁

The University of Fort Hare (UFH) has emerged as the leading university in the Eastern Cape on a key national measure of research performance, while also surpassing the national average and securing its place among South Africa’s top-performing research institutions.

According to the 2024 Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) Research Outputs Sector- Wide Report, which was released earlier this month (June 2026), UFH achieved a weighted per capita research output score of 2.39. The score exceeds the sector average of 2.23 and places the University among only 11 institutions nationally to perform above the benchmark.

The achievement positions UFH as the highest-ranked university in the Eastern Cape on this important indicator of research productivity and postgraduate success.

For this 110-year-old institution, the ranking is about far more than numbers.

READ MORE | https://www.ufh.ac.za/research/ufh-leads-eastern-cape-universities-and-surpasses-national-average-in-latest-dhet-research-outputs-report

𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝘄

The University of Fort Hare (UFH) Faculty of Law, in collaboration with North-West University (NWU) and the University of Botswana, recently hosted a joint book launch that brought together leading African scholars, international publishers, and regional academic partners to reflect on the future of law, trade, and governance on the continent.

The event marked the launch of two major academic works: The Law and Policy of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Prospects and Challenges for Trade and Investment in Africa, edited by Prof Patrick Osode (UFH), Prof HT Chitimira (NWU), and Dr Tapiwa V. Warikandwa (University of Botswana); and The Privatization of Indigenous Land Tenure and the Future of African Indigenous Law, authored by Prof Enyinna Nwauche (UFH).

The programme reflected a strong regional collaboration, drawing participants and scholars from the collaborating universities, the universities of Namibia, Rwanda, Limpopo, Cape Town, Western Cape, Pretoria, as well as the publisher, Springer Nature.

READ MORE | https://www.ufh.ac.za/news/joint-book-launch-sparks-bold-conversations-on-africas-future-trade-and-indigenous-law

𝗨𝗙𝗛 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀

As South African universities often face increasing pressure to develop and retain the next generation of academics, one University of Fort Hare lecturer’s journey is offering a clear example of what structured academic development pathways can achieve.

Mamaila Joy Mogolane, a Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) lecturer in the Department of Natural and Rehabilitative Sciences at the Faculty of Health Sciences, has progressed from a Nurturing Emerging Scholarship Programme (NESP) scholar to a recipient of the national New Generation of Academics Programme (nGAP) appointment.

Her progression is particularly significant, as she is the first and only NESP scholar to be hosted within the department, marking a milestone in the faculty’s efforts to strengthen academic capacity in communication sciences.

READ MORE | https://www.ufh.ac.za/news/ufh-lecturers-journey-from-emerging-scholar-to-next-generation-of-academics