Professor ’Mabokang Monnapula-Mapesela is a distinguished higher education specialist, scholar and academic leader whose career spans nearly four decades of dedicated service to education. Her professional journey is charactised by sustained scholarship, ethical leadership, and transformative   institutional   impact   within   South   African   higher   education. An alumna of the University of the Free State (UFS), she obtained her postgraduate qualifications in Education, including a PhD in Higher Education Studies. This academic foundation laid a strong intellectual foundation for a career deeply committed to student success, academic development, curriculum   development   and   transformation   and   institutional   transformation. Her leadership trajectory includes senior academic and executive roles at UFS and the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State. In 2019, she made history as the first Black woman appointed as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic and Student Affairs (DVC:A&SA) at Rhodes University, a milestone of national significance in advancing inclusive, transformative leadership in higher education in South Africa.

As DVC:A&SA, Professor Monnapula-Mapesela provides strategic and intellectual leadership of the entire academic project. Her portfolio encompasses teaching and learning, curriculum review, development and renewal, academic quality assurance and institutional planning, with the Division of Institutional Research, Planning and Quality Promotion also reporting directly to her. She also oversees Student Affairs (student services and development), academic staff development, and community engagement.

As DVC:A&SA at Rhodes University, Professor Monnapula-Mapesela provided decisive executive leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. She chaired the institutional Coronavirus Response Task Team, directing preparedness planning, risk mitigation, and operational continuity across the university. She led the rapid transition to remote and blended teaching and learning, developed comprehensive academic contingency frameworks, and ensured regulatory compliance while safeguarding student success. Her leadership integrated health protocols, vaccination advocacy, staff and student communication, and mental health support strategies into a cohesive institutional response. By balancing academic continuity with community safety and well-being, she strengthened institutional resilience during an unprecedented global crisis and ensured the university’s stability, credibility, and continued academic delivery.

She is widely regarded as an all-round academic leader, equally committed to student success, staff development, pedagogical innovation, and sound institutional governance. Her leadership strengthens both the student experience and the professional growth of academic staff, ensuring that teaching excellence, scholarly development, and curriculum quality, relevance, and responsiveness remain central to institutional success, effectiveness and long-term sustainability. Alongside these executive responsibilities, she maintains a strong and influential scholarly profile. She has published extensively in accredited local and international journals, contributed chapters to scholarly books, supervised postgraduate students, and presented research at national and international conferences. Her scholarship focuses on higher education transformation, student access and success, curriculum reform, and equity in academia.