Prof Mpumelelo Ennocent Ncube is a South African academic, social work scholar, and associate professor who heads the Department of Social Work at the University of the Free State (UFS). He holds a PhD in Social Work from the University of Johannesburg, with earlier degrees in Social Development (MA) and Social Work (BA) from the University of the Witwatersrand. He has extensive experience in both academic and practice settings, including roles in psychosocial services, employee wellness, and statutory social work, before transitioning to higher education in 2013.

Prof Ncube’s research and scholarly contributions focus on several key areas within social work and social development:

• Social Work Supervision and Practice – He developed a model of social work supervision grounded in a social development approach, addressing supervision quality and professional practice standards in the South African context.

• Developmental Social Welfare and Social Development – His academic interests include how social work and social welfare systems can better respond to societal challenges through developmental paradigms.

• Decoloniality in Higher Education and Knowledge Systems – Prof Ncube has published on decolonial approaches to higher education, examining the impact of colonial power on curricula, institutional structures, and knowledge production, and advocating for indigenous epistemologies and transformative change.

• Social Work Education and Practice Policy – Through leadership roles such as President of the Association of South African Social Work Education Institutions (ASASWEI), he engages in advancing strategies for strengthening social work education and aligning it with national development priorities.

  Across his work, Prof Ncube blends scholarship, practice, and policy-orientated thinking to contribute to social justice, educational transformation, and the professionalisation of social work in South Africa and beyond.