Professor Witness Mudzi

Duties: Director

Prof Witness Mudzi joined the University of the Free State’s Postgraduate School (PGS) as Director from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in September 2017. He has been involved with Higher Education for over 20 years. He was involved with postgraduate coordination and teaching and served on many postgraduate-related committees while at the University of the Witwatersrand where he worked for almost 14 years. Prof Mudzi has authored more than 27 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has supervised many master's and PhD students to completion of their studies.

Prof Mudzi has a BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy from the University of Zimbabwe, and a MSc Physiotherapy and PhD both from the University of the Witwatersrand.

His vision for the Postgraduate School is for it to be the driving force for policy-making for postgraduate studies at the University of the Free State. He wants to help create an enabling environment for postgraduate students that will improve not only the student throughput but also the resultant publications from postgraduate student research. Prof Mudzi believes that this process should be achieved through teamwork by all university structures and stakeholders and that the process should be informed by clear policies, evidence and sound management practices.
E: mudziw@ufs.ac.za

Danila Liebenberg

Duties: Assistant Director

Ms Liebenberg supports and assists with the planning of the Research Capacity Development Program, the Postgraduate Academic Writing component, the Graduate Research Management Program, the institutional and national Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, UFS postgraduate policies, guidelines, procedures, and reports. As well as the general functioning of the Postgraduate School. She facilitates workshops for the PGS on Microsoft Assisted Research, the EvaSys survey platform, Plagiarism, and Turnitin.

E: liebenbergjd@ufs.ac.za

Naomi Haupt

Duties: Monitoring and Evaluation

Ms Haupt is responsible for:

• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Quality Assurance
• Policy development and refinement

This position follows the key principles, processes, and measures as set out by the Postgraduate School to promote postgraduate research quality. The need for delivery of results in academia motivated this position, since the PGS is expected to deliver ongoing outcomes focused on enhancing efficacy with limited resources through making recommendations to ensure efficiency and impact in all portfolios. Further responsibilities include revising postgraduate policies as is necessary to ensure creation of an enabling environment for students; report writing, drawing up and reviewing of postgraduate UFS rules, guidelines, and procedures.

E: devaldone@ufs.ac.za

Katleho Nyaile

Duties: Postgraduate Student Tracking   

Mr Nyaile is responsible for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the institutional Graduate Research Management (GRM) system that will enable the process of tracking, monitoring, and evaluation of postgraduate progress from registration to graduation.

He is a dynamic individual with a zest for life and a never-ending willingness to learn. Creative problem-solving, leadership, and innovation are the core pillars of his professional career. He subscribes to a student-centred approach, which he believes is the success factor to any higher learning institution.

E: nyailek@ufs.ac.za

Nyakallo Nketsi

Duties: Graduate Research Management

Ms Nketsi is responsible for rolling out the Graduate Research Management system that is used to track, monitor, and evaluate the research journey of all postgraduate students at UFS.

She holds a degree in Information Technology (from UFS), and is passionate about online management systems, as she believes that they are essential in higher education. She previously worked at the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), where she was responsible for assisting students and academic staff with using the Questionmark system for online assessments.

E: nketsin@ufs.ac.za

Tshepiso Molaba

Duties: Research Capacity Development Program

Ms Molaba is a coordinator of the Researcher Capacity Development Programme. Her duties include coordinating workshops for the programme so as to incorporate content for the academic support of postgraduate students.

She has a BSc and BSc Hons degree from the UFS, as well as an MSc from the Nelson Mandela University. She has previously worked as a master's student researcher at the CSIR (The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) from August 2013 to June 2016.

E: molabatp@ufs.ac.za

Kgalalelo Motlhabane

Duties: Postgraduate Funding 

Ms Motlhabane works as an Officer for Postgraduate Funding. Her roles include the handling of enquiries for NRF and UFS Honours Bursaries, as well as record-keeping and coordination of this funding. 

She has worked as a student assistant in the UFS Rector’s office in 2013, and then completed an internship programme with the UFS Department of Human Resources in 2014. In February 2015, she joined the PGS, where she was responsible for assisting with the coordination of the Researcher Development Capacity Programme. She is currently enrolled for a master's degree.

E: motlhabanegk@ufs.ac.za

Prince Khoza

Duties: Funding

Mr Khoza leads the Postgraduate Funding portfolio of the Postgraduate School. He is responsible for the management of postgraduate funding opportunities, and provides strategic leadership on issues associated with postgraduate funding. He is focused on constantly looking for new ways of reaching out to and supporting UFS postgraduate students.

He is currently concluding his master’s degree in business administration (MBA) and pursuing a master’s degree in public administration (MPA). With 12 years experience in Higher Education and student funding, he is passionate about making a difference in the student life cycle.

E: khozapn@ufs.ac.za

Reabetswe Mabine

Duties: Marketing and Communications

Ms Mabine is responsible for marketing the Postgraduate School and its initiatives. In addition to this, she is responsible for the coordination and management of  all communication efforts of the school.

She has a BA Corporate Communications and Marketing Degree, as well as a BCom Honours in Marketing, both obtained at the UFS. Her area of expertise is in the fields of brand development and digital marketing.  

E: mabiner@ufs.ac.za

Bandile Kati

Duties: Finances

Mr Kati is responsible for administering and monitoring the finances of the University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG). This involves providing financial assistance to the financially supported staff members and for the Postgraduate school workshops. The grant is sponsored by the DHET with aim to capacitate the UFS staff to obtain their postgraduate degrees.

He joined the Postgraduate school in the winter of 2018.  he holds a Bachelor of Technology qualification in Cost and Management Accounting, as well as a National Diploma in Financial Information Systems.  

E: katib@ufs.ac.za

Zintle Jameson

Duties: Office Manager 

Ms Jameson is the:

• Office Manager for the office of the Director;
• Coordinator of the Professional Development Programme;
• Ex Officio: Postgraduate Student Council.
  

Zintle J Jameson is the office manager of the Postgraduate School, coordinating the Professional Development Programme as well as an Ex-Officio member of the Postgraduate Student Council. She holds a BCom Honours degree in Financial Economics and Investment Management and is currently enrolled for her Master's Degree in Economics. 

E: JamesonZJ@ufs.ac.za

Cecilia Rabanye

Duties: Front Desk

Ms Rabanye is responsible for postgraduate student inquiries, service requests, Postgraduate School staff-meeting administration, requisitions for items needed by the school, as well as record-keeping and data-capturing.

She moved over to the PGS from UDRAW. Going forward, she will be continuing with her BA degree and hopes to pursue an honours degree in the near future. She is eager and open to new learning experiences, especially within the postgraduate environment.

E: rabanyemc@ufs.ac.za